Perhaps no other question in history has plagued the hearts of Christians and non-believers alike: "Why would a loving God allow people, especially good people, to suffer?" This is arguably the number one reason people give for not believing in God. And to be honest, it's a fair question. Let's look at some verses that will hopefully shed some light on the matter.
God is not ignorant of our suffering. We're not completely alone in our suffering. God knows, and what's more, he cares. Check these out:
John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
Romans 8:28 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.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
God seems to have a purpose for allowing suffering. So what could it be?
We suffer so we can become perfect. God allows us to go though some pretty rough stuff because he knows that we don't grown when things are easy. That sounds like a cop-out answer, but it's true. Think about sports. Practice, running, and weight lifting aren't easy, and in fact they can down right hurt. But the end result is that we improve. We get stronger, faster, and better. Look at these verses:
Romans 5:3-4 We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything
Hebrews 5:8 Although [Jesus] was [God's] son, he learned obedience from what he suffered
You'll notice that I keep saying that God allows us to suffer. Notice that I didn't say that he causes the bad things we have to endure.
God is not to blame for our suffering. So who is? Well, we are. The question at the top of the page isn't really a fair one. It makes the assumption that there are good people that God is mistreating. But the fact is that none of us are good. We have all done bad things. Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Sin is anything that God doesn't want.) And no matter how many good things we do, we can never outweigh the bad. Isaiah 64:6 says, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." Even natural disasters and disease are the result of man sins. Romans 5:12 "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned" I'm not saying that you are suffering because you're a sinner. It doesn't always work that way. Sometimes God just uses the bad things in the world to get our attention. Sometimes he uses them to strengthen us. But he's not causing them, and he's not beign cruel. He's actually being a truly loving God.
Look at that question again. "Why would a loving God allow suffering?" The biggest problem is that we don't realize that we have a screwy definition of love. We tend to think of love as "affection." True love is bigger than that. A parent who disciplines his son isn't being affectionate, but he is being loving. A slap on the hand may not seem like love to a child who is reaching for the burner on the oven, but no one would argue that the mom is being a bad mother. In fact, we'd criticize any mom who didn't allow the child some suffering to protect them from greater suffering.
The next time your heartbroken, or in pain, or distressed, or just plain stressed, remember that God even allowed Christ to suffer. It wasn't because he didn't love him, or that he could help. It's so that the Son would call out to the Father for help. Maybe we should do the same.
