Why Does God Allow Suffering?
Why does God, who is love, allow suffering?
This is a question which many over the centuries have wrestled with. And today it seems many have found the prevalence of suffering and injustice in this world incompatible with the existence of an all powerful and loving God.
It is understandable that many come to this conclusion. But as much as we try to avoid it, suffering is everywhere and no one escapes suffering in some form while we live on this earth. Suffering results from the actions of evil men and women while other suffering is the consequence of accidents, natural disasters and ill-health. The loss of a loved one, especially that of a young child or baby is especially hard.
Yet the fact we sense injustice and suffering, right and wrong, itself suggests there is an ultimate standard of right and wrong. Our sense of wrong and injustice is real. Suffering hurts, deeply. If we were merely the product of mindless matter then why should we be troubled with such? Wouldn’t suffering and injustice be a natural fact of life? But if we are made in the image of a loving God then our grief and abhorrence of injustice and suffering is to be expected. And more so God, for he sees it all and grieves too. The question then becomes, not whether God exists, but why does he (from our perspective) allow suffering and injustice to prevail, especially the indiscriminate suffering of the innocent and children?
The Bible and Suffering
God reveals to us in the Bible that sin, suffering and death began in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. As a consequence Satan became the ruler of this world who seeks to kill, rob and destroy. Since that time sin, suffering and death have reigned.
Yet, like Adam and Eve, we have been made with a free will and with that we can choose to do good or evil. The suffering of innocent and of children who are abused, raped, contract HIV or murdered – is the result of the actions of fallen men. For God to prevent such, as much as he abhors it, he would have to physically restrain them and control their thoughts (where all crime begins). Should God intervene? Should God override their free will and where would we draw the line as to when he should intervene? This would vary according to our own standards – but to be consistent and show no partiality God would have to intervene in all wrong.
As fathers – if we prevented our children at every waking moment from doing anything wrong – including their hurting others – they would end up hating us and want to be as far from us as they could. Is that the kind of God we want – who controls our every thought and all we do? It is not my idea of a loving God.
You see we have a tendency to think of others as being evil but not ourselves. People say “I’m not a murderer” – but in God’s eyes hating someone is murder; “I’m not a paedophile or an adulterer” – but even to think lustfully of a child or another man’s wife is wrong. Should God prevent a man from committing rape but not from viewing pornography on the Internet? These are both clearly wrong, but the cause of wrong and suffering, to some degree, lies in each one of us – not just the rapists, paedophiles and terrorists. It is true that many evils have been perpetrated in the name of God. Yet this does not reflect on God but rather on the hypocrisy and evil of man. Jesus certainly did not justify such, rather the opposite, as we all know.
This is not to say God has given free reign to evil. Thankfully we have government and justice systems, albeit imperfect, which keep evil in check. The existence of such systems is actually an example of a time when there will be ultimate justice, when all wrong will be judged. That is part of the hope to which Christians aspire to, and not only justice but a time of no sickness, suffering or death. There is coming a day when, according to the Bible, he will say “That is enough” and through Jesus Christ (who knew suffering personally) judge mankind and bring an end to all that is evil.
So while some find suffering a reason to deny God’s existence and move away from him, others have found suffering and adversity draws them closer to God. The Bible, more than any other book, addresses the subject of suffering and why it exists. The Psalms frequently express anguish for suffering and injustice in many different situations:
Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and our oppression? (Psalm 44:24)
Faith In God Enables Us to Endure Suffering
The existence of suffering does not defeat faith, but rather it is faith in God that enables us to endure suffering in this world. The early Christians (and in many parts of the world today) suffered greatly and had little comfort other than the belief that there is a better life beyond this one. Nor should it be thought that having faith that there will be a future world in which there is no suffering or injustice mean that we should not endeavour to seek it here and now. Christians bearing the love of God have been and are instrumental in bringing relief from suffering and injustice through humanitarian aid organisations. It is largely through the influence of Christian ethics we in the western world experience fair and equitable justice.
Though suffering and premature physical death is grievous, it is not the ultimate injustice. For if this life was all there is then, yes, we could truly despair. But it is not. Does this mean then we just stoically endure suffering, that is without emotion? No. Sorrow and depression are all part of life in this world.
But God knows intimately our suffering. When Jesus hung on the cross, naked, in agony and forsaken by the Father he knew suffering more than we ever can. Yet for the joy before him Jesus endured the cross and its suffering. The crucifixion of Jesus to the natural mind seems so wrong and so pointless. Yet we know that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that we who believe in him might have eternal life. Love and suffering can co-exist. God’s love does not spare us suffering now but his promise to comfort and bring us into his glory are certain. God sometimes permits what he hates to achieve what he loves.
The apostle Paul was well acquainted with personal suffering yet he knew the comfort of God. In his second letter to the church at Corinth he wrote:
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 will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).
He goes on to say:
For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and will deliver us He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us (2 Corinthians 1:8-10).
Clearly Paul experienced great suffering yet he steadfastly hoped and trusted God that there would one day be deliverance. So we too in our deepest suffering and affliction know that God is faithful, his love never fails, he is with us and his abundant comfort through Christ.
But note what Paul says here: that, in his suffering, because he has been comforted by God he is able to comfort others. That is the other-worldly love and comfort we as Christians can show to others.
Suffering will always be a part of life in this present world and particularly for Christians who will experience in addition the hate of Satan and the world. It is a mistake to believe that life as a Christian will be easier in this world. It won’t as thousands across the globe are finding at this very time.
Jesus said:
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great (Matthew 5:10-12).
And as Paul said to the church at Philippi:
For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake (Philippians 1:29).
Yet as Paul also said:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18).
This is why it is absolutely essential in times of great trial that we keep our hope in Christ before our mind. This is where Scripture and spiritual songs can play a crucial role in keeping our spiritual health. Take for instance Jeremiah:
He (God) has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; He turns his hand again and again the whole day long. He has besieged me with bitterness and tribulation; He has walled me about so I cannot escape; He has put heavy chains upon me; though I call and cry for help, He shuts out my prayer; He has blocked my ways with hewn stones, my soul is bereft of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, “Gone is my glory, and my expectation from the Lord.” (Lamentations 3.2-18, excerpts).
Jeremiah sounded very depressed and in total despair. Yet this is what he goes on to say:
My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. But this I will call to mind, and therefore have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, therefore I will hope in him. (3.20-24).
Notice Jeremiah does not deny the reality of his circumstances, but calls to his mind the hope he has in God – His steadfast love never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is His faithfulness. He meets my deepest needs. My hope is in Him.
Therefore if we remind ourselves, daily, of these things, even speaking aloud to ourselves the great hope we have, suffering, grief and depression will not overwhelm us.