When our desire for an easy life begins to compete with our desire for God.
I’ve been walking through a systematic theology study at my church, and a few weeks ago, the teaching stirred something in my heart and sent me digging a little deeper into the this topic of suffering and comfort. I wanted to share some of what I’ve been learning, along with a few thoughts the Lord has been pressing on my heart.
Have you ever stopped to consider how much of your life is arranged around comfort? We like predictability. We like knowing what comes next. We enjoy our routines, our familiar surroundings, and the security of knowing that things are going according to plan. And when something threatens that comfort, our natural response is often to find the quickest way back to it.
I don’t think we always recognize how deeply the pursuit of comfort influences our decisions, including our spiritual ones. We pray for God to remove difficulties, open doors, and make the way clear. And there is certainly nothing wrong with bringing those requests before Him. But I wonder how often we consider what God might be accomplishing in the very circumstances we’re asking Him to change.
Scripture has quite a bit to say about suffering, comfort, and our pursuit of pleasure. And when we begin looking at these things through the lens of God’s Word, we discover that our understanding of a good life may need some adjusting.
Suffering: When God Uses What We Would Rather Avoid
James 1:2–4 tells believers to count it all joy when they encounter various trials because the testing of their faith produces steadfastness. Paul echoes this truth in Romans 5:3–5, explaining that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.
Now, I don’t know about you, but suffering isn’t exactly something I look forward to. When life becomes difficult, my first instinct is usually to ask God to make things better. I want the circumstances resolved, the uncertainty removed, and the weight lifted.
Yet Scripture reminds us that God can accomplish something deeply valuable through the very things we would rather avoid.
Suffering often reveals where we have placed our trust. It exposes the things we depend upon for security and reminds us of how little control we actually have. And when those things are shaken, we have an opportunity to learn what it means to depend more fully on the Lord.
This doesn’t mean every hardship is a punishment from God or that we should somehow enjoy pain. Suffering is a real consequence of living in a fallen world, and God is compassionate toward us in it. But because He is faithful, we can trust that even our most difficult seasons are not beyond His ability to redeem.
Sometimes the very circumstances we’re asking God to remove become the places where our faith grows the deepest.
Comfort: When a Good Gift Becomes an Idol
I love that Scripture calls God the Father of mercies and God of all comfort in 2 Corinthians 1:3–4.
Our Father cares about our suffering. He invites us to bring our burdens to Him, and He comforts us so that we can extend that same comfort to others.
Comfort is a beautiful gift from God. Rest is good. Peace is good. Enjoying the blessings He has provided is good. We don’t have to feel guilty for experiencing a season of ease or receiving His kindness.
But there is something worth examining in our hearts.
Has our desire for comfort become greater than our willingness to obey?
Think about how easily we can begin measuring God’s goodness by our circumstances. When life is going well, we feel blessed. When things become difficult, we sometimes begin questioning whether God is working at all.
And what happens when obedience requires something uncomfortable? What if God calls us to have a difficult conversation, serve when it would be easier to stay home, forgive someone who has hurt us, or surrender something we’ve grown attached to?
Jesus tells us in Luke 9:23 that following Him involves denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily, and walking after Him.
There will be times when obedience requires sacrifice. There will be seasons when following Jesus disrupts our plans and challenges the things we’ve grown comfortable with.
And perhaps one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is whether we’re willing to follow Him when the path becomes difficult.
Hedonism: When Pleasure Becomes the Pursuit
There’s a word for the philosophy that pleasure is the highest good and ultimate goal of life: hedonism.
You may have never used that word to describe anything about your life, but you’ve probably encountered the thinking behind it.
Our culture constantly encourages us to pursue whatever makes us happy, avoid whatever makes us uncomfortable, and organize our lives around personal satisfaction.
And if we’re not careful, that thinking can influence the way we approach our relationship with God. We begin expecting our faith to make life easier. We become frustrated when obedience requires sacrifice. We may even start making spiritual decisions based primarily on what feels most comfortable.
The danger is subtle because pleasure itself is not sinful. God created us with the ability to experience joy and delight in His good gifts. Psalm 16:11 tells us that in His presence there is fullness of joy.
The issue is what we’ve allowed to become our highest pursuit.
