1 Peter 4:12
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.”
Over the years I’ve encountered many questions regarding the existence and nature of God,
but this is what I’m asked most often:
Why does God allow suffering?
It’s a completely rational inquiry. If, God loves us why would He allow us to suffer—not simply “bumps and bruises” but knife-to-the-soul pain like a catastrophic illness, the loss of a loved one, or financial ruin? Responses such as “Because He’s God,” or “I don’t know” appear dismissive even if true. Yet there are few questions that keep people as distant from God, even causing some who once claimed a relationship with Him to walk away after facing catastrophic loss.
To the human mind it makes no sense, particularly from a parental perspective since the Bible tells us God is our “Father.” Who would let their kids suffer? While the Bible offers hundreds of verses intended to encourage the downtrodden, lift the spirits of those who face difficult circumstances, and give direction to those stunned by a loss, there is still the question of why we are in these predicaments in the first place.
Like many, I’ve experienced gut-wrenching pain in my life. I’ve also journeyed with many who’ve experienced the same. I’ve learned that reciting Bible verses in such moments, while noble and proper (yes, let’s keep doing this), can unintentionally come across like a doctor giving a gravely ill child medicine to make them “feel better”—while the parents are asking why their child is sick. Of course, being a good listener and simply walking with someone through their pain is also helpful, even if the “why” question remains elusive.
So, why does God allow us to suffer? Here are some reasons according to the Bible:
· Produce the fruits of patience,[1] joy,[2] spiritual maturity,[3] and righteousness[4]
· Silence the enemy[5]
· Teach us valuable lessons[6]
· Purify our lives[7]
· Make us like Christ[8]
· Glorify God[9]
· Prevent us from sinning[10]
· Compel us to confess our sins[11]
· Chasten us for sinning[12]
· Prove we belong to God[13]
· Help our prayer life[14]
· Produce an example of Christ for others[15]
· Qualify us as counselors[16]
· Further the spread of the Gospel[17]
· Make us more than conquerors in Christ[18]
· Give us insight into God’s nature[19]
· Draw us closer to God[20]
· Prepare us for greater service[21]
· Provide for us a reward[22]
· Prepare us for God’s kingdom[23]
· Reveal God’s sovereignty[24]
That’s a lot of reasons. (It seems God anticipated our questions about suffering!) But suffering still hurts, and even these encouragement from the Lord seem not to address the fundamental “why” question—why let us suffer in the first place?
I realize the answer I provide will be insufficient to those who believe that if God exists, He must exist on their terms. Not much I can say to that. But for those who believe in God and acquiesce to His existence on His terms, God allows us to suffer because…
He created us in His image as free-will agents.
Puppets or persons—which would we prefer? We see this free will agency from the Garden of Eden forward. God’s love enables us freely to choose our path in life. Without this free will we are no longer “in His image” nor special among all creation, including the ability to accept or reject our Creator. Instead, we are nothing more than puppets in His puppet show. Yes, free-will humans have made a mess of things, yet God has also created a way for us to successfully navigate the mayhem:
Trade our lives for the life offered by Jesus Christ while remaining free-will agents!
Trading our life for Christ’s transforms us into free-will agents that now desire to honor God, that have a permanent connection to His Word (Living and written) and His Holy Spirit to guide us through this temporary life on earth. This does not remove us from the mayhem, but it greatly increases our ability to deal with it, as Christ prayed to the Father:
“I have given them [disciples] Your word and the world has hated them; for they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15).
And as the apostle Paul affirmed:
“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).
Obviously, God knows we suffer pain. This is why He offers in His word the encouragements we need to navigate painful circumstances.[25] We also need to understand we don’t know how many times God has rescued us from suffering, or we do (like narrowly avoiding a car accident)
and immediately give thanks to Him.
As a loving parent I knew my sons would make poor decisions, and face situations beyond their control, that would cause pain. This is part of life, yet it changed neither our relationship nor my love for them. Sometimes I even let them experience manageable and limited pain to teach important lessons! I don’t want to uncover my boys but suffice it to say there were plenty of these life-lessons. Yet there’s an aspect of God allowing humans to be free-will agents and the potential suffering that comes with this,
rooted deeply in His divine plan:
Suffering can compel people to seek God.
