by Chris Steele

January 21, 2007

Tragedy and suffering come to all of us at different times in our lives. It comes to the wealthy and the poor; to the young and old alike; to Christians who are trying to live a righteous life and to those who could care less about God’s will. You see, being a Christian doesn’t guarantee that we will not face the difficulties of pain and disease, or that we will not suffer tragedy and loss as others do. Job, who demonstrated this very truth, said, “Man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble...his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn” (Job 14:1, 22).

Whenever we or our loved ones suffer, one of the first things we do is ask, “Why?” We may question God’s involvement in our lives. Some even blame him for their problems. Are these things from God? What is the purpose of our pain? These questions are difficult to sort out at times, but if we do not get some scriptural answers, we could become discouraged, bitter, and even lose our faith.

God’s ideal was found in Eden. All that he created was good. There was no pain, or suffering, or disease of any kind. Death was unknown in this perfect place. So what happened? Because of sin the earth was cursed, bringing in the problem of suffering. But this is not God’s final word on the matter. Even in our sin, he loved us so much that he gave his only begotten Son, to suffer and die for our sins that we might see paradise again when this life is over (John 3:16). Remember, “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

When we are facing tragedy and sorrow, and pain and anguish are weighing heavy upon us or those we love, remember that these things are only temporary. Pain and suffering help us to evaluate our spiritual condition, to see the deeper meaning of life, and focus on the things that are really important (2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Philippians 4:11-13).