Why Does God Allow Suffering?

[Ken Rich]

Why does God allow suffering? Theologians and philosophers have struggled with this question for ages. After all, if God is all powerful and all knowing, can't he prevent or stop it? For some people, this is a stumbling block to faith, and they never get past it.

I would not be so presumptuous as to claim an authoritative answer, that others have missed. However, I think there are some clues and insights into this, that God has provided in his Word.

The problem of suffering appears to be centered around free will. God created us (and the angels) with free will, and if he had not, we would be mere robots - not truly alive, or free moral agents with the ability to decide.

However, freedom is a dangerous thing, since it can be abused. The Bible says that Satan was once a covering Cherub full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. It says he was perfect in all of his ways until iniquity was found in him. God didn't make a devil, he created a powerful being who chose to become evil. In fact, pride was identified as the cause of his fall.

The Bible says he rebelled and there was war in heaven. The devil was cast out and his angels (one third chose to follow him) were cast out with him.

God could have destroyed them on the spot, but he doesn't want his creation to serve him out of fear, but out of love. He chose to allow a set amount of time, so these issues can be understood by all. That sin causes suffering, that evil must be destroyed because of the terrible consequences it brings. To this day, these fallen angels, and also fallen men, are in rebellion against God and make war against his saints.

Judgment is coming, sin and sinners will be no more - there is a set time and place when all this will end. Scripture says sin will not rise up a second time. God's principles will be vindicated as righteous and all of creation will worship him in love, without doubting his leadership. They will have freedom, but will not abuse it.

It is written that God is not mocked - we will reap what we sow. God is not mocked because when you choose to remove God from your life, you have no protection from the devil, or from your own evil impulses. Most of us are self destructive and our own worst enemies. It's not that God strikes you down, he respects your freedom and backs away. God is not mocked also, in the sense that no one gets away with anything. Judgment is coming and all your secrets are bare before him.

Many battles take place in the Spiritual realm, and like any war there are casualties. Sometimes innocent children are hurt or killed. No one is more grieved by this than God, but rest assured, not even a sparrow falls to the ground without his knowledge and care. Vengeance is mine sayest the Lord and although it may seem (from our limited perspective) that injustices and cruelty go unanswered, they do not. God is independent of time, (as we know it), and every crime will meet with judgment in the end.

The Bible says God himself will wipe away our tears, and that eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man – the things God has in store for those who love him. Those who have suffered in this short life, have much to look forward to, in eternity.

There is another type of suffering that is actually good. We are told that God disciplines those he loves, like a Father meting out punishment to an erring child. Such discipline is unpleasant, but for our ultimate good. Also, some obstacles and sufferings are allowed into our lives to cause growth. The apostle Paul told us to rejoice in our sufferings, because they bring perseverance, and perseverance – proven character, and proven character – hope (Romans 5:3-4).

Sin and the suffering it causes, is not God's will. He created the earth to be the garden of Eden. We chose to join the devil in rebellion against God. God is doing everything that he can (short of taking away our freedom), to lead us to love and truth. He sent the prophets and we stoned them, he sent his own Son and we brutally tortured and killed him. We chose to crucify Christ, rather than repent and learn to love one another, as he taught.

God loves us so much, that he endured watching us torture his Son - just so he could save those who would choose to turn from sin and suffering. His Son loves us so much, that he took the abuse, in order to save us from ourselves, and the devils manipulations.

Unfortunately, most people just don't get it. Don't blame God for what the wicked do, blame the wicked for not doing what God does - love.

Ken Rich

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indiegospel.org

[Ann Phillips]

Our (suffering) what I refer to as challenges are our testimonies, If we never have a challenges we really dont have the experience, and definately not the testimony. As a matter of fact God spoke into my spirit, He said our challenges are our help source not our destruction. We need to see our challenges as our help source and not our defeat, therefore we will use it to get to a better place, instead of allowing it to keep us into a place of hinderance. Our challenges are also a blessing to help others to move out of their negative situation, therefore we need to embrace our challenge and use them to be a blessing to ourselves and others and not allow our challenges to keep us into captivity. Start sharing your experinces with others instead of complaining about them and see what God will do. Remember that God cause all things to work together to them that love Him to them who are the called according to His purpose. Your challenges comes to strengthen you, to uplift you, to move you to another level, to bring you a blessing. It is in your challenges, that you reach out to God, as you reached out to God, God will show up and show off. The word of God declares that what the devil meant for eavil, God will turn it into God. God said to me, what the devil meant for evil God gets the glory, what happens when God Gets the glory? someone will get the blessing, you do. stay close to God.
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[Ken Rich]

Hi Ann,

There is the needless suffering of innocent children, at the hands of pedophiles, or through parental beatings, who do not live long enough to experience growth. I would not categorize that as anything beneficial - except perhaps to others, who are moved and broken by it, and motivated to change the world.