At the beginning of my Old Testament Survey course, I explain to the students that the Old Testament can be summarized in one phrase: “We can’t do this on our own. We need God.” God allowed His people to experience many challenges, desiring that they cry out to and trust Him in their free-will agency. Some did, some didn’t, but that was their choice. For those who leaned on God, while they still experienced “life” they had a foundation, resources, and purpose to walk in hope and joy.
What situation are you facing, or have faced, that hurts?
Know that the pain you feel is normal and a result of broken humanity, a broken world, and of God allowing that world to run its course with the intent and hope that people look to Him for help. If John 3:16-17 were ever relevant, it’s in this context—I encourage you to read and prayerfully ponder it again (in the Amplified Version):
“For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He even gave up His only begotten and unique Son, so that whoever believes in, trusts in, clings to, and relies on Him shall not perish, come to destruction, or be lost, but instead have eternal and everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge, reject, condemn, or pass sentence on the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.”
As a result of this, here’s what I know.
God is close to the brokenhearted:
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)
Everything painful thing Christians experience in life is an opportunity
to grow closer to, rely on, and give thanks to God:
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1 Peter 5:10)
Every painful thing Christians experience in life is used by God for His purposes:
“And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” (Isaiah 30:20-21).
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
You may have heard the axiom, “When you’re going through hell, keep going!”[26] This is not simply an encouragement to “soldier on” but to grab God’s hand and walk with Him through the fires of life. For as the Psalmist writes:
“Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Hell, You are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:7-10)
Can such pain last a lifetime? Yes, but it doesn’t have to disable or define us. Those who endure such pain also know it can create incredibly empathy for others who are hurting. Thus, when life hurts, we continue to reach out to God with the confidence that He will care for us in keeping with our created nature—loved, in His image, and as free-will beings.
FOOTNOTES
[1] Romans 5:3; James 1:3–4; Hebrews 10:36
[2] Psalms 30:5, 126:5–6
[3] Ecclesiastes 7:3; 1 Peter 5:10
[4] Hebrews 12:11
[5] Job 1:9, 10, 20–22
[6] Psalm 119:67, 71
[7] Job 23:10; Psalm 66:10–12; Isaiah 1:25; 48:10; Proverbs 17:3; 1 Peter 1:7
[8] Hebrews 12:9, 10; 1 Peter 4:12–13; Philippians 3:10; 2 Corinthians 4:7–10
[9] Psalm 50:15; John 9:1–3, 11:1–4, 21:18–19; Philippians 1:19–20
[10] 2 Corinthians 12:7, 9–10
[11] Judges 10:6–7, 15–16; Psalm 32:3–5; Hosea 5:15, 6:1; 2 Chronicles 15:3–4
[12] 1 Peter 4:17
[13] Hebrews 12:5–6
[14] Isaiah 26:16
[15] 2 Corinthians 6:4–5; 1 Thessalonians 1:6–7
[16] Romans 12:15; Galatians 6:2; 2 Corinthians 1:3–5
[17] Acts 8:1–5, 16:25–34; Philippians 1:12–13; 2 Timothy 4:6–8, 16–17
[18] 2 Corinthians 2:14; Romans 8:35, 37
[19] Job 42:5; Romans 8:14–15, 18
[20] 1 Peter 4:14; 2 Corinthians 12:10
[21] 1 Kings 17–18; John 12:24
[22] Matthew 5:10–12, 19:27–29; Romans 8:16–17; 2 Corinthians 4:17
[23] 2 Thessalonians 1:5; 2 Timothy 2:12
[24] Romans 8:28; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Psalm 66:10–12; Genesis 45:5–8, 50:20
[25] Follow this link to see a few of them.
[26] While often attributed to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, it’s more likely from the October 30, 1943 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel journal of Boston, Massachusetts, in an article written by lecturer and editor John Randall Dunn, but attributed to an unnamed man and his anonymous friend.
Pondering 