A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned in a sermon that surveys show that the number one question people would want to ask God if given the chance is, “Why is there pain and suffering in the world?” We then spent time talking about the “why” of sin and suffering. However, closely related to that is the question that makes it more personal, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Or perhaps said more poignantly, “Why are bad things happening to me?”
Gideon asked the same question thousands of years ago when the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” (Judges 6:12-13)
Why do some people face one tragedy after another while others enjoy all kinds of blessings? Why do some nations enjoy peace and prosperity, while others face poverty, persecution, and even genocide? How can a God who loves this world enough to send his Son allow holocaust and hunger, death and destruction? How can a God who cares so much about his creation allow human hands to destroy his beautiful world?
Are people right when they say that with so much suffering, there cannot possibly be a loving, caring God? Did the wife of Job have it right when she advised him to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9)? As we explore these issues this week, my prayer is that God will assure us of his kindness and care, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. May we also find hope in Christ, who suffers with us and who suffered for us.
Gideon asked the same question thousands of years ago when the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” (Judges 6:12-13)
Why do some people face one tragedy after another while others enjoy all kinds of blessings? Why do some nations enjoy peace and prosperity, while others face poverty, persecution, and even genocide? How can a God who loves this world enough to send his Son allow holocaust and hunger, death and destruction? How can a God who cares so much about his creation allow human hands to destroy his beautiful world?
Are people right when they say that with so much suffering, there cannot possibly be a loving, caring God? Did the wife of Job have it right when she advised him to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9)? As we explore these issues this week, my prayer is that God will assure us of his kindness and care, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. May we also find hope in Christ, who suffers with us and who suffered for us.
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