Why does a merciful God allow suffering? Am I being tested?
This is a copy of a personal message I wrote for a friend. She was having some serious health issues and she asked me these questions. I am sharing this with you, because you too may be asking some of these same questions. Her questions were:
Why does a merciful God allow suffering? Do you think I am being tested?
These are actually age old questions. A lot, if not most people struggle with this. They struggled with it in the time of the Bible and we struggle with the same question today. I think all of us, at one time or many times, have dealt with very hard things in life and wondered that same thing. Suffering is universal. We may see people as we walk through a store or encounter them in a restaurant. And we usually seem to think of others as pretty happy and not having to deal with really bad situations in their health or in their family lives. But, in fact, that is really not true. Everyone has problems and we might be surprised to learn just how deep and how painful their problems really are.
Scriptural Examples of God Testing His People
Scripture tells us that there were times when God tested people. The prophets and apostles were there to tell us when God was testing. Otherwise, the people would not have known the troubles were from God.
- Abraham had his faith tested when he was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac
- Genesis 22:1-2 – “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
- Hebrews 11:17 – “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son,”
- The Israelites – Moses tells the Israelites that God is testing them, to see so that they will fear God (respect Him) and not sin
- Exodus 20:20 – “Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.’”
- James in the New Testament says that when our faith is tested, it results in perseverance and steadfastness. And even here, we have to ask, was this testing from God, or was it just as a result of life being hard and people have struggles?
- James 1:3 – “for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness”
Scriptural Examples of Suffering that was Not God’s Testing
- Adam and Eve – Scripture does not tell us that God tested them. Adam and Eve simply chose not to listen to God and instead to listen to someone besides God and follow their own desires.. When they did, sin entered the world and Adam and Eve had to suffer the consequences of their choice which for both of them was pain and death.
- Genesis 3:6 – So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
- Genesis 3:16-19 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband,
but he shall rule over you.” And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
- Cain and Abel – Abel suffered and died because his brother, Cain, was angry. Abel’s death was not a test. And in fact, God even tried to help Cain when he got angry by warning him that sin was about to control him. Cain chose not to listen to God, and instead, followed his own desire (like his mother had done when she ate from the tree), and Cain killed his brother.
- Genesis 4:3-7 – “And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
- Genesis 4:8, 10-12 – “Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.” “And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
Now, about your own situation.
I cannot give you a specific answer as I do not know exactly when and how God works today. But I can share with you some things to think about.
First, the question of why are bad things happening in my life? That is a legitimate question. But there is also another legitimate question. It is – why do good things happen to some really bad people?
I believe that many things are morally neutral – both the sufferings that we face and the things we view as good fortune. They in and of themselves to do not have a moral value until we choose our response to them.
We have things happen in life that are caused by nature, by circumstances, or by bad choices that we make or bad choices others make. And when we find ourselves in the situations that are challenging or painful, we have the free will to determine how we will respond to those things.
We have the option to look at them and conclude that God sent the bad or God allowed the bad. On the other hand, we have the option to look at the good things that happen to people whose live are characterized by unrighteous behavior and say that God sent the good thing to the people who do evil things or He allowed the good to come their way.
When we look at the good and the bad things in our lives, it is a matter of our response. We have to ask our selves, how will we use the situation we find ourselves to be in to become a better person of faith and draw near to him, or will I choose to turn away from God?
“For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:45
When I was going through a particularly dark time in my life several years ago, I have a couple of friends come over to sit with me and to comfort me. They asked how they might pray for me. And, remembering a passage from Hebrews chapter 10, I said, “Please pray for me to have endurance. I do not want to lose my faith over this struggle.” Here is the passage I had recalled. It still gives me strength and hope today when life gets hard. It helps me keep the long view of life – not just living for the relief from my pain and anxiety today, but reminding me that my hope lies firmly in eternity.
Unlike the popular saying, I don’t want my “best life now.” I want my best life to be the one that never ends – the one where I live with my Savior and Redeemer, the Source of all things good, and just, and right, and true.
