35 Comments

• Jan Allen April 21, 2011 at 7:54 am

  I appreciated your comments on Tuesday about if God didn’t allow big sins like terrorist attacks, where would he stop dis-allowing? If he didn’t let us even make tiny sins like reading a novel when we should be reading our textbook, we would have no freedom. This would be bad, you implied. But is this not exactly what we are looking forward to in Heaven? The absence of the possibility of sin? Will we then be righteous robots in Heaven? Will we have no choice but to worship Him? Will that be bad? I appreciate your using logic and reasonableness in your answers (I am a new subscriber) and hope that this has a good answer, too.
• Charlotte Fleming April 21, 2011 at 8:05 am

  Why are we sitting around trying to give God human reasoning? He knows what he is doing and why. When I was a child and I questioned my mother she would say, “Because I said so.” I knew she had my best interest at heart. So does God. The Bible is to point sinners to Jesus and we as Christians are to be about the Father’s business.
• Don Walker April 21, 2011 at 8:06 am

  Spurgeon’s comment reminds me of a far too little quoted scripture from Hebrews regarding Jesus. “He learned obedience through the things he suffered”. We all know He “grew in winsdom and in stature”. For me these show the process of life Jesus went through that we can identify with, as Spurgeon did. Christians I talk to are shocked, often in disbelief, that Jesus learned obedience through the things he suffered.
• Gene Hendrix April 21, 2011 at 8:24 am

  Jim, I was looking at Luke 22 yesterday preparing for Maundy Thursday. Verses 31-32 caught my attention-the New Testment version of Job, I guess. Could it be that even in the midst of suffering, including that allowed by God as Satan sifts us like wheat as he did Simon, that the Lord is praying for our faith? Jesus praying even now that my faith will not fall? Wow! And then the command, after walking through the struggle, to “strengthen your brothers.” I love Robert Mulholland’s definition of spiritual formation: being transformed into the image of Christ FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS.
• Rusty Perry April 21, 2011 at 8:43 am

  Well said – tough subject for many

  II Corinthians 1:3-4
  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. (ESV)
• Paul Buford April 21, 2011 at 8:46 am

  Well put Jim. People always forget the cursed earth part. I agree with Spurgeon, as I too have crawled right to the feet of God in my pain and suffering before. The “last resort” as it were which should have been my first!
  In ref to the cursed earth, look at the beauty of this world even with the natural disasters….the sunrises and sunsets, the oceans, the mountains etc. This is the “cursed earth?” Imagine what the new earth will be like!
  Paul
• june coleman April 21, 2011 at 9:07 am

  Maybe this sorta goes along with what you have been saying:

  When I bring my umbrella and its not raining, folks ask me “why do you have your umbrella?” I reply: “don’t pray for rain if you don’t come prepared for it to rain”. As a teenager I went to a small church where the folks had gathered to pray for rain. After the preacher had finished he asked how many of you brought your umbrellas. About five raised their hands. He said don’t pray if you don’t come prepared for an answer. I have never forgotten.
• Pedro Reyes April 21, 2011 at 9:07 am

  Hey Jim. A just system of law does not condemn a man to death for stealing a loaf of bread or a pencil. In this life we won’t understand how egregious Adam’s sin was. We’ll never understand, this side of heaven, how offensive our own sin is to God. Seems some core issues to deal with here is do we believe that God is good? Can He be trusted? Does He really love us and have our best interest at heart? If the answer to these questions is yes, then, through our tears and agony, we can believe that the Lord will cause something good…however long that takes…to come out of our tears and agony. In reality the very worst thing that can ever happen to us or any of our loved ones is to die. If we believe Paul, to be with Christ is very much better. I’m not trying to minimize anyone’s pain…believe me, I cried many tears when my dad died…but if God is good, if He is trustworthy, if He loves us and has our best interest at heart, then what we suffer is nothing in comparison to what awaits us in heaven.

  S
• Tim Dunn April 21, 2011 at 9:08 am

  Your comment regarding looking at Good Friday tomorrow reminds me that I cannot look for answers to what you have been discussing lately through any other lens but the cross. For He did not spare the suffering of His own Son in His redemptive plan for me. So who am I to think I deserve to be treated better than the perfect Son of God?

