QUESTION: Why is there so much suffering in the world? How can those who suffer be assured that God is with them? How can they be helped or led out of their problems?

ANSWER: Some try to blame God for the suffering that is in the world. Certainly, this is not the case, since God is love (I John 4:8) and He loves the world (John 3:16). This love was shown in the creation and by the fact that He created us with the freedom to make our own choices. The reason for suffering in the world today is because man has made the wrong choices. When we make the choice to engage in sin, we must personally suffer the consequences. Many times the consequences of sin affect others not directly involved in the sin. Though not held accountable for the sin they, nonetheless, feel and suffer the consequences of that sin. For example, a drunken father spends the family’s livelihood on alcohol: the wife and children, though not guilty of the sin, will suffer because of the sin. This same principle also affects nations and peoples. There are dire consequences when God is rejected! God warned that such would be the case (Exodus 20:5-6). Clearly, the reason for much of the suffering in the world today is either because of our sins, or the sins of those who lived before us.

The only way people can be assured that God is with them is through obedient acceptance of His Word. Though we must often suffer in this life, we can, in that suffering, have the “peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:6-8) realizing that we are only sojourners in this world, and that we (as faithful Christians) have a future in “a city which hath foundation, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). The greatest thing we can do for anyone is to prepare him or her for this city by teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. It goes with out saying that each of us, as well, have the responsibility of providing physical relief to the suffering within our capability and in accordance with God’swill (Galatians 6:10).