This is one of the toughest questions to answer since many times we do not fully understand why God allows so much pain and suffering to happen in the world. Or why God allows so much evil to take place in the world? Why did He allow Satan to roam the earth as our enemy or why did He not send Satan and his evil followers to another planet or to the abyss? Many people may believe that God does not exist or that He does not care due to all the pain, suffering, and evil taking place in the world. Often, we turn bitter and become angry at God when we experience hurt and suffering since we may feel like it is undeserving and we ask the question, why me? God does not reveal everything to us since He is the all sovereign and all powerful, Most High God. Many of our questions may go unanswered, but we are told that God’s word is sufficient for us – Deuteronomy 29:29, Ecclesiastes 8:17. Today, we may not have a full comprehension to all our questions, but everything will be crystal clear in the afterlife as stated in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” Many will rebel and doubt that God is a God of love and say, “How can the supreme being and Creator of the heavens and earth be a God of love with so much evil in the world?” These are all difficult questions, but the bible tells us that God has always existed and there is no other god besides Him – Deuteronomy 32:39. God is in control of all things, both the good and the bad – Lamentations 3:37-38. He is Lord over all as we read in Isaiah 45:5-7, “…I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things.” God, the God of love, mercy, sovereignty, and righteousness, has always existed, and is perfect in every way – Deuteronomy 32:4, Job 37:16, Psalms 18:30, Matthew 5:48. Satan, exists as evil in the world, therefore causing both good and evil to coexist in the world. Evil has existed in the world since the beginning of creation in the garden of Eden from the first deceptive sin by Satan, the serpent – Genesis 3:1-6. Before Satan deceived Eve, the garden of Eden was a perfect creation by God and was without sin and free from evil. Satan and his demons are the substance of all evil – Job 1:6-7, Mark 7:20-22, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, John 8:44, 1 Peter 5:8. The bible also tells us that God cannot be tempted and He does NOT tempt anyone. He watches over all and uses evil for His own good and glory – Genesis 50:20, Proverbs 15:3, Proverbs 16:4, Romans 8:28, Romans 12:21. Blessed is the one that remains faithful to God during their trials as explained in James 1:12-15, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
We cannot question God’s ways, His sovereignty, His mercy, or His righteousness – 1 Chronicles 29:11-12, Psalms 115:3, Daniel 4:35. For His ways are perfect and above our ways – Deuteronomy 32:4, Isaiah 55:9-11. God provides mercy and compassion for whoever He chooses – Romans 9:14-16. God does have a purpose for all of us whether we know it or not. He even has a purpose for the wicked as we read in Proverbs 16:4, “The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.” God is Omniscient, knowing everything, and therefore He knows what is best for us. Whatever God uses to draw us closer to Him is best for us whether we like it or not. God has good plans for us as we seek Him with all our heart as the prophet Jeremiah states in Jeremiah 29:11-13, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.” It is extremely important that we remain in prayer and continue in God’s word daily during our time of troubles while remaining in love for one another. For nothing is impossible for God – Luke 1:37. As we experience trials, we should depend more upon Him. Since God gave us free will, we have the freedom to choose and make decisions that will either be righteous or sinful in His eyes. These decisions will either be of our own will and desires or will be in line with God’s will. A world without free choice, would not be much of a life for us. We would not be humans but would be more like pre-programmed robots. With free will, we have choices to make daily which usually results in us making wrongful and sinful choices to our own desires that lead to evil. Therefore, we must choose daily of whom we will serve, God or ourselves (Satan)? – Joshua 24:14-15, Matthew 6:24, Colossians 3:23-24, 1 Corinthians 10:21. Every decision should be made according to God’s will for us – James 4:13-16. Often, we reject God because we have invented a different God in our own minds that appeals to our desires and does not reflect what the scripture tells us. Therefore, in this sense, He fails our perception of Him when we experience pain and suffering at a time when we were expecting only blessings and good things. As we reject God, we show disobedience to Him with pride and sin in our life that almost always causes our suffering. If we did not receive suffering while being disobedient, then we would keep on sinning without any consequences – Isaiah 57:21, Proverbs 5:22, Proverbs 12:21-22. Through Jesus, we are transformed as a new creation in the Spirit while leaving behind the cares of this world and focusing on God’s will for us as we read in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” As believers, we are children of God through Jesus. As an earthly father disciplines his kids, likewise our Father in heaven disciplines us even more so as stated in Hebrews 12:5-11, “…‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.’ It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Jesus also forewarned us that we would experience trials and sufferings but would have peace in Him as we read in in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Greater is He (Jesus) that is in me than he (Satan) that is in the world – 1 John 4:4. God’s word tells us that we are destined for trials and afflictions as stated in 1 Thessalonians 3:3-5, “that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.” The bible also tells us that we will suffer trials in order to test and strengthen our faith as explained in 1 Peter 1:6-9, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” God, often, uses pain and suffering to alert us to danger or remind us that we need to get back on track in His will for us. The bible tells us He is closest to us when we are experiencing pain and suffering as we read in Psalms 34:18, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” The pain and suffering will either bring us closer to God or make us bitter towards God. God allows pain and suffering to bring us back in His will to ultimately bring us closer to Him. Since He is the Potter, and we are the Clay, or He is the Artist, and we are the Canvas. The Clay cannot question the Potter, or the Canvas cannot question the Artist – Isaiah 45:9, Philippians 2:13. Many times, it is difficult when we experience God’s ways of molding and shaping us to His perfection and masterpiece for us. We learn lifelong lessons from the Father during our trials and tribulation, which strengthens our Christian faith and walk with God. This prepares us to help and comfort other unbelievers and saints that are experiencing similar pain and suffering.
When we have a dark cloud hanging over our head to where it has been raining trials on us for weeks, months, or years where we feel like we cannot bear the suffering any longer, we need to look at the apostle Paul’s suffering. When Paul was suffering an affliction from Satan, he prayed to Jesus three times that his thorn in the flesh would be removed from him. The Lord stated that His grace was sufficient for him and that His strength would be made perfect in his weakness. Paul learned to take pleasure and rejoice in his affliction for Christ as he wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Also, the sufferings of today are temporary, and no way compare to the eternal glory we will receive in heaven with Jesus our Savior as we read in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” For this life is like a vapor of smoke that quickly disappears compared to eternity – James 4:14, 1 Peter 1:24. We can learn a lot about the extreme pain and suffering that Job experienced from the loss of his entire livelihood, livestock, family, and declining health. How did Job handle the affliction that Satan put on him that was allowed by God? During the beginning of Job’s trials, he blessed God instead of cursing Him – Job 1:11-21. Later, after Job’s health was struck, he did question why God would allow him to suffer for Job considered himself to be righteous. God did question and discipline Job for his pride and self-righteousness where Job ultimately repented and learned to trust God more after his faith was tested. God eventually blessed Job again with his health restored, a new family, and doubled his wealth and livestock – Job 42:1-17.
Other times, some may experience suffering not due to sin but for God to be exalted and to obtain the glory through the suffering as Jesus explains to His disciples concerning the blind man in John 9:3, “…it was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” God made all things for His purpose including the mute, deaf, and blind – Exodus 4:11. No matter how bad our pain and suffering become we must NOT lose faith since all things work together for good that love the Lord and do His will – Romans 8:28. Also, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ who resides in our hearts, the believers, as we read in Romans 8:35-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Even though we may not realize the benefits of our afflictions, we are told that our sufferings produce endurance, character, and hope – Romans 5:3-5. There is a time and a season for everything including trials and tribulation as stated in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” We are told to rejoice when we suffer trials for Christ’s name’s sake so that God will be glorified as explained in 1 Peter 4:12-16, “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. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.”
Watch this inspiring video by Servants for Jesus Christ – God Has Always Been. Watch another inspiring video by Servants for Jesus Christ – Beginning of Sorrows! Watch another inspiring video by Servants for Jesus Christ – We Are In The Last Days!
Do you know where you will spend eternity after you die on earth? Will Jesus be your Lord and Savior or your eternal judge – John 3:15-21, Romans 2:16, 2 Timothy 4:1? Jesus says He is the narrow gate to heaven where it is difficult to find and only a few will enter by it where many will enter the easy, wide and broad gate that leads to Hell and destruction – Matthew 7:13-14. Will you experience the second eternal death (spiritual death) – Revelation 2:11, Revelation 20:6, Revelation 21:8? Do you know for sure that you are written in the eternal Lamb’s Book of Life – Revelation 3:5, Revelation 20:12-15? The place called Hell is NOT a myth and is very real and an extremely scary place – Watch this Video!
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