However, I agree with you there are forms of suffering that are related to discipline, and also obstacles that cause growth. The best explanation I have ever found is this short story about The Crippled Butterfly. I don't know the original author but I altered the story as I found it - slightly.

The Crippled Butterfly

A man lay crippled in a hospital bed. He watched as a caterpillar made a cocoon on his window ledge. He forgot about it, until days later he noticed the cocoon moving, as the butterfly inside struggled to force its body through a tiny hole. Then, it seemed to stop making progress. It appeared as if the butterfly had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no farther.

The man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon, and the butterfly emerged easily.

However, the man was shocked to see that the butterfly had a swollen body, and small, shriveled wings. He continued to watch it, expecting that the wings would dry out, enlarge, and expand to support it. He thought it's body would contract, and the butterfly would be able to fly - but neither happened!

What the man did not understand, was that the restricting cocoon and the wrenching struggle, were required for the butterfly to be able to fly. He had doomed it to be as crippled as he was.

The butterfly must agonizingly push its way through the tiny opening, to force the fluid from its body and wings. Only this excruciating process can prepare it's wings for flight, and allow a new life of beauty and grace.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If our Creator allowed us to go through life without any obstacles, it would cripple us spiritually.

Romans 5:3 ...we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering works perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope: and hope doesn`t disappoint us...

Acts 14:22 ...and encouraging them to continue in the faith, saying, “We must endure many hardships to get into the kingdom of God.”

The metamorphosis a caterpillar undergoes, is not just a allegory to explain the value of our struggles, it is also a perfect metaphor for our transformation to our new immortal bodies.

1 John 3:2 ...and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him

1 Corinthians 15:52-55 ...For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ...When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory”.

[Ann Phillips]

Yes Ken, I agree with you about the needless suffering of Children, by heartless brutal humans that has given themselves over to the spirits of the devils. The system that provoked, and punish the innocent lives of young children that are seeking help, but looking into the wrong place, a place which portray to be good but devilish and evil. I cannot get over the fact that this system is in place and backed up by laws. Deception devilish empire set up to distroy our futher which is our children, homes and family.

Did you know that this system produce more suicides, more oppress children, more depress children, more anger in the lives of young people, because of the lies they feed them? Can you imagine, someone providing help for people and tell them that the wrong they are doing is ok, they should keep doing it? its ok to be gays, lesbians, it ok to have abortions? Now that gets me, cause I have children, and when people like these are allowed to speak into the lives of our children and backed up by so called laws, we are in for serious destruction.

Why because the system is corrupted, and everything they do, hence will produce corruption. They tell us we cannot discipline our children, it abuse. I am not talking about beating them and calling them all manner of names. I am not talking about swearing and cursing. I am talking about parents that loves and council their children. Now we all knows that children grows and develop individually, so they need to be guided and instructed and lead correctly, Love and nurtured so they can grow into the character and purpose they are created to fulfill. There is that age where we all get to and feel we are grown and no longer need to be guided, the sad thing is; that is the most crucial part of our life and at that very moment, that is the time when we need to be guided most. Society and the system calls it controlled. Our children said we do not want to be controlled, the system says leave home, we will let you do what you want to do, we will be your parents, you don't need to listen to them anymore.

This is the time when you need the guidance of your parents more than ever, a crucial time in your life when you need the Love and support of your parents to keep you grounded for your future and this is when this sytem tell you you dont have to be controlled if you dont want to. Who said anything about parental control, it is not parental control, it is parental guidance that cannot be repalcae by a system that does not care for the lives of young people but are set up to destroy them utterly. Now the system take your children out of a loving home and put your children into a messed up system that is partially there, one person, pops in to visit over 30 children on their list, what kind of love and attention or care can you give to over thirty children when you are one person that barely have a couple of minutes to visit one child on your list? Sometimes the system take the child out of their homes and put them into a place where the child is allowed to do whatever they want to do, but no love and respect, just left alone. Not only that but the system place them into the care of people that are more polluted, perverted and messed up in therir own minds and lives, just doing a job to make a dollar. what good can come out of that mess? I will never get it. None of it make sense, but they believe that what they are doing is right for the children.
I was under the impression that if a parent love their children they will correct them, guide them. A person, parent, individual cannot love a child and tell them its ok to be gays or lesbian, its not your child, how can you tell the child its ok to use their little bodies to do such nasty things? What right have? And if you were a good person you would not tell children its ok to be gays and lesbian when you as an adult knows what it entails. Cannot love a child and allow them to continue doing wrong when they know its bad for them, cannot love a child and do not correct them, cannot love a child and continue to lie for them. Now this is another thing, the people that are running this system lies so much. Now! if you are a lair? and you are calling yourself the representative of these children, what kind of example are you?

