I attempt to write this humbly, because I know I do not have all the answers to the question of why an all powerful and loving God allows suffering. I also know there are many people who have suffered things far greater than I.
But, as a wise man once said, even though not everything about God makes sense to me, without God nothing makes sense at all.
My experience of his sovereignty, love and comfort, inspire me to write about the topic, if only briefly and non-exhaustively. Amidst the chaos and confusion that sometimes accompanies our journey here on earth, I have found these 5 things to provide consolation and assurance to me. They help me make sense of it all.
1. Our very sense of justice is based on belief in a good God.
In Genesis 18:25, Abraham says to God, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”. Of course, the answer is yes. But where did Abraham get the idea of justice in the first place?
Without a good God at the helm, we have no basis for believing in justice or that there is such a thing as right or wrong. The question arises, can we even call suffering a “bad” thing? C.S. Lewis encountered this idea as he slowly turned from atheism to Christianity.
“My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of “just” and “unjust”? … What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against Gd collapsed too – for the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my private fancies… Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple.”
The point being that without God we cannot even discern between what is just and what is not. The fact that we have a sense of justice about suffering at all - actually points us toward belief in a good God who gives us a moral standard.
2. Human free will must be taken into account.
In Deuteronomy 30:19, God says to His Children:
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live…”
Although there are debates about free will , most will agree that it is true that God is all powerful and in control (in other words, He is sovereign). Nevertheless, the Scriptures also tell us that, in His great sovereignty, He gave human beings a free will. We can blame God for that decision I suppose, but we cannot blame Him for the choices humanity makes with this gift.
So much (though not all) human suffering is caused by other humans and their disastrous choices. Our own suffering is even sometimes due to our own decisions. Sin and the rebellion of humanity is deep and wide and the effects of it are seen throughout history and the world today.
Christianity also recognizes the existence of a spiritual enemy; namely, Satan and his demons. They cause much harm to the human race and we are told to put on spiritual armor in order to resist their attacks (Ephesians 6).
3. God offers meaning to our suffering.
In John chapter 9, Jesus heals a man who was born blind. His disciples ask him if it was the man’s fault or his parent’s fault that he was born blind. Jesus responds, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Jesus was saying that this particular suffering was not due to bad choices by humans but rather it was allowed by God for some greater purpose.
If you are a parent, you know the difficulty of allowing your child to experience pain for her future happiness or greater good. This can happen when your child needs a needle, or goes to the dentist, or gets grounded in order to learn important lessons. God is our Father, and in many cases, our suffering can be just like this. This is where the child needs to trust the parent that they have their very best in mind for them. We also know that we can learn things through suffering that we never could have without it.
1 Peter 1:7 reminds us that the trial of our faith is, “more precious than gold”.
We may not always see the meaning or purpose in our suffering, but Christ says its there – trust Him with that.
4. God partakes in our suffering.
John 1:14 tells us that, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
One of the most awe-inspiring things to me about the Gospel, is that God, in the person of Jesus, entered into our pain and suffering in a profound way through the incarnation and the cross. Is God sympathetic to our pain? Is He compassionate about our suffering? Absolutely! But He is more than just that.
He is deeply empathetic, because he cared so much that he became human with us. He didn’t just walk a mile in our shoes, he spent 33 years in them and then died an agonizing death on the cross. Hebrews tell us that he “in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” There was no imperative for him to do this. He did it because he loves us.
As the songwriter has said:
“Who is God that He would take our frame
The artisan inside the paint?
Or breathe the very air His breath sustains
The architect inside the plan?”
In the same way that Jesus entered into our suffering and helps us, he also asks his followers to help others who suffer.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 1 Corinthians 1:3-4
5. God gives us hope in our suffering
A peak into the book of Revelations describes a part of Heaven that Christians will know personally in the future:
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4
Tim Keller, in his fascinating book “The Reason for God”, writes: “Embracing the Christian doctrines of the incarnation and Cross brings profound consolation in the face of suffering. (but) the doctrine of the resurrection can instill us with powerful hope.”
There is comfort and meaning in our suffering even in this life, but God does not stop there. He gives us hope for the future as well. As Jesus was resurrected to new life, so the Scriptures teach that we will one day live a new life in the new heavens and the new earth spoke of in Revelation.
Conclusion
Keller also recounts this passage from Tolkien’s great work:
“Just after the climax of The Lord of the Rings, Sam Gamgee discovers that his friend Gandalf was not dead (as he thought) but alive. He cries, “I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself! Is everything sad going to come untrue?” The answer of Christianity to that question is – yes. Everything sad is going to come untrue and it will somehow be greater for having once been broken and lost.”
Human suffering is real and, at times, almost inconceivable. I do not make light of it nor try to offer patronizing advice. I wrote this because this is what I have learned so far in my life about God and suffering and I want to share some of that hope, meaning and empowerment with you.
