A good God and the problem of suffering

“God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). Since God and what God made was good (Luke 18:19), then why all the suffering? Well firstly we reap what we sow, bad choices have bad consequences (Galatians 6:7). But not all suffering is for our sin.  The book of Job wrestles with this.  Job is righteous, and the book makes it clear his suffering is not for wrongdoing, as his friends would have it (Job 42:7). When we suffer, we might think God is punishing us, we might give up on God, or think He's unjust, or not even there. Many people who say they don't believe in God, nevertheless seem to be mad at Him.  In addition to suffering the consequences of our own sin, we can also suffer because of other people's sin, and because of seemingly random happenstances.

I'm not always sure what people mean when they say “there's a reason for everything!” It seems to imply God sends the bad, but that He has a reason for sending it. He gives a child cancer to teach him or her something?  That would be child abuse, and that's not the God I believe in, nor the God of the Bible! It's too close to the errors Job's friends made. The Bibles says that “God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). It's not that evil is good,  rather that God is at work for good in the evil that He's allowed.  Under the New covenant, rewards and punishments are reserved until the day of Judgement (1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 2 Peter 2:9).  Related to this is the New Covenant good news, that whosoever will may come to Christ and,  by the obedience of faith,  escape everlasting condemnation (John 3:16; Romans 16:26; 8:1). His goodness and forbearance are designed to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4).

Concerning earthquakes, tsunamis and the like, the Bible is largely silent on the why of them all. As with Job,  concerning  our own pain and the injustices in the world,  we are left to wrestle with our own answers to the 'why' of it. Life is not fair, nobody said it was. The greatest injustice in my mind,  is the perfect Son of God crucified. To me, the bigger question is about how we deal with suffering?  On the day that I knew was going to be the most difficult in my life, the day I knew my wife was going to take the four children and leave,  the Lord brought this verse to mind “Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2). I felt I was being told suffering is a barrier the other side of which is joy, and if like Jesus we endure it,  there will be “joy in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

Lord Jesus, You told us in the world we will have tribulation, but we are to be of good cheer, because You have overcome the World (John 16:33). Thank You Lord that with every trial or temptation, You provide a way to stand up under it (1 Corinthians 10:13). Thank You Lord that when we come to You,  we receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need  (Hebrews 4:16).  Thank You Lord You not only suffered for us, You suffer with us,  in Your precious Name Amen