Understanding Why God Allows Suffering

UNDERSTANDING WHY GOD ALLOWS SUFFERING

 

A philosopher from Paris once commented, “God is dead. Marx is dead.

And I don’t feel so good myself.” His attitude illustrates the

pessimism rampant in our culture today.

 

If there really is a God, people wonder, why has He allowed so much

suffering in the world?

 

Many Christians honestly struggle with that same question. Only

by turning to the Bible can we begin to understand the problem of

suffering in this life.

 

Basically, there are four types of suffering. The first type is that

which comes as the result of natural disasters, such as an earthquake

or a hurricane. The suffering that results from these disasters happens

to both the righteous and unrighteous (Matthew 5:45).

 

A second type of suffering can be called man’s inhumanity to man. War

would be classified under this type of suffering, as well as the tragedy

that occurred on September 11, 2001. Because of humanity’s greed and

pride, people try to hurt other people (James 4:1-2).

 

A third type of suffering is best seen in the life of Job in the

Old Testament; it came as a result of Satan’s attack on him. After

receiving permission from God, Satan moved in and caused incredible

suffering to Job and his family.

 

A fourth type of suffering is that which comes as a result of our

own erroneous actions. For example, if I walk off the roof of my office

and fall to the ground, breaking my leg, I am suffering because I broke

God’s law of gravity. We also suffer when we break God’s moral laws.

 

Much suffering can be traced to the evil choices we make. Some, but

not all, suffering is allowed by God as a punishment for sin. Often

God simply forces us to live with the consequences of our actions

(Galatians 6:7-8).

 

Whenever people break God’s laws, others are bound to suffer as

well. I refer you to the story of Achan in Joshua 7. When he coveted

and took some of the spoil from the battle of Jericho, Achan cost the

lives of thirty-six men in battle against Ai. It is inevitable that

others will suffer in the wake of an individual’s disobedience.

 

How we respond to suffering--whether or not we brought it on

ourselves--is going to make us or break us as Christian pilgrims.

Circumstances often do more to reveal our character than to shape it.

But by properly responding to trials, we can develop patience and

proven character (Romans 5:3-4).

 

Problems, stress, calamity, or the death of a loved one often cause

us to search ourselves for any sin in our lives (see 1 Kings 17:18).

Pain plants the flag of truth in a heavy heart. But we must be

cautious not to let Satan overwhelm us with excessive and false guilt

or grief (2 Corinthians 2:7). Job’s wife told him to curse God and die.

He refused to give up and remained faithful to the Lord. Notice that

in the end God gave him all he had before and even more (Job 42:10-17).

 

Instead of looking at our circumstances, we need to keep our eyes on

Jesus Christ, the source of life. He will bring us through whatever

situation we face, and as a result we will be stronger Christians,

better able to serve Him because of our trials.

 

In a day of pessimism and suffering we can say with the psalmist,

“The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

(Psalm 118:6). The Lord Himself, as the great Sufferer, is our

comfort and hope in troubled times.

To Ponder

 

To what degree have you experienced the first kind of suffering

described above? The second? The third? The fourth?

 

Are you currently going through a trial? What kind of trial is it?

What has been your response so far?

To Pursue

 

This week memorize and meditate on Psalm 118:6 and Hebrews 13:5-6,

verses which have been an encouragement to me and to many others

during times of trial.

Analogy of God's Love Through Pancakes

This is an analogy of God’s love.

 

 

This is a beautiful story. Please read, You will see at the end

why it is so important to me.

 

Six year old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his

parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair

to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy

flour canister, spilling it on the floor. He scooped some of the flour

into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and

added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor which by now

had a few tracks left by his kitten.

 

Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted

this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting

very bad. He didn’t know what to do next, whether to put it all into

the oven or on the stove (and he didn’t know how the stove worked!).

 

Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached

to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically

he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs,

getting his pajamas white and sticky. And just then he saw Dad

standing at the door. Big crocodile tears welled up in Brandon’s eyes.