When personal happiness becomes the standard by which we make decisions, our desires can begin to take priority over God’s Word. We become more interested in protecting our comfort than allowing the Lord to transform our hearts.
And over time, we may find ourselves enjoying the blessings of God while resisting the very things He’s asking us to surrender.
Learning to Follow Jesus in Every Season
Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him. He knew the suffering that awaited Him, and in the garden of Gethsemane, He brought His agony honestly before the Father. Yet He willingly submitted to the Father’s will.
What a beautiful example of trust and obedience.
Jesus shows us that suffering can be faced with hope, even when the circumstances are incredibly painful. And through His death and resurrection, we have a living hope that reaches far beyond the difficulties of this present world.
As believers, we’re learning to receive God’s comfort with gratitude, endure suffering with faith, and enjoy His blessings without allowing them to become the center of our lives.
And that kind of spiritual maturity takes time. It develops as we continue walking with Jesus, learning to trust His wisdom and discovering His faithfulness in both the difficult and the beautiful seasons.
So perhaps the next time we find ourselves longing for an easier path, we can pause long enough to ask what the Lord might be doing in our hearts. We can certainly pray for relief. We can ask Him for peace and seek the comfort He so graciously provides. And we can also ask Him for the faith to remain obedient while we wait.
Because ultimately, the greatest gift God has given us is Himself.
And the more deeply we come to know Him, the more we begin to understand why His presence is worth pursuing in every season of life.
A Question for the Heart
Am I pursuing Jesus because He is worthy, or have I begun measuring His goodness by how comfortable He makes my life?
Take a moment to bring that question before the Lord. Ask Him to reveal any place where your desire for comfort has begun to influence your willingness to obey. And remember, the God who calls you to follow Him is the same loving Father who promises to be with you along the way.
Dig Deeper in Scripture: James 1:2–4; Romans 5:3–5; 2 Corinthians 1:3–5; Luke 9:23; Psalm 16:11; Hebrews 12:2.
Glossary of Key Terms
Suffering: The experience of physical, emotional, or spiritual pain and hardship. Scripture teaches that God can use suffering to develop perseverance, strengthen faith, and shape believers into the likeness of Christ (Romans 5:3–5).
Comfort: A state of relief, peace, or freedom from distress. Biblical comfort also refers to the encouragement, strength, and consolation God provides in the midst of suffering (2 Corinthians 1:3–4).
Hedonism: A philosophy that regards pleasure as the highest good or ultimate goal of life. From a Christian perspective, pleasure becomes spiritually dangerous when personal satisfaction takes priority over loving and obeying God.
Idolatry: Giving something created the devotion, trust, or priority that belongs to God alone. Even good gifts, such as comfort, security, success, or relationships, can become idols when they take first place in our hearts (Colossians 3:5).
Steadfastness: The ability to remain faithful and spiritually grounded through trials, difficulties, and opposition. James teaches that steadfastness develops as our faith is tested (James 1:2–4).
Spiritual Maturity: The ongoing process of growing in Christlike character, wisdom, faith, and obedience. God develops maturity in believers through His Word, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the experiences of everyday life (Ephesians 4:13–15).
Self-Denial: Willingly surrendering personal desires or preferences when they conflict with following Christ. Biblical self-denial is an expression of discipleship and submission to God’s will (Luke 9:23).
Biblical Joy: A deep delight rooted in knowing God and trusting His promises. Unlike temporary happiness that often depends on circumstances, biblical joy can remain present even during suffering (James 1:2; Psalm 16:11).
Scripture References & Further Reading
Scripture References
The primary biblical foundation for this study includes James 1:2–4, Romans 5:3–5, 2 Corinthians 1:3–5, Luke 9:23, Psalm 16:11, Matthew 26:36–46, and Hebrews 12:2.
Theological and Educational Resources
Ligonier Ministries. (2019). Why Do We Suffer? A biblical examination of suffering, God’s sovereignty, and the refining of Christian faith, drawing from the life of Job and the teaching of R.C. Sproul.
https://www.ligonier.org/posts/why-do-we-suffer
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Hedonism. An academic overview of hedonism, including its historical development and philosophical approaches to pleasure, pain, happiness, and human well-being.
BibleProject. Chara / Joy. A biblical word study exploring the nature of Christian joy and how it can endure through suffering because of God’s character and promises.
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