Last week I got goosebumps as I heard one of the pastors share some hard to swallow news.
“Tom went home to be with the Lord today,” Pastor Rob announced. “He was pinned by a truck while driving his motorcycle.
“He leaves behind his wife and his 9-year-old daughter. He was just 47 years old.”
The room filled with church staff went silent. There were a few people who gasped for air as they heard the shocking news.
We immediately began to pray for the family asking God to comfort them during this extremely difficult time.
This story brings up the question, “Why does God allow suffering and pain in our world today?”
Why did God take Tom home at the young age of 47?
Why does God allow suffering by allowing Tom’s wife and daughter to experience the extreme pain that they are feeling?
These are the same questions that some people asked after they saw the video of Ian and Larissa, a godly couple who stayed together despite of some difficult circumstances.
People from all over the world are searching for an answer to the age-old question, “Why does God allow suffering?”
I’d like to show you a video that answers the question of why does God allow suffering in our lives.
It’s a video from the wonderful folks over at Explore God.
After the video, you can read about the four reasons why we shouldn’t blame God for the suffering that we see in our world today.
Four Reasons Not to Blame God For the Pain and Suffering in Your Life
1. Reason #1 – It’s Not God’s Fault
Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, we’ve been plagued by sin.
What we see in the world today is the effect of sin not the effect of God.
This then begs the questions, “Then why doesn’t God stop all the effects of sin in the world?”
The answer is, “One day, He will.”
He’s going to put an end to all sin when He judges the world righteously in the future.
Until that day comes, He’s giving every person in the world a choice to choose to go the way of sin or the way of God.
Jesus died for us, knowing we might never love Him back. That's TRUE love! Click To Tweet2. Reason #2 – It Isn’t Up To You How God Chooses to Behave
So to fully understand this point, you need to realize that God can choose one of three actions when it comes to events in your life:
- God can start something to happen in your life
- Example – You’re broke and you don’t have money to pay the rent. God speaks to someone and tells them to give you a check for your rent. God started to speak to that person in order to get you the money that you need.
- God can stop something from happening
- Example – You’re going to get hit by a drunk driver if you leave to go to work at 8 am today. God makes your car battery go dead and you get delayed. God stopped you from getting on the road with your car, and spared you from an accident.
- God can allow something to happen
- Example – Joe Loser at your work hates your guts and lies about you to your boss. God is allowing Joe to spread his lies because He’ll use it in your life to accomplish His purpose.
So you see, it’s not up to you or me to tell God to start, stop, or to allow something to happen in our lives. It’s entirely up to Him.
And this is where we get in trouble many times because we want God to behave according to our will.
But God is sovereign and He chooses what He wants to start, stop, or allow in our lives.
3. Reason #3 – God is at Work Behind the Scenes
One of my favorite Bible verses is from the Book of Isaiah in which God says,
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.-Isaiah 55:8-9
When we get hit with devastating circumstances, it’s easy to ask, “Why is God allowing this suffering to happen to me?
But in reality, God is doing a deep work in your life that you just can’t see. You have to trust Him.
God isn’t our divine butler, He’s our heavenly Father. We have to trust Him when we don’t get what we prayed for.
4. Reason #4 – Blaming God Hurts You
Whenever something bad happens in your life and you get angry at God for not reacting the way that you want Him to, realize that you’re in a very dangerous place.
God is doing a deep work in your life even though you can’t see it or feel it.
Also don’t forget, God’s timing isn’t our timing.
What we want to happen in a day God will sometimes not allow to happen for a year, and that’s because He wants us to learn to trust Him.
The Bottom Line
God loves you and He is for you.
He’s doing a deep work in your life and you shouldn’t blame God when things don’t go the way you want them to.
Instead, be thankful that He’s the God who uses all things together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:29).
The next time something happens in your life that you don’t understand, remember, you can either worry or worship.
You can either push back against God or you can give in and praise Him.
You can either fret about your worries, or you can be fearless and trust that God knows what He’s doing.
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Comments 11
Ok,I would like to highlight on those 4 reasons why God allows “SUFFERING” and if possible,add to what has already been said.
