If God's love for his children is to be measured by our health, wealth, and comfort in this life, God hated the apostle Paul.
John PiperDo you feel more loved when God makes much of you or do you feel more loved when God at the cost of His Son allows you to make much of Him?
John PiperPeople are not prepared or able to rejoice in suffering unless they experience a massive biblical revolution of how they think and feel about the meaning of life. Human nature and American culture make it impossible to rejoice in suffering. This is a miracle in the human soul wrought by God through His Word.
John Piper