So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. -1 Peter 4:19

In honesty, there have been times in my life when I neither wanted to glorify God or remain faithful to Him because I was so frustrated with the "suffering" that I had to endure. Sometimes I just want to forget about my obligations and gifts as a believer and run away from my faith.
I know this probably sounds ridiculous to some, but others I know have experienced the same thing. One of the hardest things for me to truly understand was how an all-loving God could let His sons and daughters suffer according to His will. Even now I struggle to see the work of the Lord in some situations in life where things seem to be rolling down hill and only moving faster. But truly, in any suffering how could I not take complete joy as Paul expresses, while in prison, in his writings to Timothy. Do I not know that God will, and is, working all things for my own good? The word all means just that,…EVERYTHING, it does not exclude times of trial and suffering, it does not only include great "mountain top experiences" in your faith, it includes everything.
A very sobering realization is that as Christians we are in this for the long haul. Meaning, take joy in all situations as to magnify the love of Christ living in you. I think times of suffering can be some of the hardest times to want to glorify God, yet those same times will also allow us to truly understand His love for us when we cling to Him for help above all other things. When we take joy in Him above all other things, regardless of what our "worldly" life looks like at the moment. When we find ultimate contentment in the God that sacrificed His own son for us, even while we spit in His face.
As Paul, let us pray to God for contentment and even joy in our sufferings, and for a faith that realizes that God is working everything for our own good.
- Matt Joynt