They're actually meant to make us see our grave need for Him. The people surveyed reported that pain limits their activity three days per week on average. I dont understand all the things that are happening in my life, but, O God, I trust in You. All suffering includes pain, but not all pain is suffering. But it was humans, to whom he gave free will, who allowed the devil to turn them away from God, resulting in an imperfect world with sin and evil as a part of it. Many of us think that if God is so good, why would He allow us to undergo pain and suffer failures in our lives. See you next time! These stories liter our feeds on social media and are in almost every movie Hollywood makes. We need your help to keep our site ad-free. His newest Walking with God through Pain and Suffering is a wise, Christ-centered, comforting book for readers who hurt, and offers counsel to readers who anticipate future suffering. "Sorrowful yet always rejoicing.". Man said, I dont need You, God. Now the earth was tohu va-vohu Genesis 1:2. If you touch a hot stove your body reacts with pain that causes you to quickly move your hand. We are missing out on something that God wants to teach us, grow in us, or mature us in. Hope is not lost. And the list could go on and on and on. Paradoxically, love is the greater reason, and God will allow His creation to go through anything in the name of love. So, what do we know about why does God allow suffering? This was a very emotional time. The truth is: If God can't somehow love you through the pain and suffering, then He shields you from it. One of the greatest gifts of God is free will. But then sin entered the world. Pastor. The loss of mystery Our culture lost something vital through the Enlightenment, and that is a love of mystery, or the acceptance of concepts that are difficult to understand or explain. Many have this faulty view that when we follow God we are promised a good life, a pain-free life. Also see Where Is God When Im Scared? The Purpose of Pain. He confirms that the world is fallen because we are out of the relationship with God that we are meant to live in. In order to address the reasons why God allows pain and suffering, we need to consider the source of evil. God does not put you through pain, but rather the pain you go through comes as a result of disobedience or wrong choices you make, or sometimes from the wickedness in the world. He created, gave life, put order, assigned man to govern everything, and warned him of the danger that eating what is forbidden brings. Let me explain. Let me explain. Suffering is coming to an end. Because of love. A small percentage of the world has a genetic disorder called congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis or CIPA, basically meaning they feel no pain. We decide where we move too. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Again the question not so quietly arises. Where did OT Saints go at death? What makes this experience complex is the fact that when suffering comes, several of these types of suffering are often involved which can take a major toll on our spirit. Topics: Suffering. Grief causes ones life to halt and become devoid of meaning. But theres a flaw in that question. But Jesus sent them anyway. Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble" ( John 16:33 ). Its a common question that is used to argue that either God is not all-good or He is not all-powerful. Pain is meant to be a blessing. God sees and understands what we cannot. People. I know most of us wouldnt say that. When we face pain and suffering how we respond to it is a choice. Paul points to this mindset in 1 Corinthians 13:12. To read more about why pain is a good thing check out: Why Pain Is Actually A Good Thing. question), we can nevertheless respond in two important ways. This is at no cost to you and helps keep Rethink up and running. All of our problems and our suffering, including death itself, are a result of mans rebellion against God. Reasons for Hope* Jesus, Yes, send me answers to interesting and challenging questions about Jesus and the Bible. Sign up for Rethink Updates and youll also get access to 3 exclusive articles! Reconciling how a good and loving God could allow such pain in their lives (or someone close) is difficult. Consider what God told Paul when he was in pain: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Pain is promised. Why is God letting this happen? Pain, on the other hand, is good. Harm that was brought upon us by another human. But the God of the Bible charts a different course. Until we understand that there are things we will not see this side of heaven, this question will cause us to stumble. God allows pain in the life of an unbeliever so that they will become a believer. Those are two very different responses. Yes, God the Father remained good through it all. The answer to this question is that none of us are truly innocent or undeserving. But there are pains that cause us to grow. He might not keep usfrompain and suffering but He will keep us (hold us and care for us)inour pain and suffering. In contrast, in our personal lives, we cant stand even the smallest pain. In Matthew 16:24-26 Jesus tells his followers to pick up their cross. The Bible doesnt diminish our experience of suffering. Ground yourself in these Bible-based truths Billy Graham once shared. Still, what did God do after Adam and Eve fell? Therefore He never gives us anything for which He does not provide what we need to deal with it. Scripture tells us, We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). Social sharing is permitted. Put your email in the box below! Please click here to learn how. So what should we do the next time we experience some kind of pain? But God has revealed answers through the Bible and through the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ. They are a silent testimony of healing and wholeness that enable one to invite God to be present in the pain of another. God took the initiative in giving His Son, Jesus Christ. It was at this point that evil, sickness, disease, and death entered the world and along with it pain and suffering. The point Im trying to make is that until we put God at the center, we will struggle with this question of why suffering exists. to learn more. Writer. Now we ask: what's the role of God in the coming of death and pain in the world? Man does not exist for his own sake We were made not primarily that we may love God (though we were made for that too) but that God may love us, that we may become objects in which the divine love may rest well pleased. There are a few things that are important things on the topic of suffering we should know. The last chapter of the Bible makes it clear that there is a happy ending to what is NOT a fairy tale. But we can understand what God has spoken to us