Suffering

One of the questions that I have been asked the most goes something like this, "If God is so good why is there so much suffering in the world?"

This is a great question that allows us to explore the depths of of the human condition. We must first remember that the suffering in our world isn't a result of God but the result of human decision.

In the beginning God created everything "good" - see Genesis 1. There was perfect balance and harmony in the universe. There wasn't suffering, pain, disease, heartache, or any of the countless other things that cause suffering in our lives. Suffering began as a result of man's rebellious attitude toward God.

God created man to be in relationship with God and in order to have this relationship, God gave man the free will to chose God or to reject God. The choice was simple. God provided everything man needed to live and the Bible even tells us that God walked in the garden with man. So that man could be free to choose God put a tree in the garden called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and told man that they could eat from any tree but that one.

Then the day came when the serpent (in Hebrew, the shinning one) came to Eve and tempted her to eat from the forbidden tree. Eve ate and then gave the fruit to Adam to eat also. This is the moment that suffering entered the world. By choosing to be disobedient to God, man brought the curse of sin into the universe. Part of that sin is suffering, pain, death, and disharmony.

As a result, all of the human existence is marred with sin, it is part of our very nature. We are consumed with selfishness, violence, anger and pride. We have brought devastation to the planet, upon people and upon ourselves.

God, however, in His great love, mercy, and wisdom uses this suffering to strengthen, motivate and inspire us to new heights and greater good. He gives us the opportunity to bring others a piece of God's kingdom by reaching out to those who are hurting. He sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins that by trusting in Him our sin debt would be paid in full.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

May we remember that God loves each and everyone of us and we have the opportunity through Christ Jesus to alleviate some of the suffering in the world.