  Blessings,

  Tim
• Clay Pickering April 21, 2011 at 9:08 am

  Thanks Jim for not avoiding the tough questions. I know that we won’t have complete answers until we hear directly from our Creator, but the discussion provides me hope as we observe the suffering of others. Keep up the great work.
• Fred Rosenbaum April 21, 2011 at 9:10 am

  What is the alternative to the current situation? Do we really want paradise where we are “Lillies of the Field.”
• Jim Belcher April 21, 2011 at 9:15 am

  Thanks for your thoughts on this difficult subject. They are right on as far as I can see.
  I do not understand why some things happen, but I know God is in control and has a plan. I would not want a God that was not so much smarter and more complex than me that I cannot understand His every move. That we don’t allsuffer infinitely more than we do is a miricle love as I see it.
• Bethany April 21, 2011 at 9:16 am

  “Why do bad things happen to good people? That only happened once and He volunteered.” ~R.C.Sproul Jr.
• Jack L'Amoreaux April 21, 2011 at 9:39 am

  Regarding why God allows human suffering, if mountain tops are where we find true happiness and blessings in life, and valleys are where disappointment and hardship exist, realize mountaintops cannot exist without valleys between them.

  God gave us freedom to choose, because He wants our choice to be Him. If He created a perfect world, there would be no reason for choice. After all, He gave Eve and Adam a choice, did He not?
• Leona Maroney April 21, 2011 at 9:41 am

  My dad passed away when I was 11 years old. Everyone loved my dad. He was a man that in the terms of the world, would be considered good. He was successful, outgoing, kind, and a good father. I was devastated when he died. I later recalled a conversation that our pastor had with my mom. Our pastor visited my dad during his last days and my dad confessed to our pastor that although he believed in God, he didn’t have a personal relationship with Christ. In other words, he wasn’t saved. Our pastor lead him to the Lord and he passed shortly thereafter. During my childhood, I grieved for my dad and questioned God as to why my dad had been taken from our family. As an adult (and I am now 51), I believe that through his illness, that was the only way he would listen to God’s calling. I missed a lifetime without an earthly father but I rejoice in knowing that he is in the presence of our heavenly Father.
• Sarah April 21, 2011 at 9:45 am

  I am going through family troubles and have been for many years. But no one is physically sick, no one is dying, and so I know that there are others suffering far worse than me. I know that and try to remember that, but it doesn’t help me feel better because things just seem to be getting worse for my family. I know God is listening to my prayers, and I know he understands even though I don’t. I was wondering, does anyone know of any scriptures that would help me? I need strength right now. I am so disheartened that my family won’t turn to God and change their ways.
  • Hugh April 21, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

    Be strong, Sarah; and if you can’t, lean on God, for He will hold you up if you do.
    • Sarah April 21, 2011 at 4:05 pm

      Thank you, Hugh.
      • Hugh April 22, 2011 at 12:18 pm

        Sarah, please lean on our compassionate and loving Lord during this difficult time in your life. I did some searching and found this link; I hope you will find as much encouragement in it as I did: http://www.hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-personal-power/how-to-keep-going-when-your-tank-is-empty-5648

        Also, read Footprints in the Sand by Mary Stevenson: http://www.footprints-inthe-sand.com/index.php?page=Poem/Poem.php

        God Bless You, Sarah; He really will…be strong.
• G. Hilliard April 21, 2011 at 9:47 am

  So why doesn’t John 16:33 answer all these “why” questions? It does for me.

  GMH
• Stephanie King April 21, 2011 at 10:02 am

  I have seen so much destruction and disease hurt people close to me, and I have been angry with God many times for not preventing it. However, there is much vision in hindsight! I would never be so pious as to say that “everything happens for a reason,” but I have seen blessing come from great loss, and I have seem people come to Christ as a result of suffering. Sometimes we are most useful in God’s Kingdom work when we have been shaped by devastation. Not that I want my house to be blown away, but I know if it ever is, God will reveal himself in the midst of that as well.
• Colleen April 21, 2011 at 10:03 am

  I view natural disasters as an opportunity for people to act the way that God intended us to; with kindness, compassion, giving of self. Think of the 9/11 tragedy and how our nation “came together” after it…there was an outpouring of generosity, of love. People gave of themselves differently than they do on a daily basis. The disruption of daily life provided the opportunity for people to stop and think of others before self, which I believe is the way God intended us to behave every day. I also believe that it is a sad commentary that we need a tragedy to occur before we behave that way.
• Wayne Spencer April 21, 2011 at 10:06 am

  We know God loves us too much to leave us the way we are. In trials God is able to prune away the dross in our lives and help us to grow in our relationship with Him. Without the pain of the trials we would not submit to His pruning or recognize our need to grow in our daily dependency upon Him. The pain is what draws us to our knees allowing the Holy Spirit to do a deeper work in our lives.
• Jeffrey G. Bane April 21, 2011 at 10:13 am

  Using a lot of Christian nomenclature and Bible verses does *nothing* to answer the question of how a loving God could send a Japanese man or woman, having never heard of Jesus, through a rushing wave, severing limbs along the way,crushing his or her skull against a cement wall,and *then* damning them to eternal flames. It’s senseless and cruel.

