Why do people Suffer? Why doesn't God do anything about it it seems?

[Lik3]

This is a question we all ask God, but not in so many words. Even the most devout Christians I'm sure ask this question. Why do you allow this to happen? Why are so many innocent people dying? Why are the good suffering and the bad are getting away with it? Why God Why?

Understandably, we all ask these questions, but it's not God's fault. God allows bad things to happen for a number of reasons. God could be testing us, strengthening us, or even helping us to face our fears. I don't have all the answers, and I'm certainly not him. Consider Job, a devout man who lost all his children, his servants, his health, and his wealth. The Book of Job better explains why God allow bad things to happen. Unlike so many of us, Job never turned his back on God, nor did he blaspheme Him. But He did have questions for God, which the Father answered.

Some of you reading this may be asking, then who is to blame for all of our problems. The best way I can answer this is this. In that very same book, God allowed Satan to afflict Job, who wants to destroy us. Satan is "like a walking lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5). Have you ever noticed that no one ever questioned whether or not Satan exists or that he may be the very one who is causing all of this. However, we as humans are not totally innocent. God has given us choices; we can choose to be either part of the problem or part of the solution.

Being a part of the solution is knowing that there is hope out there and His name is Jesus. Jesus is not some Man who taught us God's word, though He did do that. Jesus is God Himself. He is God the Son and God in the Flesh, but most of all, He is God the Savior. With Him, all things are possible. Romans 8 says, that trials of this world is nothing compared to the "glory that shall be revealed in us." There is so much hatred and bitterness and unforgiveness. Consider the fact that there are some much less fortunate than you and many of them actually believe in God or are Christians. I'm sure many of them questioned God or wanted to, but in the end, they did not. They had hope. They knew things would be better.

If you want to know about the Hope, the Risesn Lord and Savior, or are not sure, I ask that you pray this prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe that you are the Hope for our world. I have often questioned you and I want to know the truth about you and your world. I want to know that you are there for me and that you will always be there for me. Save me.. I confess that you are my Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me, in Jesus' name, Amen."

 

[LastSeven]

To answer the question, why does God allow pain and suffering, we have to answer the question, why are we here?

Quite simply God created us because he wanted to love and be loved, but in order to receive true love he knew he had to create us with a free will. Without a free will we could never choose to love God and God could never receive true love from us, his children.

Unfortunately because of this same free will, people are able to make bad choices. This is why we have pain and suffering. For the most part I believe God does not interfere with the lives of men, except when necessary to further his kingdom.

Even more unfortunate is how many people either blame God for our pain and suffering in this world or believe that therefore there must be no God. This same attitude is reflected in society in general. Nobody taking responsibility for their own actions but always blaming a higher power, whether it be God, the government, the police, the parents.

 

[1watchman]

Lik, you spoke good thoughts from the Word. As to the fundamental question about why there is suffering, let us be reminded that mankind is born in sin and has an incurable malady of sin (see Genesis). Salvation is not a prevention, but forgiveness through and in Christ; and it is the gift of "...a new creation by the "new birth", though we still sin. One who receives God's beloved Son receives the Holy Spirit and is "sealed" forever in the family of God as a "child of God". Look up always!

 

[Emmy]

Dear LastSeven. Thank you for your Message, and I could not agree more.
God is Love and God made us in His image. We live in an imperfect World, and God had made everything GOOD. But because God Loves us and wants
our Love, God has given us free will to choose whether we want to follow God`s Loving Advice to us, or go our own way.
Jesus tells us straightforward: " The first and great Commandment is:
Love God with all your hearts, with all your souls, and with all your minds.
The second is like it: Love your neighbour as you love yourselves. Then Jesus
points out this great fact: " On these two Commandments hang all the Law
and the Prophets." What could be more easy to remember, or to try and follow? In Luke 10: 25-28: Jesus tells the Lawyer there: " Do this, and you will live." Jesus will give us His Love and Joy, and the Holy Spirit will empower us with His Love, also. Jesus told us: " Ask and ye shall receive."
( Matthew 7: 7-10) We ask God for Love and Joy, then we thank God, and share all with our neighbour: all around us, all we know and all we meet, friends and not friends. We keep asking God and thanking God, then share all with our neighbour. We might stumble and forget at times, but then we ask God to forgive us, and carry on Loving and Caring.
Love is a Christian`s great weapon, with love we will overcome all enmity and wrong behaviour. I say this with love, LastSeven. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[trulyconverted]

This is a question we all ask God, but not in so many words. Even the most devout Christians I'm sure ask this question. Why do you allow this to happen? Why are so many innocent people dying? Why are the good suffering and the bad are getting away with it? Why God Why?