through His Word. For example, David wrote, "My soul is in deep Christianity FAQ exists to help people understand the Christian faith. Also see How To Listen To God to learn more. Malcolm Muggeridge writes, Contrary to what might be expected, I look back on experiences that at the time seemed especially desolating and painful, with particular satisfaction., He continues: Indeed, I can say with complete truthfulness that everything I have learned in my seventy-five years in this world, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my existence, has been through affliction and not through happiness, whether pursued or attained., Muggeridges pain has helped him understand the cross of Christ: This, of course, is what the Cross signifies. Most English Bibles render this verse as: "The earth was empty and without . He sees our life every day and knows exactly where we stand. In our pain, we long to know why God allows grief and hardship into our lives. One possible answer is that goes back to Point 1 is His love. Love cannot exist without freedom and freedom carries the risk of pain and suffering. If God is good, the thinking goes, he would eliminate pain and suffering. Pain stimulates the development of certain virtues in a Christians life. Sometimes it's simply for his glory and our good. Pain is a form of physical suffering that may be the result of injury, illness, genetics, or something else. Nehemiah 9:6 You alonearethe LORD; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, Exodus 20:11 In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all thatisin them, Genesis 1:31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeedit wasvery good. To understand what I mean, consider four verses from the Hebrew Bible. But often doubt that God can use our suffering for anything of value. The Bible teaches that Satan is the author of sin. The lives we live are a starch contrast to the stories we are drawn too. Lee Strobel wrote an excellent piece that I adapted some of the points below from. To pick up one theme of suffering in Scripture is to miss the entire picture. God enters into our suffering in his pursuit of us. We never ask that question about the pain and suffering of a life term sentence for someone who has committed murder because, we understand it was a consequence of their actions, and we reason that they deserve it as a result of what they did. Be sober-minded; be watchful. What is needed is an experience of deliverance from affliction, comfort in grief and restoration in brokenness. Some respondents said their pain was the result of their own choices, while others said it wasnt. Jeffery Curtis Poor | June 5, 2020January 20, 2020 | Featured, Following Jesus (Practical Faith), What Does the Bible Say About Why does God allow pain? All told, 2,974 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks, which President George W. Bush called "evil, despicable acts of terror" and "acts of mass murder.". Whatever its source, nature, and prognosis, pain sometimes leads people to question God. We ought to say, O God, I believe You are the great and mighty God. Put your email in the box below! When the question is raised, why does God allow pain and suffering? its usually because we feel pain and suffering is unjust. The Bibles approach to the problem of suffering makes it clear that discernment is necessary every step of the way. (Lamentations 3:23), 2023 All Rights Reserved. You see, God is working miracles through them to reach others who need to see and hear God's power working in the lives of others. It is likely that you will be confronted with suffering that cannot be adequately understood through a single approach. You are brothers and sisters. Satan did not call into question Jehovah's power. So they were created with perfect bodies and godly minds capable of directing their desires and will, and reflecting Gods nature and His glory. Here are two possible answers: It's God's job to keep human beings happy, comfortable and pain-free. Is Leonard Cohens Hallelujah a Christian Song? This pain can be intense. How should Christians respond to pain, suffering, and evil in the world? Help me get equipped andbe encouraged so I am empowered to know, live, and share my faith. The problem is often in our world pain can quickly move to suffering. But if you are looking for more on suffering, you can check out this article Ive written: Why Does God Allow Suffering? Now you ask, why does God allow pain, suffering, and failure in our lives? Sin is sin, and will always have dire consequences. Yet, none of us is innocent. In suffering there is also, I believe, a message of warning. Suffering is in our lives because we are living in a broken world. Father. And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; We should not waste the trials in this life, but rather use them as an opportunity to turn to the Lord and draw close to Him in trusting faith, remembering that the goodness of God endures continually (Psalm 52:1b) and His mercies are new every morning. So, lets look at what suffering is and how a good God can allow suffering to exist. None. God Has Experienced Suffering and Understands Your Pain God's Will and Human Suffering A World Without Suffering God's Plan to End Suffering God Cares About Your Suffering Jesus Shows How Much God Cares God Cares About Suffering: Big or Small How God Shows His Goodness Amid Suffering You Can Turn to God in Your Suffering Suffering as a Christian For some people they dont have to imagine what a pain-free world would be like, they are living it. C.S. But let's look at four specific biblical reasons why God ordains suffering for his people. But one-day suffering will end and the final chapter will be written. Pain and suffering was not present. Many agnostics believe that God is a punishing, vengeful being indifferent to our pains and suffering. If there was no sin in the world there would be no suffering. God May Be Allowing This Emotional Suffering in Your Life Because He Wants a Deeper Relationship with You What it does mean is that in his providential will (when He causes something to happen) or in His permissive will (when He allows something to happen),andwhen we areunable to handle, ifwe turn to God He will provide us what we need to go through it. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. Billy Graham He never allows Satan, nor circumstances, nor any ill-intending person to afflict us unless He uses that affliction for our good. This was a mission destined to have failure in it. We can stand affliction better than we can stand prosperity, for in prosperity we forget God. ~ D.L. The Father remained good through it all we face pain and suffering how we respond pain... We can understand what God has revealed answers through the Bible God can allow?. 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