From the 1st reason, I got to understand that THE EARTH IS NOT OUR HOME(from the book “PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE BY RICK WARREN.) and that OUR HOME IS WITH GOD IN HEAVEN; WE ARE VISITORS ON THIS EARTH.
From the 2nd reason, I got to understand that sometimes,IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCE OR THE PROBLEMS YOU ARE FACING BUT ALL THESE CIRCUMSTANCES COME TO REVEAL THE GREATER POWER INSIDE YOU WHICH YOU DON’T KNOW OF. TO also BRING TO LIGHT WHERE YOU ARE LAGGING BEHIND,YOUR SHORTCOMINGS WITH RESPECT TO SOME CERTAINLY AREAS OF YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE for example: (Faith,trust,obedience etc) so that you will make NECESSARY CORRECTIONS IN THOSE AREAS AND GET BACK ON TRACK.
Sometimes, also God can use suffering as a means of DRAWING YOU OR SOMEONE ELSE CLOSER TO HIM. Movies like “THE PERFECT STRANGER” ,”LOVE’S EVERLASTING COURAGE”, OVERCOME(based on the conversion of Paul) and “THOUGH NONE GO WITH ME” explains this point perfectly.
Also,we should note that JUST AS GOD BLESSES US TO BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS,GOD ALSO PUT US IN THOSE UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCES SO AS TO LIFT SOMEONE OUT THAT SIMILAR EXPERIENCE THAT PERSON IS FACING.(for example, DEATH OF A LOVED ONE etc.)
Amen Xavier, this is another excellent point that you make. I know that I speak for myself that I’m usually pretty selfish when it comes to God using me to teach other people lessons. I’d rather be spared the trial unless there is some personal growth for me, which is usually the case too.
Thanks for sharing your perspectives and view, you’re welcome here anytime Xavier 🙂
Now I would like to take this opportunity to CLEAR THE AIR on one of the MOST COMMON MISTAKES THAT PEOPLE MAKE especially with the QUESTIONS THEY USUALLY ASK.
Now using the above incident stated here about a 47-year old man(let’s say HE IS NOT A CHRISTIAN) who died in a motor accident leaving his wife and his child,one will ask this question, “WHY WOULD GOD ALLOW SUCH A TRAGEDY TO BEFALL THIS FAMILY? I MEAN THE MAN WAS A GOOD MAN(probably looking at the man’s lifestyle and all that). I MEAN “THOSE PEOPLE” are “GOOD PEOPLE” etc.
Now MY PROBLEM IS WITH THE TERM “GOOD MAN” as used in the above statement. The Bible makes it clear that THERE’S NO ONE WHO IS GOOD OTHER THAN OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. This statement was made by Jesus when the rich young ruler came to Him and addressed Him as “GOOD MASTER”. ALSO Romans 3:23 makes us aware that ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALLEN SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD. It’s only by the GRACE OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST’S FINISHED WORKS ON THE CROSS that has made us “WORTHY OR QUALIFIED PEOPLE” TO PARTAKE IN HIS DIVINE NATURE. SO WE MUST TAKE NOTE OF THIS MISTAKE BECAUSE IT IS CAUSING PEOPLE TO WONDER AWAY FROM THE FAITH.
That’s a great point that you bring up Xavier, there is no such thing as a “good person”. Romans 3:23 is probably one of the verses that people most share especially when they evangelize. Thank you for bringing up your very excellent point 🙂
I liked this. I’d add two things.
First, if God doesn’t exist, what’s “good” and “evil” would be left up to personal opinion, and why should one person’s opinion be more moral than another person’s opinion?
Second, without experiencing the pain that sin causes, we wouldn’t realize its destructiveness. We would never be humbled enough to admit our guilt for sinning, but we must admit our guilt if we are to be saved. Bad things point us to the greatest act of love of all time: the sacrificial death of Jesus for our sins.
Keep preaching the Gospel!
Dan
Amen, those are such great points Dan!
I’ve always found that some atheists try to circumvent the fact that there are universal moral laws and because they exist, then there has to be a moral lawgiver i.e. God. But ultimately, unless the Holy Spirit convicts them of sin, no one is going to come to Christ.
Thanks for your great comment, Dan 🙂
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