All he’d wanted to do was something good, but he’d made a terrible

mess. He was sure a scolding was coming, maybe even a spanking.

But his father just watched him. Then, walking through the mess,

he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting his

own pajamas white and sticky in the process.

 

That’s how God deals with us. We try to do something good in life,

but it turns into a mess. Our marriage gets all sticky or we insult

a friend or we can’t stand our job or our health goes sour. Sometimes

we just stand there in tears because we can’t think of anything else

to do. That’s when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us,

even though some of our mess gets all over Him. But just because

we might mess up, we can’t stop trying to “make pancakes,” for God

or for others. Sooner or later we’ll get it right, and then they’ll be

glad we tried…

 

Please pass some this on to others… God bless.

Remember... Today

REMEMBER… TODAY

 

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day

of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2,  NKJV)

 

I recall reading the following anonymous poem,

“Remember,” some time ago in one of Leo Buscaglia’s

books. I believe it was “Living, Loving and Learning.”

It impacted me then. It still does.

 

Remember

 

Remember the day I borrowed your

   brand new car and I dented it?

I thought you’d kill me,

   but you didn’t.

And remember the time I dragged you to the beach,

   and you said it would rain, and it did?

I thought you’d say, “I told you so,”

   but you didn’t.

Do you remember the time I flirted with all the guys

   to make you jealous, and you were?

I thought you’d leave me,

   but you didn’t

Do you remember the time I spilled strawberry pie

   all over your car rug?

I thought you’d hit me,

   but you didn’t.

And remember the time I forgot to tell you the

   dance was formal and you showed up in jeans?

I thought you’d drop me,

   but you didn’t.

Yes, there were lots of things

   you didn’t do.

But you put up with me,

   and you loved me,

   and you protected me.

There were lots of things I wanted to make up to you

   when you returned from Viet Nam…

But you didn’t!

 

Do you need to call a friend today… tell someone that

you appreciate them… that you love them? Do you need

to restore an impaired relationship… ask someone for

forgiveness… forgive someone? And above all, do you

need to put your life right with God… or accept Jesus as

your personal Lord and Savior and be sure of Heaven?

Whatever it is you’ve been putting off, don’t delay. Do it

today.

 

Suggested prayer, “Dear God, please show me the most

important thing I need to do today. Give me the wisdom

to know how to do it, and the courage not to defer it, not

to put it off, but to do it today. Gratefully in Jesus’ name.

Amen.”

God Will Help You Forgive

It is possible to heal and love again after being hurt.

 

 

When someone else’s wrong words or actions harm you,

the sting can be intense.  A friend who gossips, a

neighbor who steals, a spouse who moves out, a bully

who taunts, a co-worker who lies - all can hurt terribly.

 

But God wants you to forgive those who hurt you.  In

fact, He commands that you do so.  Why?  Because if

you don’t, bitterness will poison  you, but if you do,

you can grow in love.

 

Here are some ways you can forgive others:

 

Admit and confront the pain you incur when others

wound you.

 

Rely on God’s power to forgive.  Know that God will

enable you to forgive anyone who has inflicted any

type of wound on you, and have confidence in God’s

power to heal you.  Realize that forgiveness will

likely take time, but that it is always possible.

Trust God, and expect Him to act.

 

Remember how God has forgiven you.  Think about

what Christ did for you on the cross, and recall

the times God has answered your prayers.

 

Thank God for His great love for you, and ask Him

to help you forgive through the power of His love.

 

Pray about a particular hurtful incident soon after

it occurs, seeking to forgive.  Remember that God

has warned that your own prayers will be blocked

if you don’t forgive others, and that evil will

gain access to your life.  Don’t wait until you

feel like forgiving; that may never happen.

Instead, act out of obedience, and God will

gradually send you peace.

 

Surrender any plans to take revenge.  Be willing

to pay the cost of forgiveness to receive its

priceless benefits.

 

Understand that forgiving an offender doesn’t mean

that you endorse the offense.  What happened was

wrong, and your forgiveness won’t  change that.

