A Purpose in Suffering 苦难的原因
Dexu Xia
I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. Job 42:7
“So what you’re saying is, it may not be my fault.” The woman’s words took me by surprise. Having been a guest speaker at her church, we were now discussing what I’d shared that morning. “I have a chronic illness,” she explained, “and I have prayed, fasted, confessed my sins, and done everything else I was told to do to be healed. But I’m still sick, so I thought I was to blame.”
I felt sad at the woman’s confession. Having been given a spiritual “formula” to fix her problem, she had blamed herself when the formula hadn’t worked. Even worse, this formulaic approach to suffering was disproved generations ago.
Simply put, this old formula says that if you’re suffering, you must have sinned. When Job tragically lost his livestock, children, and health, his friends used the formula on him. “Who, being innocent, has ever perished?” Eliphaz said, suspecting Job’s guilt (Job 4:7). Bildad even told Job that his children only died because they had sinned (8:4). Ignorant of the real cause of Job’s calamities (1:6–2:10), they tormented him with simplistic reasons for his pain, later receiving God’s rebuke (42:7).
Suffering is a part of living in a fallen world. Like Job, it can happen for reasons we may never know. But God has a purpose for you that goes beyond the pain you endure. Don’t get discouraged by falling for simplistic formulas.
How else do you see the “suffering = sin” formula being used? Why do you think it’s still so prevalent?
Great Physician, give me words to heal, not hurt, in times of pain.
我的怒气向你和你两个朋友发作，因为你们议论我不如我的仆人约伯说的是。—约伯记42章7节
我去一个教会讲道，聚会结束后和一位姐妹讨论我分享的信息，她说：“你的意思是，也许这不是我的错！”她的回应让我感到意外。她说她有慢性疾病，并经常为此祷告、禁食、认罪，而且她一听到有人说要怎么做才能得医治，她就全都照做，但还是没得痊愈，所以她觉得一定是自己犯了错。
她这样想令我感到难过。当她发现所领受的属灵“公式”无法解决问题后，就只能责怪自己。但其实这种面对苦难的公式化思维，早在千百年前就被证明是错误的。
简单来说，这古老的公式就是当你遭受苦难，一定是你犯了罪。当约伯不幸失去牲畜、孩子和健康时，他的朋友就把这个公式套用在他身上。就像以利法怀疑这是因约伯犯罪，就说：“无辜的人有谁灭亡？”（约伯记4章7节）比勒达甚至断言，约伯的孩子是因为犯罪才会死（8章4节）。他们不知道约伯遭受苦难的真正原因（1章6节-2章10节），就以过于简化的理由解释约伯为何受苦，这使约伯痛苦万分，但后来上帝责备他们（42章7节）。
苦难是生活在这堕落世界的一部分。就像约伯一样，我们可能永远不知道其原因。但上帝对你另有计划，且远超过你所承受的苦难。别被这过度简化的公式矇骗而灰心丧志。
人们何时会套用“苦难是犯罪的结果”这公式？
你觉得为何人们依然接受这套思维？
主啊，祢是最伟大的医生！当别人面对苦难时，
帮助我不去伤害他们，赐我安慰他们的话语。