Why Docs God
Allow Suffering?
philosopher from
Paris once com
mented, “God is
dead. Marxis dead.
don’t feel so good
myself.” His attitude
illustrates the pessimism
rampant in our culture
today. If there really is a
God, people wonder, why
has He allowed so much
suffering in the world?
Many Christians honestly
struggle with that same
question. Only by turning
to the Bible can we begin
to understand the prob
lem of suffering in this
life. Basically, there are
four types of suffering.
The first type is that
Luis Palau
which comes as the result
ot natural disasters, such as an earthquake or a hurricane. The suf
fering that results from these disasters happens to both the righteous
and unrighteous (Matthew5:45). A second type of suffering can be
called man’s inhumanity to man. War would be classified under this
type of suffering. Because of man's greed and pride, he tries to hurt
his fellow man( James 4:1-2). A third type of suffering is best seen
in the life of Job in the Old Testament; it came as a result of Satan’s
attack on him. After receiving permission from God, Satan moved
in and caused incredible suffering to Job and his family. A fourth
type of suffering is that which comes as a result of our own erro
neous actions. For example, if I walk off the roof of my office and
fall to the ground, breaking my leg, I am suffering because I broke
God’s law of gravity. We also suffer when we break God’s moral
laws. Much suffering can be traced to the evil choices we make.
Some, but not all. suffering is allowed by God as a punishment
forsin. Often God simply forces us to live with the consequences of
our actions (Galatians 6:7-8). Whenever people break God’s laws,
others are bound to suffer as well. I refer you to the story of Achan
in Joshua 7. When he coveted and took some of the spoil from the
battle of Jericho, Achan cos, the lives of 36 men in battle against Ai.
It is inevitable that others will suffer in the wake of an individual’s
disobedience.
How we respond to suffering— whether or not we brought it
on ourselves— is going to make us or break us as Christian pil
grims. Circumstances often do more to reveal our character than
to shape it. But by properly responding to trials, we can develop
patience and proven character (Romans 5:3-4). Problems, stress,
calamity, or the death of a loved one often cause us to search our
selves for any sin in our lives (see 1 Kings 17:18). Pain plants the
flag of truth in a heavy heart. But we must be cautious not to let
Satan overwhelm us with excessive and false guilt or grief (2
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Corinthians 2:7). Job’s wife told him to curse God and die. He
refused to give up and remained faithful to the Lord. Notice that
in the end God gave him all he had before and even more (Job
And
1
42:10-17).
Instead of looking at our circumstances, we need to
keep our eyes on Jesus Christ, the source of life. He will bring us
through whatever situation we face, and as a result we will be
stronger Christians, better able to serve Him because of our trials.
In a day of pessimism and suffering we can say with the psalmist,
"The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to
me.’ (Psalm 118:6). The Lord Himself, as the great Sufferer, is
our comfort and hope in troubled times. To Ponder: To what
degree have you experienced the first kind of suffering described
above? The second? The third? The fourth? Are you currently
going through a trial? What kind of trial is it? What has been your
response so far? To Pursue: This week memorize and meditate on
Psalm 118:6 and Hebrews 13:5-6, verses which have been an
encouragement to me and to many others during times of trial. ■
Luis Palau is a Portland-based evangelist, broadcaster, and
author o f 38 books including Healthy Habits fo r Spiritual
Growth(Discovery House Publishers, 1994).
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