Ten Reasons To Believe in a God Who Allows Suffering
I came across this in an article I was reading and found it enlightening. I had always had a distorted view about suffering, always believing that God never meant for us to suffer needlessly. But after reading this, I see that suffering is needed in ways to wake us up and bring us closer to Him.
We know that suffering comes in many forms, physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual. But this speaks more of physical pain.
He came down to our level to lift us up to Him.
When Jesus was still in heaven his Father called him and wished to speak to him about the conditions on earth, what was going on down there and the plan He had devised to open the gates of heaven to man again. He ask Jesus if he would be willing to be part of that plan, and Jesus being who he was, agreed to be the sacrifice for our sins.
You see, since we were not able to get to God because of all our sin, because the stone wall was blocking our prayers from reaching heaven, a plan had to be devised to have Jesus come down to us so that He could lift us up to him. The way that was done was by the cross.
Coming as a babe so that He could grow up to manhood and during all that time learning about us, living like us, suffering cold, sorrow, pain, all the feelings of being human, He wanted to show us a better way, he wanted to show us how to live and that we can live without sin, but in order to do that we must rely wholeheartedly on Him and Father God. He wanted to show us that by being obedient and following the commandments we could have all that God has to offer us. Jesus was obedient in following His Fathers plan, a hard task for a normal man to do, but He was the Son of God and His love for us was far greater than His fear of the cross.
This is not to say that Jesus was never angry, remember the temple scene where the moneychangers were using the temple as a place of business. What did Jesus do? He made a whip and threw them out. That was anger. When He heard about His friend Lazarus and had to delay to get there to show His power of bringing him back to life, John 11:34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. John 11:35 Jesus wept. When Jesus entered Jerusalem on the colt: Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it.
So we can see Jesus had emotions just as we do, He knew hunger, He knew temptation, being tempted by Satan in the wilderness. All this was done to show us that we can overcome, that we can be like Him in character, in compassion, mercy and forgiveness toward others.
Jesus was a walking Bible, our text book. He came to show us how its done. And all we have to do is pick up the Book and learn from Him within its pages.
Now, I am far from perfect, I have so much to work on in getting my character right before He comes and I pray I will be ready. But that is were we all come in as a family of Christ. We are there to lift each other up to Him. When one falls, we all lend a hand to pick that member up using Scripture and Spirit of Prophecy. And remember that the Holy Spirit is right there with us while we are doing it to assist and lead us.
Many years ago when I was younger and had my first bad attack with my back, I lay in bed for two weeks, unable to move due to severe back spasms. I was a Catholic then and on my wall hung the crucifix. I would turn to that crucifix with Jesus hanging on it and cry with every spasm, “I'm not Job, I'm not you, I can't do this, please take it away!”
Now, many years later, with a different kind of back ailment but the same severe pain I found myself asking God for His strength to get through it. With each painful step, I ask God to get me to the bathroom, to get me down the stairs, then up the stairs. When I couldn't find a comfortable place to lay down, I cried for sleep, what ever He could give me. What a difference from the first encounter to the next one. How my mind set had change because I came to know some important things about suffering and the reasons for them.
1.Suffering comes with the freedom to choose. The freedom to choose is at the heart of what it means to be human, and a world without choice would be worse than a world without pain. Worse yet would be a world populated by people who could make wrong choices without feeling pain. No one is more dangerous than the liar, thief, or killer who doesn't feel the harm he is doing to himself and others. Also the freedom to choose also causes us to suffer when we choose Jesus and the Sabbath, the truth and we loose our family and friends because of that choice. We will suffer persecutions because of it.
2. Pain can warn us of danger. We hate pain, especially in those we love. Yet without discomfort, the sick wouldn't go to the doctor. Worn-out bodies would get no rest. Criminals wouldn't fear the law. Without pangs of conscience, the daily dissatisfaction of boredom, or the longing for significance, people who are made to find satisfaction in an eternal Father would settle for less. ( Ecclesiastes chapters 1-12 was written by Solomon in his old age, after he had fully proved that all the pleasures earth is able to give are empty and unsatisfying. He there shows how impossible it is for the vanities of the world to meet the longings of the soul. His conclusion is that it is wisdom to enjoy with gratitude the good gifts of God, and to do right: for all our works will be brought into judgment. Solomon's autobiography is a mournful one. He gives us the history of his search for happiness. He engaged in intellectual pursuits; he gratified his love for pleasure; he carried out his schemes of commercial enterprise. He was surrounded by the fascinating splendor of court life. All that the carnal heart could desire was at his command; yet he sums up his experience in this sad record.) Read also Psalm 78:34-35; Romans 3:10-18.
3.Suffering reveals what is in our hearts. Capacities for love, mercy,anger,envy, and pride can lie dormant until awakened by circumstances. Strength and weakness of heart are found not when everything is going our way but when flames of suffering test the mettle of our character. As gold and silver are refined by fire, the human heart is revealed and developed in the presence of pain and suffering ( Job 42:1-17; Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-5; 1 Peter 1:6-8).
4.Suffering takes us to the edge of eternity. If death is the end of everything, then a life filled with suffering isn't fair. But if the end of this life brings us to the threshold of eternity, then the most fortunate people in the universe are those who discover, through suffering that this life is not all we have to live for. Those who find themselves and their eternal God through suffering have not wasted their pain. They are the ones who will discover why Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” ( Matthew 5:1-12; Romans 8:18-19).
5. Pain loosens our grip on this life. In time, our work and our opinions are sought less and less. Our bodies become increasingly worse, joints stiffen, eyes grow dim, digestion slows, and sleep becomes difficult. Problems loom larger while options narrow. Yet, if death is not the end but the threshold of a new day, then the curse of old age is also a blessing. Each new pain makes this world less inviting and the next life more appealing. In its own way, pain paves the way for a graceful departure.
Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, 4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; 5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: 6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. 9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. 10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. 12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
6.Suffering gives opportunity to trust God. According to the Bible, a man named Job lost his family to “a mighty wind,” his wealth to war and fire, and his health to painful boils. As job endured the accusations of his friends, heaven remained silent. When God finally did speak, he talked about the animals, the wonders of the heavens, the marvels of the sea, and the cycle of the seasons. Job was left to conclude that if God had the power and wisdom to create the universe, there was a reason to trust the same God in times of suffering. (Job chapters 1-42)
7.God suffers with us in our suffering. No one has suffered like the One who paid for our sin on the cross. It is Jesus who asks us to trust Him when we are suffering and when our own loved ones cry out in our presence. (1 Peter 2:21; 3:18; 4:1). Jesus came in human form and was tempted by Satan as we are, He knew hunger, He felt the emotion of sorrow, He wept, He felt pain. He came to show us how to live with all these emotions.
8.God's comfort is greater than our suffering. The apostle Paul pleaded with the Lord to take away an unidentified source of suffering. But the Lord declined, saying, 2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. Paul learned that he would rather be with Christ in suffering than without Christ in good health and pleasant circumstances.
9.In times of crisis, we find one another. Hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, riots, illnesses, and accidents all have a way of bringing us to our senses. Suddenly we remember our own mortality and that people are more important than things. We remember that we do need one another and that, above all, we need God. Each time we discover God's comfort in our own suffering, our capacity to help others is increased. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
10.God can turn suffering around for our good. Through Job's suffering we see a man who became a source of encouragement for people in every generation to follow. Through the betrayal and wrongful imprisonment of a man named Joseph, we see someone who eventually was able to say to those who had hurt him, Genesis 50:20 “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” When everything in us screams at the heavens for allowing suffering, we have reason to look at the eternal outcome and joy of Jesus who in His own suffering cried, Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?“