The Problem with Suffering

Not long ago, the question came up in a debate concerning the subject of suffering.
"If God is good, why is there so much suffering in the world?" That's an excellent question. Sam Harris, noted spokesman for the atheist religion, proposes this question in his search of the truth.

He asks, "Consider the suffering of the millions of unfortunate people who happen to live in sub-Saharan Africa. The wars in this part of the world are interminable. AIDS is epidemic there, killing around 3-million people each year. It is almost impossible to exaggerate how bad your luck is if you are born today in a country like Sudan. The question is, how does religion affect this problem?"

Good question. Although Mr. Harris suffers from a misunderstanding of what is real Christianity, he asks a reasonable question. I think the better question here is: "What political ideology or perversion of religion caused this suffering in the first place?"

Here is another hypothetical from Harris:
"Somewhere in the world a man has abducted a little girl. Soon he will rape, torture, and kill her. If an atrocity of this kind is not occurring at precisely this moment, it will happen in a few hours, or days at most. Such is the confidence we can draw from the statistical laws that govern the lives of six billion human beings. The same statistics also suggest that this girl's parents believe -- at this very moment -- that an all-powerful and all-loving God is watching over them and their family. Are they right to believe this? Is it good that they believe this? " Harris answers the question for the reader. He says, "No."

Harris goes on in his indictment of God:
"Consider the destruction that Hurricane Katrina leveled on New Orleans. More than a thousand people died, tens of thousands lost all their earthly possessions, and nearly a million were displaced. It is safe to say that almost every person living in New Orleans at the moment Katrina struck believed in an omnipotent, omniscient, and compassionate God. But what was God doing while a hurricane laid waste to their city? Surely he heard the prayers of those elderly men and women who fled the rising waters for the safety of their attics, only to be slowly drowned there. These were people of faith. These were good men and women who had prayed throughout their lives. Only the atheist has the courage to admit the obvious: These poor people died talking to an imaginary friend. "

These were honest questions posed in a disingenuous way. An unbeliever is blinded by his own arrogance. Bishop G. Bromley Oxnam had the same problem. He called the God of the Old Testament a "dirty bully" because he felt the suffering of the world was unjust. It is the same for everyone who rejects this attribute of God's Holiness. Without the understanding of who God is, we cannot understand suffering.

OK, so let's answer these questions honestly.

Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is there suffering in the world? What is the meaning of all the evil in the world? These are honest questions. If the questions are asked from an honest heart, the answers are simple. They are not easy, but they are simple.
The Book of Job asked these very questions. God answered Job's questions out of the whirlwind. Jesus addressed the suffering issue in Luke 13:4. There was a tower in Jesus' time that fell and slew eighteen souls. The question among those who witnessed it was, "Why did they suffer?" Jesus answered, "Think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? " Jesus does not address "why." He simply exhorts the hearers to repent lest they also perish. God is sovereign, that is the short answer. God does what pleases Him. He does not answer to anyone because He is the Supreme Potentate of the Universe.

The answer to these questions is voluminous. I will give a few simple answers. You apply them as you see fit.

1. Suffering comes because God ordained it to be so. Consider the examples of Job, Joseph, the children of Israel in bondage in Egypt, Paul and Silas in jail, and Jesus on the cross. These are all examples of God-ordained suffering. This does not impugn His justice or Holiness. It shows He is Sovereign. Through suffering we grow stronger. This fact is shown in nature. A devastating wildfire reseeds a forest to come back stronger. A strong wind or hurricane, as devastating as it seems, actually creates new shorelines and inlets of water that can be beneficial to the overall ecosystem. The earth is in a constant state of renewal all caused by suffering winds and erosion. An acorn must actually die before it grows into a mighty oak. This process brings about a forest of mighty trees all because one seed suffered and died.
Suffering also shows God's strength and our frailties. We are dependent upon God. Without Him,we can do nothing. We need God to help us through this journey called life.
Suffering also brings out God's plan for the ages. Through suffering I learn lessons that teach me God's plan and grant me wisdom for my life. Read the biographies of great men and women and you will find suffering along with the great conquerors in life.


2. Suffering comes from Sin
Rape, incest murder, greed, gluttony, wars, thefts, and the list goes on-and-on, all describe the depravity and wickedness of the heart of man. God is not the author of evil. Remember, God is Holy. He has put roadblocks to evil by codifying His laws to prevent evil. The indictment is handed down against man and the verdict is GUILTY. Some renegades are still in the denial stage. They deny their sin condition and miss the conviction that God uses to bring about repentance in the heart.

3. Sometimes suffering is self-inflicted. Oftentimes, we suffer because we get ourselves in debt, fail to plan for the future, make wrong decisions, and fail to seek the leadership of God in our lives. Soon, the laws of sowing and reaping begin to take effect. We sow to the wind and reap the whirlwind. We sow ungodliness and pray for a crop failure. Many suffer today for this very reason.

Suffering is meant to make us aware of our mortality. It is used to make us aware of our duty to our fellow man by aiding suffering and alleviating the causes of suffering. Those of us that have been born into God's kingdom by the Spirit of God understand this.