  That’s the kind of god that creates people like Hitchens,Dawkins,and Gould. Simple, trite answers make Christians look simple and trite.
• Lesa Colson April 21, 2011 at 10:57 am

  Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
  • John Nickols April 21, 2011 at 1:23 pm

    I appreciate your dealing with these tough questions—your insights remind me of my old pastor, John Claypool—-I suspect you will take that as a compliment, and it is certainly meant that way. John Nickols, Howard Payne.
• rick morgan April 21, 2011 at 11:20 am

  these essays have led me to a view not previously experienced. it has been said that god redeems all he allows. maybe, but the thought that keeps me engaged in this discussion is that the redemption of god has already occurred, and is available to me right now if i am willing in faith to accept it.

  christ’s death apportioned to him all sin; all of it, past present and future. his resurrection sealed the victory for all time, past present and future. sickness, pain, suffering, disasters, wars, all of it…

  if that is true, is god’s redemption of suffering a future event? does he have to wait for the event to occur before redeeming it? there is no future with god, so “waiting” is not an option for him..

  is my faith supposed to be pointed in the direction of a heavenly meeting? i keep having the thought that god’s peace and redemption of suffering is found not in the future but in the past. god is not “going to redeem”, he already has redeemed. christ has already redeemed all my pain and suffering. past present future. merited and unmerited his blood has covered it all.

  during these tough times and in the midst of suffering, i seem to be hearing not a call to look forward to god’s future work, but look backward to the work of his son, that has already sealed the victory. faith in that event is the force that propels me forward in the midst of strife.

  the firmer we hold to christ and the cross the surer our steps will be. as my grandmother used to say, “if you cant see the cross from where you are standing, youve gone too far..” good advice in good times and bad…
• Charlene Henderson April 21, 2011 at 12:34 pm

  I am faced with that question, with some of my co-workers, who do not believe in God. Their questions are “why does a good and just God allow tragedies?” This is not our place to really question, why God does the things that he does. He did not promise days without pain, and although it is very difficult to understand in the midst of a tragedy, we MUST BE OBEDIENT to God, and put those concerns and worries in His hands, and not ours. These things that we try so hard to figure out are far too difficult for us to comprehend.
• Rick April 21, 2011 at 12:42 pm

  Pastors don’t always have the right things to say, they are only human. We are charged with knowing God’s word and taking solace in it. I have a friend who thinks God isn’t fair. They ask why are some people born in places where they starve or have cruel dictators while others are born in the USA. and have plenty? What people forget is that we were given dominion over the earth and what happens here is our responsibility and we are fallen. I have prayed for so many people to live or be cured and they die. Not all of them but most of them. Why are some cured and other not? I trust in God to do what is best.
  I should not be alive; my life has been spared numerous times is that fair? All I can do is trust in the Lord and be faithful. All of us are here only for a short time, make the most of it. Do for others, hug your children, call your family, and tell your spouse you love them. Don’t be bitter it is the devils tool. Make the most of everyday.
• Bob Scott April 21, 2011 at 12:57 pm

  Thank you for this open converstaion and the format. For me, and not to trivialize others’ free thinking, I have decided to keep a list of all those questions for which I cannot find a logical answer, like “How can God allow a young baby to die?”, etc. When He and I meet face to face one day I am going to pull out my list and have a good discussion, as any child would with their loving Father. It seems to me there is a fine line between (1)expending large amounts of time and energy on trying to “figure it all out” and (2)accepting on faith some of those unanswerable questions, and taking that excess time and energy to go out to try and serve others as Jesus exemplified. In the Screwtape Letters, I recall that Uncle Screwtape smiled when us “believers” were off exhausting ourselves on nonproductive affairs versus doing the work we are all called to do. However, I respect eveyone’s right to deal with these issues as they find best for themselves.
• David McLane April 21, 2011 at 1:17 pm

