Why Do We Suffer? (Chinese/English)

Why Do We Suffer?
我们为何受苦

Romans 5:3-5 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us…
不但如此，就是在患难中也是欢欢喜喜的。因为知道患难生忍耐，忍耐生老练，老练生盼望，盼望不至于羞耻；因为所赐给我们的圣灵将　神的爱浇灌在我们心里。 罗马书 5:3-5

Dear Friends, in this devotion, I am not going to focus on one verse but on one book and this is the book of Job.   As I was going to get my phone recharged, the Lord dropped something really important into my spirit.   This year I have been reading the Bible through systematically and the book of Job impressed itself upon my heart.
亲爱的朋友们，在这篇敬拜中，我不再把目光关注在一个章节，而是一本书，这就是《约伯记》。当我要给手机充电的时候，主突然是使一些很重要的事情进入我的心。这一年我一直在系统地阅读圣经，以及给我的心留下深刻印象的《约伯记》这本书。

We all suffer and go through things, and sometimes our suffering is caused by our sin, but sometimes it is not.   Let’s look at Job’s situation.   He was a righteous man.   He was fully consecrated to God. Yet, he went through some of the worst suffering recorded in the Bible.   Why did this happen?
我们都曾经承受并经历过一些事情。有时我们所承受的是因为我们的罪而造成的，但有时并非如此。让我们看一看约伯的情况，他是一个义人，他完全把自己献祭给神，然而他经历了圣经里所记录的最坏最痛苦的一些事情。为何会发生这些事呢？

Sometimes our suffering has nothing to do with us.   The devil came to God and accused Job, and we need to realize that he accuses us every minute of every day.   Job was a pawn between God and the devil; Job’s three friends’ came and gave him plausible and logical explanations. Sometimes we can give advice which in human terms is right and correct, but in spiritual terms is so way off the mark. I wonder if you are one of Job’s friends who answer him from the flesh and not the spiritual.
有时我们所经历的事情与我们无关。魔鬼来到神面前指责约伯，我们需要认识到他每一天的每一分都在指责我们，约伯是神和魔鬼之间的抵押物，约伯的三个朋友来了，他们做出了貌似合理，富有逻辑的解释，有时我们也能给出一些建议，这些建议在人的立场上是正确的，但在灵魂层面就完全错了，我很好奇，如果你是约伯的一个朋友，是否会从肉体而不是从灵魂的层面给出他建议。

We need to look spiritually at all situations to see by the spirit and not the flesh.   Let me give you some examples from Scripture. First, we have the man born blind in John Chapter 9.  Why was he born blind?   So that God’s work through Jesus could be made manifest.  His suffering was not the result of some sin, your suffering is because God wants to be glorified; whether in peace or in suffering, God will be glorified.
我们要从属灵的角度看待一切事，要用灵魂，而不是用肉体来看，让我从经文中给你举一些例子。第一个例子，在约翰福音第九章有一个生来就是瞎眼的人，他为何生来就是瞎眼的呢？神通过耶稣来做工就是显而易见的事了，他所承受的并不是某些罪的后果，你所承受的是神要获得荣耀，不管是在和平时期还是在经历困苦的时候，神都将被荣耀。

Second, The Apostle Paul had a thorn in the flesh and he wanted this removed.   But what did God say and this is his most quoted answer to people who ask why?   “My grace is sufficient for you (2 Cor 12:9).”   Sometimes we can only say that the suffering is not because of us, we have to realize that there is a battle between God and the forces of darkness.  Remember the story of Elisha in 2 Kings Chapter 6?
第二个例子，使徒保罗肉体中有一根刺，他想要拔除它，但神怎么说呢？这也是他经常向那些问为什么的人所引用的回答，”我的恩典足够你用。”有时我们只能说困苦不是因为我们，我们必须认识到在神和黑暗势力之间有一场斗争，还记得列王记下第六章以利亚的故事吗？

There is a spiritual battle raging all around us. We see a little of what is going on, it is a battle against spiritual wickedness in high places。
一场属灵的斗争在我们周围正激烈进行着，我们对最近发生的事知之甚少，这是灵魂与邪恶在高处的斗争。

We need to realize that like Job sometimes our suffering is not because of our sin, but it is a fight between forces that are spiritual.   Going back to Job, God restored to him and gave him twice as much as he had before.   He did not give Job an explanation for his suffering and he owes us no explanations although sometimes He does graciously tell us why.
我们需要认识到像约伯这种情况，我们的痛苦并非来自我们的罪，但它是属灵层面力量的斗争。回到约伯记，神拯救了他，给了他比之前两倍那么多，他没有对约伯所经历的痛苦给出解释，尽管有时他会充满恩典的告诉我们为什么。

When God is silent about the reasons for suffering, remember He is your loving Father and will never ever do anything to hurt you.   Everything He does is for our benefit.   If you are bearing fruit, he will prune you, not to hurt you, but so that you bear more fruit.   He doesn’t have to explain why he does things to us, our suffering is to benefit us and for His glory.  The suffering of this present world is nothing to the glory when we spend eternity living in the light of His glory and presence.
当神对我们承受痛苦的原因保持沉默的时候，记得他是你慈爱的父，永远不会做伤害你的事，他做的每件事都是为了你的益处，如果你要结出果实，他就会修剪你，而不是伤害你，因此你会结出更多的果实，他不会解释为什么他会对我们这么做，我们所经历的是对我们有益的，也是为了他的荣耀。当我们基于神的荣耀和他的同在，消耗我们永恒生命的时候，这现今世界的痛苦与荣耀无关。

God bless you.
愿神祝福你。