Hebrews 10:32-39
“But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”
Why does a good God allow so much suffering?
- God’s love
- God is all-loving and seeks to save people from evil in the world and in themselves.
- John 3:16 – “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
- 1 Timothy 2:4 – “[The Lord] who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
- 2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
- Freedom
- God allows people the freedom to choose for or against Him and others, which is necessary for the full experience of love, joy, and goodness.
- Joshua 24:15 – “choose this day whom you will serve…”
- Mark 8:34 – “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
- God allows people the freedom to choose for or against Him and others, which is necessary for the full experience of love, joy, and goodness.
- God’s plan
- God’s plan to end suffering requires Him to suffer so that people can spend eternity with Him in a world without suffering.
- Hebrews 2:14-18 – “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
- God’s plan to end suffering requires Him to suffer so that people can spend eternity with Him in a world without suffering.
- God’s purpose
- God’s purpose is that people should turn to Him, become His child by being born again, and live with Him eternally.
- 1 Peter 2:9 – “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
- Ephesians
- Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
- God’s purpose is that people should turn to Him, become His child by being born again, and live with Him eternally.
- God’s victory
- The Bible says that God has already won the battle against evil and suffering, and that His victory is certain.
- 1 Corinthians 15:56-58
“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
What is the end-game goal?
A group of boys decide to play a game of basketball. One boy doesn’t hear so well. A ball is handed to him, so he puts it on the floor and kicks it hard to the other side of the court. The other kids turn to him angrily and say, “What the heck are you doing?”
He says, “What do you mean? I just scored a goal.”
They say, “No, you didn’t. You scored nothing, got us a penalty, and gave the other team control of the ball.”
The boy is confused and dejected. The issue? He was playing soccer. They were playing basketball. I call this problem “playing the wrong game.” And “playing the wrong game” is the biggest mistake you can make in life.
Whatever you face now, whether it be debt, hunger, addiction or disabilities, that’s how G‑d “kicked the ball.” You get angry and think something must be wrong with Him. Or with you. In truth, the only problem is the two of you are playing different games. Let’s introduce them.
You are playing a game called “My Perfect Life.” Every day, you strive to have perfect health, perfect finances and the perfect marriage. Or as close as you can get to them. When suffering occurs, you’re angry because that means your game is being ruined.
What game is G‑d playing? It’s called “The Perfect Story.” G‑d wants to tell the greatest story ever told. He unfolds His story (history) like acts in a play. The story is full of drama. Heroes and villains. Victory and catastrophe. Sadness and joy.
The Problem is Evil
The Bible declares that evil is far worse than we realize. Evil is an invader, a parasite, a rot. It’s a malignant cancer that has spread, a rupture in the cosmic order. Evil is so real that it has a personal focus — a focus in the one Jesus called the Devil — the one who stands opposed to the purposes of God and all that is good, true, and beautiful. The good material world God created has been corrupted. The root of evil in this world is not material, it is moral. It is found in rebellion against God’s good rule. And from the beginning of humanity we have all participated in that rebellion and evil is embodied in our own hearts.At the same time, the Bible affirms that God is far more loving than we could ever hope. Though God could rightly do away with us all, in His love and mercy, He seeks us out to save us from the evil in this world and from the evil in ourselves.
And in the gospel we see that God shares in our suffering even as He acts to bring victory over evil. The cross and resurrection of Jesus become God’s own response to evil in this world.
Though we can never give a full explanation of evil in this world, we do have God’s response to it. At the end of this age, when Jesus comes again in glory, our God will show Himself to be fully and completely just when “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev. 21:4). The Bible reveals a God Who is worthy of our trust even in the midst of our pain.
I know this was a long message. But the truth of the matter is that the topic is not one that is easily nor quickly answered. If you still want to look at this topic further, I have put together some other things for you to read and think about. Some of them kind of say the same thing, but in a different way. Others are just a list a scripture on the topics. Lastly, is I have done a brief review of one of my favorites books on the subject – “The Problem of Pain” by C.S. Lewis.”