But it will enable you to break free of your

pain and heal, and it will release the offender

from any obligation incurred due to the offense.

 

Strive to channel your energy when thinking of

an offense in positive - rather than negative -

ways.  Instead of using energy to nurse resentment,

use it to think of creative solutions to the

problem and ways to improve your relationship

with the person who hurt you.

 

Don’t make your forgiveness contingent on whether

the offender responds positively to your efforts.

He or she may even be hostile, but God still

wants you to forgive, and you can still benefit

greatly from doing so.

 

Release your pain to God in prayer, and destroy

any records of the offense so you won’t use them

to dwell on it.

 

If the person you need to forgive is yourself,

ask God to give you a vision of how He sees

you, and embrace His love.  Confess any sins

you haven’t yet confessed to God, repent of

them, and accept His forgiveness, knowing that

once you do you are truly forgiven and don’t

need to fear that those sins will stand between

you and God.

 

After you forgive someone, guard your heart,

since it may take a while before you’re able to

find emotional peace.  Take a bit of time to

isolate yourself from the person and the

situation that caused the offense, but make

sure that’s only a temporary way to find

emotional peace, not a habit to disguise

festering resentment. 

 

Realize that you don’t have to resume your former

relationship with the person as if nothing ever

happened; and in fact, sometimes reconciliation

doesn’t work. But recognize that peace is always

possible, and that reconciliation may work if the

person is willing to pursue it.

 

When seeking reconciliation with someone, let him

or her know of your love, emphasize the positive

aspects of your relationship, discuss the offense

specifically and honestly, listen to what the

person has to say and consider it, challenge the

person to change and commit yourself to change

and be patient.

 

Pray for the people who have hurt you - whether

you’re reconciled to them or not - and ask God

to give you the grace to interact gracefully with

them when you encounter them.

 

 

Adapted from Forgive and Love Again: Healing Wounded Relationships,

copyright 1991 by John Nieder and Thomas M. Thompson.  Published by

Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Ore., www.harvesthousepubl.com,

1-888-501-6991.

Thanksgiving

I DO GIVE THANKS…

 

 

For Every Hill

 

For every hill I’ve had to climb,

For every stone that bruised my feet,

For all the blood and sweat and grime,

For blinding storms and burning heat

My heart sings but a grateful song --

These were the things that made me strong!

 

For all the heartaches and the tears,

For all the anguish and the pain,

For gloomy days and fruitless years,

And for the hopes that lived in vain,

I do give thanks, for now I know

These were the things that helped me grow!

 

‘Tis not the softer things of life

Which stimulate man’s will to strive;

But bleak adversity and strife

Do most to keep man’s will alive,

O’er rose-strewn paths the weaklings creep,

But brave hearts dare to climb the steep.

 

=============================

“He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.” (Luke

17:16, NIV)

 

When Jesus healed ten lepers and only one returned

to say thank-you and give praise to God, he seemed

disappointed as he asked, “…Were not all ten cleansed?

Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return

and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he

said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you

well.” (17-19, NIV)

 

One of my constant prayers is that God will give me a

thankful heart, not just at Thanksgiving and Christmas,

but every day of the year.

 

No matter what trials I am going through, there are

always many things to be thankful for: Food, clothing,

shelter, friends and family, and for life itself… or to

put it this way:

 

    I love the gift of life, Dear God,

    with all its beauty everywhere:

    Blue skies, white fluffy clouds,

    green trees, rocky mountains,

    open meadows, the restless timeless sea,

    the black bird on my window sill…

    But most of all I love dear friends,

    and if you will, please give to me

    a greater love for you --

    my dearest friend of all.

                                       -- Dick Innes (C) 2001

 

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a thankful

heart and open my eyes so that I will constantly see the

many things you do for me every day and every hour.

Help me to see your beauty everywhere I look and to see

the endless blessings you so freely give to me. Thank

you, too, that YOU are God, and thank you most of all for

the love gift of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ who gave

his life for my eternal salvation. Because you died for

me, please help me to always live for you. Gratefully, in

Jesus’ name. Amen.”