Hardship has been part of the human story since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden and sin entered the world. But, why? Our all-powerful God could prevent every evil and difficulty if He chose. So, why doesn’t He? Why does God allow suffering in the lives of believers?
Everyone has asked these kinds of questions at one time or another. Especially recently, in light of COVID-19. While the Bible doesn’t fully answer all our questions, it does give us some solid answers.
3 Foundational Truths about Suffering in the World
- God is still and always in control (Psalm 77:14, Jeremiah 32:17, Ephesians 1:18-21) – Our God is all-powerful. No thing, no one, and no circumstance is stronger than Him or beyond His ability to stop. Even COVID-19 and all its effects. Nothing happens in this world or your life that God does not allow.
- God is NOT surprised by trouble and evil in the world (John 16:33, 1 Peter 1:6) – We live in a broken world. God’s creation was perfect until humanity chose their own way over God’s. Sin has affected everything. Things like natural disaster, disease, evil, death, violence, persecution, and war are the consequences. Jesus told His followers they would experience trouble in this world. He warned them – and us – to expect it. But, praise God, we can also count on Jesus to fulfill His promise. He will give us His overcoming peace in the midst of trouble (John 16:33).
- Christians will be persecuted by the world (John 15:18-20, 2 Timothy 3:12) – The world hated Jesus because His righteousness exposed its sin. Many in the world will hate Christians for the same reason. Our right standing with God reminds them they are at odds with Him. Some will come to repentance, but many will choose to lash out instead. From ridicule and scorn to hatred and violence, believers will experience persecution until Jesus returns.
Why Does God Allow Suffering? 5 Reasons from Scripture
- God works through our difficulties to display His power and faithfulness (John 11:4, 40) – When Jesus’ friend Lazarus became ill, Jesus waited until he died before going to him. Many wondered why Jesus did not come earlier, did not heal Lazarus when he was sick. Jesus simply stated that God would be glorified through Lazarus’ death. Then Jesus resuscitated Lazarus and called him from his grave! We certainly don’t see God act in such a dramatic fashion very often, but He still works through our trials today to bring honor and glory to Himself. In fact, every trial we encounter is an opportunity for God to prove Himself powerful, faithful, and gracious. So, watch for His activity in your trials today!
- God uses our pain and trials to bring about His greater purposes (Genesis 50:20, Acts 17:24-27) – Joseph, a prominent figure in the book of Genesis, faced severe trials in his life. He was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, falsely accused of attempted rape, and unjustly thrown into prison. Yet, God worked in and through these circumstances to eventually place him in a position of power that would enable him to save all of Egypt and his own family from starvation. Although a dramatic example, it illustrates the truth Paul talked about to the philosophers in Athens. God works through people, nations, and history to carry out His eternal purposes. The most significant purpose being that people will seek and find Him (Acts 17:27).
- God uses everything He allows into our lives to purify and grow our faith (James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 1:6-7, Romans 5:1-5) – Christians are like unrefined metals, full of impurities that hide our beauty and limit our use. God must rid our lives of these impurities so He can fully use us for His purposes and make us more like Jesus. Like metal refiners use crushing and heat to purify gold and silver, God uses the pain, grief, and difficulty He allows into our lives to purify and strengthen our faith. We often feel as though we are going through a blast furnace! But in the midst of this refining, we can rejoice that none of our pain is wasted. God uses it all to shape us into the people He wants us to be.
- God uses persecution to point the lost to Jesus (1 Peter 2:11-12) – Only God can sustain and strengthen a believer to stand firm in the face of persecution. When the lost see a Christian suffering for their faith, yet continuing to cling to Christ, it is a brilliant testimony to God’s power and faithfulness. Through the history of the church, God has saved countless souls through the persecution of His people.
- God sometimes works through pain to discipline His children (Hebrew 12:7-11, Deuteronomy 8:5, Proverbs 3:11-12) – Just as a loving parent disciplines a child for her protection and growth, God disciplines His children for our good. Sin is so destructive and God wants to protect us from its effects, like a parent wants to protect a child from a hot stove. Not only does sin bring its natural consequences, but God also intervene to bring His children back to obedience. Painful circumstances are not always God’s discipline, but they can be. Prayerfully consider if any trials in your life might be the result of sinful actions or attitudes. If they are, submit to God’s discipline and let Him do His work. Yes, discipline is painful. But it is temporary and the results are worth it. We’ll look more and more like Jesus.
While these truths, don’t answer all our questions, they do help us trust God with what we don’t understand. Oh, and there’s one more very important truth to remember. God sees you. He knows about every aspect of your life. He cares about every detail. Every hurt. Every tear. (See Matthew 6:25-34, Hebrews 4:15, and Philippians 4:19.) Cling to these truths and trust God with the gaps.
Why does God allow suffering? Which of these truths most helped you answer that question today?
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Greetings Ms. Kathy Howard,
I truly enjoyed your article on “Why Does God Allow Suffering in the Life of Christians?” It is a question many are asking themselves now in light of the world pandemic we are currently facing. We hear and see how this pandemic has gripped and paralyzed the world with fear in many ways. But some fix their gaze into the storm and give it more power, while others fix their eyes on Jesus and find comfort in his promises. From our point of view, “Where is Jesus?” we ask. But we believe in his promises and we know He is in our midst.
Your first reason in your article seems to be the “catch-all” that best explains why suffering is allowed. The “gaps” you mentioned at the very end of your article is what is being left for us to do–to exercise and strengthen “our faith,” to be a witness of our faith in Jesus, to demonstrate His power in our lives. God will always leave in us “gaps” of understanding, or will keep certain truths temporarily hidden from us. Our Lord always will leave something for us to pursue in him. We do know that because of His love and mercy for us, it is Jesus who draws us to himself; it is He who draws us to seek him. So, yes, we cling to the cross no matter our circumstances. He wants to strengthen us that his name be glorified through us, as we trust him in all our circumstances.
All your points on key.
Praise to our good Lord and thank you for your Spirit-led article.
Thank you John for stopping by and for sharing your thoughts. I love what you said about God always leaving us with gaps in our understanding so that we will have reason to keep pursuing Him!
Hi, We have questions on why is my son still suffering from anxiety and pain after Christian school kids picked on him from 4th grade -7th. We brought Mike up to not fight but bullys dont listen..the bully was biggest kid and others were afraid of him so they picked on Mike too. He is now 40 and still paying healthwise to this horrible stuff they did to him. We changed Mike from that school to a much better one. The scars are still there.The school board fired the principle. Scars will never go away. Mike is on disability due to this causing stress and anxiety and nausa. Now Kathy, we are praying you might have ideas to help our son. He lives here with us and loves animals. Mike had asked us not to go to the teacher or the kids would make it worse for him. Still sick about not handling things better.Mike cannot work..as he doesnt like leaving the yard and rather spend time with his animals. He and we know some about God allows people to go through stuff..but to this degree is hard to understand why . Mike prays and loves the Lord but anger does come and go. Do you have any ideas ? sincerly, Betty Coughlin
Betty, I am sorry to hear of your son’s struggles and about what happened to him as a child. I am not really equipped to give advice on this. But, I would seek out a Christian counselor who can help your son.