Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

TEN REASONS TO BELIEVE IN A
GOD WHO ALLOWS SUFFERING


1. SUFFERING COMES WITH THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE. The freedom to choose is at the heart of what it means to be human, and a world without choice would be worse than a world without pain. Worse yet would be a world populated by people who could make wrong choices without feeling any pain. No one is more dangerous than the liar, thief, or killer who doesn't feel the harm he is dong to himself and to others.

2. PAIN CAN WARN US OF DANGER. We hate pain, especially in those we love. yet without discomfort, the sick wouldn't go to a doctor. Worn-out bodies would get no rest. Criminals wouldn't fear the law. Without pangs of conscience, the daily dissatisfaction of boredom, or the longing for significance, people who are made to find satisfaction in an eternal Father would settle for far less (Eccl. 1-12; Ps. 78:34-35; Rom. 3:10-18).

3. SUFFERING REVEALS WHAT IS IN OUR HEARTS. Capacities for love, mercy, anger, envy, and pride can lie dormant until awakened by circumstances. Strength and weakness of heart are found not when everything is going our way but when flames of suffering test the mettle of our character. As gold and silver are refined by fire, the human heart is revealed and developed in the presence of pain and suffering (Job 42:1-17; Rom. 5:3-5; James 1:2-5; 1 Peter 1:6-8).

4. SUFFERING TAKES US TO THE EDGE OF ETERNITY. If death is the end of everything, then a life filled with suffering isn't fair. But if the end of this life brings us to the threshold of eternity, then the most fortunate people in the universe are those who discover, through suffering, that this life is not all we have to live for. Those who find themselves and their eternal God through suffering have not wasted their pain. They are the ones who will discover why Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:1-12; see Rom. 8:18-19).

5. PAIN LOOSENS OUR GRIP ON THIS LIFE. In time, our work and our opinions are sought less and less. Our bodies become increasingly worse. Joints stiffen. Eyes grow dim. Digestion slows. Sleep becomes difficult. Problems loom larger while options narrow. yet, if death is not the end but the threshold of a new day, then the curse of old age is also a blessing. Each new pain makes this world less inviting and the next life more appealing. In its own way, pain paves the way for a graceful departure (Eccl. 12:1-14).

6. SUFFERING GIVES OPPORTUNITY TO TRUST GOD. According to the Bible, a man named Job lost his family to "a mighty wind," his wealth to war and fire, and his health to painful boils. As Job endured the accusations of his friends, heaven remained silent. When God finally did speak, He talked about the animals, the wonders of the heavens, the marvels of the sea, and the cycle of the seasons. Job was left to conclude that if God had the power and wisdom to create the universe, there was reason to trust that same God in times of suffering (Job 1:42).

7. GOD SUFFERS WITH US IN OUR SUFFERING. No one has suffered like the One who paid for our sin in the crucified body of His own Son. It is the God who asks us to trust Him when we are suffering and when our own loved ones cry out in our presence (1 Peter 2:21; 3:18; 4:1).

8. GOD'S COMFORT IS GREATER THAN OUR SUFFERING. The apostle Paul pleaded with the Lord to take away an unidentified source of suffering. But the Lord declined, saying, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect n weakness." "Therefore," said Paul, "most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me....For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12:9-10). Paul learned that he would rather be with christ in suffering than without christ in good health and pleasant circumstance.

9. IN TIMES OF CRISIS, WE FIND ONE ANOTHER. Hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, riots illnesses, and accidents all have a way of bringing us to our senses. Suddenly we remember our own mortality and that people are more important than things. We remember that we do need one another and that, above all, we need God. Each time we discover God's comfort in our own suffering, our capacity to help others is increased (2 Cor. 1:3-4).

10. GOD CAN TURN SUFFERING AROUND FOR OUR GOOD. Through Job's suffering we see a man who became a source of encouragement for people in every generation to follow. Through the betrayal and wrongful imprisonment of a man named Joseph, we see someone who eventually was able to say tho those who had hurt him, "You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good'" (Gen. 50:29). When everything in us screams at the heavens for allowing suffering, we have reason to look at the eternal outcome and joy of Jesus who in His own suffering cried, "My God, MY God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46).