The issue of pain and a good God
October 4, 2024•1,452 words
There are several great books on pain and grief. These are some of my recommendations:
1) C.S. Lewis' "The Problem of Pain".
2) F.B. Meyers, "Peace, perfect peace",
and finally,
3) "Good Grief" by Granger Westberg.
Why do I mention these things? As I write this, a terrible destructive flood hit Tennessee and North Carolina. Both areas are reeling from major carnage.
I wish to address the topic of pain, suffering, and a good God. This event shows us that pain and sorrow does exist. But why? As some skeptics may say,
"If God is good, why does He allow pain?"
Good question. None of this will be easy, but it will come around to something positive, I promise.
To understand, we must look at where pain originally came from. This answers the question of who caused pain. The initial thought is God created pain. But look at Genesis 3. In Genesis 3, the first mention of pain is found in God's handing out the consequences for the sin of disobedience (Genesis 3:16 is translated as the word "sorrow"). To the woman she would have pain in child birth.
This first mention of pain shows that pain only entered the world through sin. God did not create or cause the pain, sin did that. Man's rebellion brought about pain. From that moment, pain, grief, hurt, loss entered the world, which we now we see.
One may wonder why, Christians and non Christians suffer. There were Christians who were dealt grief and loss as well as unbelievers. The answer deals with the consequences of sin.
When sin came into the world, all of mankind must deal with the consequences. Whether a believer or not, we all have a sin nature. Creation itself groans under the weight and consequences of sin, seeking to be freed as well. Being a Christian does not remove or exclude us from those consequences and ramifications.
Therefore, all the misery, pain, grief, and loss has come because of sin from the beginning. God created mankind with a free will. Adam, in Genesis 3, used his free will to reject God. But God knew this would happen and all the results. But now, good news!
God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross, take our sin upon Himself, who was sinless, and if we, with free will, repent of our sins and confess our faith in Jesus, we will be saved. This salvation frees us from a greater consequence of sin which is death and separation from God for all eternity in a place called hell.
There are some present and physical blessings we receive as well. When things like this hurrican hit, while there is hurt, there is also a foundation upon which our life is built. It does not remove the pain, but God goes with us THROUGH the pain! Jesus said that we will have trials and tribulation in the world. We can still have joy, however, because if we are in Jesus, then we have victory over the world (John 16:33)!
As a Christian, we grieve with sadness and cry with those who suffer loss. Through Jesus, we can offer hope. Hope for a life that is perfect, hope in knowing that God knows and weeps with us. Hope in knowing there will come a day, if we are saved, that Jesus will bring us to Himself where we will live in paradise, never to experience pain and loss again Revelation 21:4).
This does not remove us from pain now, but helps us to long for and desire the coming of our Lord who will make all things right (Romans 8:18). Even in the midst of the storms of this life, and the midst of pain, we have so many promises from Jesus. The Bible is full of promises to those who are grieving but to start, it would be important to look at peace.
Jesus said He gives peace that the world does not understand, and for true Christians, this peace is not something that can be explained but can only be experienced (John 14:27). It is the peace that allows us, as Christians, to look to God and, even through the tears of sorrow, have a deep seated knowledge, and a deeper spiritual sense of God's presence with us through all things. Nothing can buy that type of peace.
Beyond this, the Bible gives us a lot of passages to help us through these dark times. They are:
[Matthew 5:4 NKJV] 4 Blessed [are] those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
[Isaiah 53:3 NKJV] 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, [our] faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
[Psalm 31:9 NKJV] 9 Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, [Yes], my soul and my body!
[Psalm 119:28 NKJV] 28 My soul melts from heaviness; Strengthen me according to Your word.
[Deuteronomy 31:8 NKJV] 8 "And the LORD, He [is] the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."
[Psalm 23:4 NKJV] 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You [are] with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
[Psalm 46:1-2 NKJV] 1 To the Chief Musician. [A Psalm] of the sons of Korah. A Song for Alamoth. God [is] our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
[Isaiah 41:10 NKJV] 10 Fear not, for I [am] with you; Be not dismayed, for I [am] your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'
[Psalm 34:18 NKJV] 18 The LORD [is] near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
[Psalm 147:3 NKJV] 3 He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.
[Isaiah 66:13 NKJV] 13 As one whom his mother comforts, So I will comfort you; And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem."
[Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV] 28 "Come to Me, all [you] who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 "For My yoke [is] easy and My burden is light."
[1 Peter 5:7 NKJV] 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
[Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV] 22 [Through] the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 [They are] new every morning; Great [is] Your faithfulness.
This should be enough to start with, but be assured, this is only a TINY fraction of the passages available. These verses show us God does care. He allows for us to go through suffering because:
1) There is a consequence for sin (and we are all sinners). Making us realize we need a redeemer from sin.
2) Through suffering, He shows Himself as loving, merciful, and gracious (look at Samaritan's Purse. They are a Christian Ministry, reaching out with God's love, compassion, and mercy to complete strangers! That is God showing love through trials).
3) He uses the hard times to teach us about Himself (for hardships and this lesson, look at the Old Testament book of Job!).
4) Lastly, He allows the hardships to remind us we are looking for a coming day when all will be made right and perfect (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). We should not desire for this life only, but for the eternal life. For those who have accepted Jesus, His strength helps us through these darkest of times. For those who are not saved, He extends His peace, mercy, and love THROUGH the storm.
We cannot blame God for something our sinful free will brings. But we can praise God that He offers us so many promises and comfort that help us through. He truly is there, with us, in the midst of the storms of life. No other god is like Him.
So, we grieve with the hurting, pray for those affected, minister and reach out as the body of Christ, and in all things, know that we do serve a loving God.
Some further readings on hurt and God:
https://blogs.bible.org/if-god-is-so-good-why-does-he-let-me-hurt/
https://bible.org/article/value-suffering
https://bible.org/article/why-there-suffering
And a great broad search with hundreds of other articles: