“Couldn’t God have just spared everyone the pain and suffering? We could enjoy life much more without all this pain.” A reader asked this question about last week’s lesson, “Living for His Glory”. In the incident involving my daughter and her family’s collision with a deer, I saw God’s glory written all over this because it could have been so much worse. We will not know in this life what God and His angels did to lessen the severity of the accident. My simple answer to the question is, “this would be heaven”. As long as we live in this world, there will be pain and suffering. Jesus told His disciples, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). The word ‘trouble’ is also translated affliction, anguish, distress, tribulation, and suffering.
God created man and woman to experience love—to love each other and to love Him. True love involves a choice. God did not preprogram Adam and Eve to love like mechanical robots. God gave them the ability to choose to obey Him and show their love. They also possessed the ability to disobey the Lord God choosing not to love Him with all their heart, soul, and mind. They choose to disobey thus plunging their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren . . . all the way down to you and me into sin. This put mankind into a world of pain and suffering until this life ends.
Seeking to blame God, people have asked me, “Why did God allow this to happen?” Realize that God did not create pain and suffering. God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day (Gen 1:31). We must never forget there at two entities at work in the universe— the Lord God and Satan. I guess that in contemporary language we could label it a cosmic war between good and evil. People usually follow the above question, “Well, if God is omnipotent or all powerful, could He not have prevented this?” Yes, He could, however He ordained a beginning and end for man on this earth. He still desires that all people have an opportunity to choose to love Him. If He had ended everything after Adam and Eve’s sin, then you and I would have never had to opportunity to choose to love Him.
Even for Christians, we remain in a fallen world subject to pain and suffering. Yet, we have this promise, And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). It does not say God causes pain and suffering, rather He makes good come out of every painful situation we encounter. We may not fully understand and see the whole picture of how because we only know in part. Yet, we can rest assured no situation exists beyond His power to turn it around for good. He caused the worst experience of pain and suffering, the crucifixion of His son Jesus, to result in the greatest good for mankind.
Scripture also promises that God will end pain for eternity. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away (Rev 21:4). Paul gives a small glimpse how wonderful it will be. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Rom 8:18).
Faith and prosperity preachers teach error when they purport Christians can experience all the glory of heaven in this life. We are able to receive a foretaste of the blessings of heaven not the entire blessings. One element of salvation for man and the creation remains—glorification. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope v21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. v22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. v23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body (Rom 8:20-23).
Few methods of death can produce more pain than crucifixion. Jesus was able to go through this suffering because He looked forward to the joy He would experience for eternity with believers. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb 12:2). We will go through life experiencing pain and suffering until the ‘cosmic war’ between good and evil ends and devil is defeated and placed in the Lake of Fire.
Sustaining Word for the Week: Behind every pain you may be suffering from Satan and the world, know that God is at work, turning it around for your good. Don’t be deceived and blame the Lord rather embrace Him.