You know the truth about this system: is its just another money making scheme, set up by the enemy to destroy our future. What is our future? our children. If we continue to allow this system to run the lives of our children, we will not have a future. Just like we have another type of enemy telling our children its ok to be gays and lesbian, yes this is one of the biggest abused out there, covered up by the law, because a lot of people that govern the law are polluted by this same spirit and they want to get away with the wrong, so they become judges and lawyers and political leaders and are now allowing our children to be abused by perverts.
Years ago it use to be that if a man molest a child especially a boy child it would be a big case of molestation, now it is passed off as we are born this way. The devil is a lair, it is a lie from the pit of hell. If we continue to fall for this deception, we are going to be swallowed up with the spirit of destruction that destroy our children and then what will be our future? One of the biggest abuser out there is the system that say they protect our children. Another big abuser is this law that give permission to people to do evil.
What do we do about it? we educate with the word of God and pray. If my people that are called by my name would humble themselves and pray, turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal there land.


When are we going to wake up and smell the rat?
What are we going to do about it?
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[Ken Rich]

There are things we can do - we can let people see the love of God in us.

We can also make sure we don't spend too much time dwelling on the negatives.

For every minute you spend thinking about what the beast is doing, spend 10 minutes thinking about what the Lamb is doing.

In Paul's day, there were terrible persecutions occurring, and the fledgling Church faced many difficulties. Yet Paul didn't allow himself (or teach others), to dwell on the negatives.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is fair, whatever is pure, whatever is acceptable, whatever is commendable, if there is anything of excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy-keep thinking about these things.

Not to say we should be ignorant, it's important to expose and confront evil, then overcome it with good.

I read something about what the Catholic Church was doing in Ireland, that made me sick to my stomach. Quoting from Irish Question Catholic Identity After Abuse Report

"He recalled how the children were taken to a court and "left standing there, without food or anything" until a man in a "long black frock and white collar" came and took them away.

"Two nights later, I was raped," he said.

Referring to his wife, O'Brien said, "That woman will tell you how many times I jumped out of the bed at night with the sweat pumping out of me, because I see these fellows at end of the bed … pulling me into the room, to rape me. "

O'Brien went on to catalog the ensuing attempt by the Catholic religious orders to cover up the abuse, and the aggressive cross-examination he received from lawyers representing the religious orders. "

This sort of thing has been perpetrated by agents of the Vatican, all over the world, for centuries, even right here where I live. For example, the infamous Mount Cashel sex abuse scandal, was made into a movie "The Boys of St. Vincent".

We can expose the "wolves in sheep's clothing", we can help the wounded to heal, we can strive to keep Church and State separate, so that such people will not have complete control again, like they did in the dark ages.

Our weapons are Spiritual, not physical, pray for the end of tyranny and religious deception.

I made a music video dealing with this subject, as a warning, and a statement against corruption.

Find more videos like this on Indie Gospel Artists

[Ann Phillips]

Yes it is time we step up the plate and do something, this is why we have Refuge for the abuse. God has commissioned us to demonstrate the Love of God to a world that need a saviour. We need to walk in the commandment of the Lord and go back to the way He though us to live as children (saint) of God.

Dwelling on the situation is not the motive, exposing it is more like it, unless we inform, educate, and progress we cannot overcome the plans of the enemy unless we move God's way. There are somethings that God has given His children (saint) responsibility of, however, I believe that we have for too long step aside and are watching from the background.

God gave us a commandment and a commission, that will help us to create changes in our land/world. He said; in 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 "If my people, which are called by my name, would humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;" He said: " then He will hear from Heaven, and will forgive our sins and will heal our land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.

There are somethings that His followers alone can do but first we have to work by his commandment and by His word. God said when we move then he will step in and allow us to be overcomer. However, for such a long time we have step aside and allow the enemy to take control of the things God has commanded us to do. It is time to get back in position and allow God to work through us. There is nothing that God will not do for us. He has already given us his promise. We just need to move.

[Ken Rich]

Amen to that!

Love working through faith, is the key!

I agree with you too, that we must humble ourselves and pray - without Christ we can do nothing!