The Goodness of God...in the face of suffering

Sometimes it takes one who has been muddied up for so long, to be truly appreciative of cleanliness, when it comes.

I think this is the story behind Randy Alcorns new book, The Goodness of God: Assurance of Purpose in the Midst of Suffering. I happen to know that for a long while in 2007 he was suffering from depression. The school of suffering can teach you more things than the school of pleasure I believe, so perhaps this book is a manifesting of the wisdom he gained through those times. Here is a blip from his book.

Jesus Christ’s life and death demonstrate that God has never dished out any suffering he hasn’t taken on himself.
His death on the cross is God’s answer to the question, “Why don’t you do something about evil?” God allowed Jesus’ temporary suffering so he could prevent our eternal suffering . . .
God wrote the script of this drama of redemption long before Satan, demons, Adam and Eve—and you and I—took the stage. And from the beginning, he knew that the utterly spectacular ending would make the dark middle worth it. Paul writes, “This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time” (2 Timothy 1:9). How could God give us grace before our lives began, even before the universe itself existed? Only because God knew and determined in advance the work of Christ for us on the cross.
The story’s low point is the death of Jesus, yet this low point is the basis upon which he will one day, in a dramatic resolution to the story, return to establish his eternal kingdom on Earth. (pp. 44-45)

The question I have for you readers is this:

How does suffering make sense as a Christian? Does it make sense that a non-Christian would get mad at God when he gets cancer, receives news of his dead family member, etc?

If our happiness in life were the goal, it would TOTALLY make sense to be mad at God through tough times, but to know that God brings us through those times for a reason, is the bit of hope I can really chomp onto. This is why Paul calls our struggles “momentary”. They won’t linger, and even if they do, and breathe down your neck all the way to the grave, you have an inheritance from being a son or daughter of God (if you have put your life faith in Christ) mainly, heaven.