Suffering as a gift – Hope (Part 1)\r\n\r\n Gift or Curse\r\n\r\n‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’ Romans 8v28\r\n\r\n Embracing Suffering as a gift can:\r\n\r\n (i) Lead to salvation\r\n\r\n‘God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world.’ CS Lewis\r\n\r\n (ii) Lead us to depend on God\r\n\r\n‘My weakness, that is, my quadriplegia, is my greatest asset because it forces me into the arms of Christ every single morning when I can’t get up.’ J E Tada\r\n\r\n (iii) Stop us from drifting from God\r\n\r\n‘Suffering is designed to destroy the appetite for sin.’ J Piper\r\n \r\n(iv) Lead to spiritual renewal