I think my answer to this is... I don't know why. But God knows why. And God knows what He is doing.

I think everybody suffers in different degrees. There is a purpose for everything - sometimes God allows us to see what the purpose is and sometimes He doesn't.

 

[LastSeven]

Only if God planned all our actions and controlled all our choices could there be a purpose for everything. But God is not a puppeteer controlling our every move, therefore there can be no purpose for the choices we make, except the fulfillment of free will.

Even people born with disease or deformities are not born that way because God wanted them to be. They are born that way because of the prenatal environment of the mother or the environment of ancestors down the line who passed on bad genes to their offspring.

A car accident is not a result of God's purpose, but a result of the driver's decision to drive and the city's decision to build a road and the decisions of various companies to build car stereos, GPS systems, cell phones, traffic lights, asphalt etc. Put all that together with naturally occurring random weather conditions and the human mind's propensity to be easily distracted and lacking super human reflexes and BOOM, you've got a car accident, not a purpose.

Most of our lives are results of choices we make, choices others make around us and choices societies have made that have shaped the environments we live in.

One of the few bad things in life that does have a purpose is the decay of our flesh as we age, and the purpose of that is to limit our time on earth in order that we may be motivated to search for meaning and truth and choose our God.

God has the power to heal and to interfere in any bad situation, but if it doesn't glorify Him, why would he do it? A more likely response from God is to provide a mechanism whereby any bad situation provides an opportunity to further the kingdom. And that is in fact what it's all about.

 

[RickardoHolmes]

This is, of course, not a new question, but one which mankind has been asking himself since ancient times. Countless theologians, philosophers and prophets ahve addressed this, and yet still no one can come to an agreement or an understanding.

Humans often make the mistake of blaming God for causing their suffering, or allowing it, when in fact, suffering is a human invention. Man's problems are created by man.....through greed, anger, jealousy, hatred. Man's suffering is a direct result of man's actions. When humans make the choice to suffer, we do it well, and then blame God for not fixing problems we in fact caused ourselves.

Our choices, each of our own choices, leads us to the consequences around us. When we choose self-destructive lifestyles, such as materialism, or addiction for example, we are setting ourselves up to suffer. And suffer we will, the only relief coming when we make our own choices to change our lives for the focus of Love and not hate, be it ourselves or others.
Amen.

 

[Another Lazarus]

This is why christians suffer in this world :

Mark 8 :34 Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

This cross is the lust of flesh and blood and the arrogancy of heart.

HalleluYah
God Bless

 

[Emmy]

Dear Lik3. We all know God`s eternal Law: " What ye sow ye will also reap."
That is straightforward, and it is God`s Way of teaching us. If we follow God`s Loving advice, Commandments, we will be blessed and have rewards,
if we ignore, or even go against God Loving advice, we will suffer consequences. Jesus also tells us to " ask and receive," ( Matthew 7: 7-10)
and we have time to keep asking God for Forgiveness and Help, but we must " Ask for it," God will not interfere if God is not asked to. We are told : " ask and ye shall be answered, knock and the door shall be opened to you." God Loves us and God wants our best, Lik.
There might be other reasons why we suffer, but we can be sure that God wants our BEST, God is Love and God wants loving children/sons and daughters, but God wants our Love freely given, and NO conditions tagged on. We might stumble and often forget, but then we ask God to forgive us and carry on Loving and caring. Jesus our Saviour will help and guide us:
JESUS IS THE WAY, and with God on our side, who or what could be against us? Love and Obey, is the very best way. I say this with love, Lik.
Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[CalebTumanako]

I see it like this -

God created man
Man sinned
The universe fell thus allowing bad, suffering to exist in the world hence why people suffer
We usually suffer from our own choices or because God allows the Devil to "refine" us - the way I see it as in the book of Job
It's a cosmic war between good and evil, an invisible world full of powers and principalities - God sends the lightning from here to there, orders are set up to keep the universe in motion unfortunately one third of the angels decided to go their own way leading to consequences that affect us in the physical realm while a cosmic debt still had to be paid for
God sends Jesus Christ to die for our sins - ultimately conquering death on the cross as he was sinless, he died on the cross for us and since he was sinless, all the authority was stripped from the Devil who took it by means of deception, Christ did it by means of redemption
Satan asks God to attack Christians but he is ultimately now powerless unless God gives him the permission to attack (Job)
Things and questions and answers to as why - well, we're too limited to know

But I believe those who have suffered in this life, will no doubt be carried by Christ into eternity (Lazarus and the Rich Man)

Faith undoes all the works of the Devil

Faith is key.

 

[timf]

Here are some observations about suffering that may be helpful;

Christian Pioneer - Why Does God Allow Sufferung