Why Does God Allow Suffering?

We live in a fallen world. Turn on the television and you will hear countless stories of wars, illnesses, abuse, murder, and more. Many of you reading this right now have more than likely suffered at some point in time, either through violence, losing loved ones, disease, or other kinds of suffering. 

It’s heartbreaking to hear about innocent children dying by chemical weapons in Syria or children being sold into brothels in Cambodia, to hear about Christians being killed or beaten for their faith around the world, or a family at church losing a loved one to cancer. 

Let’s take a look at the life of Job to see how he suffered. Job had everything you could want, a large family, financial prosperity, many close friends, and integrity. Satan wanted to test Job’s love for God by destroying everything he had. Even when Job lost his health, his family, and his possessions he never lost his faith in God. 

Pain and suffering entered the world through sin when Adam and Eve ate of the tree, but God’s plan for redemption meant that God himself would willingly face pain and suffering so that there would be a way for us to be in relationship with Him again “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. 

God made a way for us to be reconciled back to him, he decided to suffer himself by watching his only Son suffer, and Jesus was willing to suffer, so that the whole world could have a chance to come back into a relationship with God. 

As we look at the gospel it shows us that when we face difficult times we have a God who deeply cares for us and comforts us and can sympathize with us because he himself faced rejection, betrayal, persecution, and death. His comfort in affliction also helps us to comfort others. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with, which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:4. If you are facing a difficult time or you know someone who is there is only one person who truly understands, deeply comforts, loves perfectly, and heals completely and that is Jesus Christ!

About Hope

Hope McCleary graduated from Mesa State College with a degree in Mass Communications. After graduating she spent two years working in local news at KKCO 11 News in Grand Junction, Co. She decided to give up her career in the media to share the message of Christ full-time. She joined full-time staff with Master Plan Ministries the summer of 2012 and got married to Forrest McCleary in September of 2012. Through her own personal ups and downs in college Hope has a heart for college women understand their worth as God’s daughters, to see them grow in their faith, to grow in the unique gifts God has given them, and to stand firm in their faith even with the pressures of the world all around them. Hope’s interests include world and local missions, photography, singing, playing guitar and writing music, reading, meeting new people, coffee, and hiking. 

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