  Our main problem in asking this question is missing the whole point: that troubles are NOT punishments if they draw us closer to God. It’s a product of our misguided expectations.
• Sharon April 21, 2011 at 4:02 pm

  Your next to the last sentence is so true…God speaks as gently as we will listen. In my late 20′s and 30′s I learned most of my lessons at the end of God’s 2×4. Today I rarely miss a gentle nudge.
• JO ENRIGHT April 21, 2011 at 4:24 pm

  Regarding today’s “God Issues”, I wish I were not so logical because it interferes with my love for God and his Word. God plans and knows all. He knew Adam and Eve would sin which would bring us into having “choices”. This in turn gives God grief, which he knows is going to happen because he knew Adam and Eve would sin. What is his purpose of all of this planning, other than giving us “choice” so we would choose Him. Again, He knows which way we are going to choose so how can any of it be news to him? He’s got to be bored because he knows what ALL of us are going to do!!
• Nancy April 21, 2011 at 6:28 pm

  “Charles Spurgeon testified that he ‘never grew half so much as upon a bed of pain.’” How can we be certain we don’t waste our pain, that we grow as we endure?
• toshi nobe April 21, 2011 at 9:15 pm

  For those of us who were raised in the human cultures where the spirit resides in the nature, I call for your understanding to have respect for the nature’s pangs. If a natural disaster causes the devastating events, I accept it because I have no power of controlling it. I bow to a god of spirit saying to him that you do whatever you want. However after the industrial revolution and the population explosions, I am frustrated by the fact that the human being had ignored to maintain a proper balance of its use and its maintenance (care) for the nature’s survival. The lack of care for the creation is what bothers me most in addition to other pressing needs of our time. The history of mankind in some culture already had shown the decline of human race because of such neglect.

  The fact is that many natural disasters can no longer be considered as natural occurrencez because they are caused by the neglect by humans who use it without consideration for giving back what it gave. Just look into the population increase over the past 50 years along with the human technological advancements. The technological advancement had not been used to care for the nature over the last 50 years and it is not looking good for our future. We are killing ourselves because we have not learned from our human history. There is a clear relationship of nature which God had created to our way of beliefs and behaviors. For this reason, we must respect the cultures of nature as a gift.

  So what about natural disasters? I respond to your inquiry this way. My frustration does not arise from the natural disasters you mentioned about because those events had been with us since the beginning of human history. I don’t consider the terrorist’s act or our neglects of nature as a natural disaster. In addition to the one I already mentioned earlier, here are other things that frustrates me: devastating effects from the wars, injustices arising from the Christian appetite for power, lingering impact of Christian minister’s sexual abuse, not hearing thank you for good gestures from others, lack of political leadership in addressing the economic problem our nation face, unable to change the culture of state of welfares and entitlements, a climate of uncertainty about the budget affair in our government, and no justice administered on the terrorist’s acts. The fact that these frustrations come from the American culture is very disturbing. We are unable to take the responsibility for our own actions. The nature of human being is the source of our problems. We need to look into our souls to understand the true nature of what God had taught us from the Scriptures; the relationships among God, nature, and human relationships. When we ignore the interrelationship of the three, we tend to blame our problems on peripheral things and ultimately blame God. If God is good and just, I accept Him to be and I accept the consequences of any circumstances I experience in my life. But I will continue to use my intelligence that He gave me to do his purpose until the death comes.

  So, are the natural disasters and evil acts a taste of hell? I think not. Am I concern about hell for others? Not really. Yes, I am concern about hell only to myself. However, since I am not going to hell, it is not concern of mine.

  When we accept what God had made, the struggles with God become easier to handle. The fact that we struggle with so called difficult questions, we tend to think too much for our own good from the intellectual and emotional sides rather than intuitive side of who we are as human beings. Ask yourself how Japanese victims handled the historical devastation of the earthquake, the tsunami, and the nuclear leaks? For that matter, how did we handled the matter of persecution that Jews suffered under the guidance of Hitler and alike? The question about how God had evil intent on Japanese people is out of the question. They believe in the spiritual nature of the creation, not necessarily from the Biblical perspectives but they feel, know, and live influenced by the spiritual guidance because they are impacted by the effects from natural disasters. Our Native American Indians lived that way too. For those of us who are witnesses to the disasters, consider yourself fortunate and ask yourself how to help those who are in need. And most importantly when evil raise its head, are we ready to tackle it or be a witness bystander? Can you recognize the evil without your eyes closed?

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