One of the most common questions about the existence of God asks how an all-loving creator could allow so much evil in the world. Pain and suffering are disruptive because we have a shared view that life is valuable. We’ve been given the ability to love—and this is also what makes suffering possible. Loving is a choice, as is unloving, destructive behaviour. The choice makes love meaningful, but as a result, we also have to deal with the consequences of bad human choice. Suffering that isn’t a result of human behaviour (like natural disasters and sickness) is harder to understand, but the story of Jesus is one of a God who came into the world and experienced our pain (Hebrews 4:15, Isaiah 53:4).
Why Did It Happen to Me?
David is a man from Northern Ireland who was injured in a bombing and later lost his wife and child in a car accident (full story in the video). People often respond to hard situations in the worst way by assuring us that “everything is going to be okay.” When Jesus’ friend Lazarus died, he weeps with the family and then raised Lazarus from the dead! He knew that, in the end, restoration was possible, but in the middle of his friends’ grief, he shares their pain (John 11:1-44).
Will It All Be Worth It?
September 6, 2024
Often we can’t understand why pain exists, but we can see how hardships shape us and teach us along the way (Romans 5:4). Even though following Jesus doesn’t mean that we will never suffer, it does promise an eventual end to evil and pain. Until then, we may not have answers to all of our questions, but we can find opportunities to serve those in need, mourn with the broken, and pass on the hope that one day God will make all things new (Revelation 21:4).
