Working With God To Relieve Suffering

In the grand questions of how a good God can permit suffering, we often forget a simple truth: human beings have the power to help relieve the suffering of others. In the midst of all pain, God is present if we will seek Him.

OTHER ARTICLES:

1. How Can A Good God Permit Suffering
2. Man Creates Much of His Suffering

How We Cause Suffering

It is easy to see how human choices bring about pain. Through greed for power, wealth, ignorance, or taking bad risks, people create situations that hurt themselves and others.

Some suffer from terrible diseases or physical problems due to lack of exercise, poor diet, or other unhealthy habits. Clearly, humanity has a major hand in much of the suffering in this world.

Where Were You When Others Suffered?

While humans can cause pain, we also have the power to relieve it. When disasters strike, people often ask, “Where was God?” But an equally important question is, “Where is humanity?”

Every instance of suffering is an opportunity for us to show compassion. During the Judean famine of the first century, churches around the world sent help to those in need. In 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 and verses 13-15, wealthier Christians shared their resources with their needy brothers and sisters. This act of love came with the understanding that those helped would do the same for others when the roles were reversed.

I once read a powerful quote, though I have forgotten the source:

“In some kind of suffering that befalls man, I am afraid to ask ‘Why didn’t God do anything about it’ for fear that he will ask the same thing of me!”

A story told by Stanley Jones illustrates this well:

“A wealthy farmer prayed in his family circle that his unfortunate neighbors might not starve. When they arose from their knees, his little girl said to him, ‘Daddy, you needn’t have bothered God with that, for you can quite easily keep them from starving.’”

The real question is not just what the church, government, or society can do. The question is: “What can I do to help?” Instead of just complaining about the darkness, we can choose to light a candle.

Be Careful Not To Blame God

We must be careful about the actions we attribute to God. Unless He explicitly tells us in His Word, we are only guessing. Often, our guesses are incorrect and can lead to more confusion.

For example, an email circulated after the September 11th attacks claiming that God “held up the towers while people escaped.” But if your loved one was one of the many who died, you might wonder why God did not keep holding them up until everyone was safe. When we try to explain tragedy this way, we end up with ideas that are both illogical and unscriptural.

We see similar misunderstandings when people try to explain the death of a child. Well-meaning people might tell a grieving sibling that God wanted their little brother so much that He took him to heaven. While meant to comfort, this idea can actually terrify a child and make them afraid of God.

It is much better to accept that death is a natural part of our broken world. We can find true comfort in knowing that God is caring for the child now.

Suffering is Not Always a Judgment

Similarly, we should not assume that individual or national suffering is always a direct punishment from God. While we do reap what we sow, sometimes we suffer simply because of the actions of others or because we were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Job’s friends falsely claimed his suffering was due to hidden sin, but God’s Word shows they were wrong. When Jesus discussed the tragic deaths of people killed by Pilate or by a collapsing tower, He explicitly stated that they were not worse sinners than anyone else (Luke 13:1-5).

In John 9:1-3, Jesus also rejected the idea that a man’s blindness was caused by his or his parents’ sins. It is best not to blame God for suffering that is simply the result of chance or natural consequences.

Where is God When Others Suffer?

If we open our eyes, we can easily find God in the midst of suffering. God did not stay distant; He entered into human suffering with us.

In the flesh, Jesus showed deep compassion:

• He touched and healed lepers.
• He forgave the broken-hearted who repented.
• He wept at the grave of His friend Lazarus.
• He suffered rejection, violence, mockery, and abandonment.
• He died a painful, agonizing death on a cross.

As Hebrews 5:5-9 tells us, Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered and deeply understands our pain. God can make all things work together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Through trial, people can find unexpected strength. Some learn compassion and humility, while others are motivated to prevent future tragedies. Most of all, suffering reminds us to look forward to our eternal home, where pain will no longer exist.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” — Revelation 21:4

Where is God? He is right beside us in our grief. He gives us the strength to endure, and He uses us to ease the pain of others until we join Him in a world free of all suffering.