Suffering

One question that has puzzled some Christians and has been used by people who deny the Christian faith is,why do the righteous suffer? John MacArthur,a Protestant theologian,offers six things to remember when suffering occurs in a preface to his commentary on the Book of Job.
1.There are matters going on in heaven with God that believers know nothing about;yet,they affect their lives; 2.Even the best effort at explaining the issues of life can be useless; 3.God's people do suffer. Bad things happen all the time to good people,so one cannot judge a person's spirituality by his painful circumstances or successes;4. Even though God seems far away,perseverance in faith is a most noble virtue since God is good and one can safely leave his life in His hands; 5.The believer in the midst of suffering should not abandon God,but draw near to Him,so out of the fellowship can come the comfort--without the explanation; and 6. Suffering may be intense,but it will ultimately end for the righteous and God will bless abundantly.