God has the power to prevent suffering and calamity–so why does He allow it? Dr. Charles Stanley offers a biblical answer to this question. In Touch Ministries, 2009.

this is a very interesting question and

one that people have asked down through

the centuries and they will ask until

Jesus comes why does God allow evil pain

and suffering when he has the power to

prevent it well think about a world

without choice that wouldn’t be any life

at all and the fact that you and I have

a choice in life means that we have a

choice to do the right thing or the

wrong thing and oftentimes suffering

comes with the freedom to choose if I

choose what is good for me does that

mean I will never have something No if I

choose what is wrong for me will I

always have suffering most of the time

and eventually yes and so what happens

is this when we have suffering in pain

one of the reasons that God has allowed

that is to reveal to us the consequences

of sin if you and I could sin against

God this obey Him and there’s no pain no

suffering because of our fallen nature

we would just keep on doing the same

thing so we have choices we have freedom

to choose but when we choose those

things that are disobedient to God we’re

going to suffer the consequences one of

the reasons he has allowed pain and

suffering is for our own protection

think about it this way it also alerts

us to danger suppose there were no pain

and no suffering let’s say for example

that you broke your kneecap you tore the

ligaments and you tore the cartilage and

there was no pain imagine what kind of

condition you would be in very shortly

so all pain and all suffering is not bad

pain and suffering are here for a reason

and one of those reasons is to alert us

the danger then of course is it not true

that suffering in pain reveals who we

are because it’s one thing to rejoice

and to be happy go-lucky or whatever it

might be

whenever things going away how do we

respond when things are not going away

how do we respond when we are sick how

do we respond when we are confined where

we don’t like being confined in the bed

and especially if your person who loves

the outdoors and you’re up and at them

and you have lots of energy and all of a

sudden you don’t have any what’s going

on why does God allow these things to

happen in our life well one of the

reasons is we find out who we are we

think we are strong we think we are

patient we think we have everything I

control and all of a sudden you’re lying

there there’s awful pain and your

suffering and you don’t have a solution

you don’t have an answer and what

happens we recognize and need of God

Paul was dealing with the same situation

remember what he said he said here’s

what he discovered in his pain and

suffering that God would not remove he

said he discovered the sufficiency of

the grace of God when God said to him my

grace is sufficient there’s some things

you and I are going to learn in the

midst of suffering and pain we’re not

going to learn any other way I mean some

of the most powerful lessons in my own

life have been the result of coming to

the end of myself and recognizing God if

you don’t help me I don’t have any

solution drives us to God and you say

well that’s not love oh yes it is

anything that drives you and me to God

is good for us and what Paul said in the

midst of this suffering that God would

not remove he discovered something about

himself he does have something about God

and he said now he could rejoice of the

very thing that was causing him pain

because of what he learned because of

the Freedom and the Liberty that he

began to experience as a result of that

and what did God do as a result of that

pain and suffering in his life it

equipped him to help others and I can

look back in my own life again and Raw’s

the things that I’ve been through that

have caused me the most difficulty the

most painful and the times of greatest

suffering have equipped me as a pastor

to help other people who were going

through the same thing people said to me

for example well I usually couldn’t

watch you you still couldn’t listen to

you because I thought what do you know

about hurt and pain and suffering and

loneliness and all the rest you don’t

know anything about

that now I can listen to you now I can

watch and know that you’re speaking out

of experience not having read a book

there’s something about experiencing

difficulty hardship and pain that equips

us to do what to help others and also we

discover the awesome power of God to

comfort us then of course naturally

draws us to himself and I say again to

you anything that draws me to God is

good to me whether I like it or not and

of course pain and suffering causes us

to consider eternity there’s a life

beyond this one and I would simply ask

you this question are you focusing more

about why God does this then you are

Lord what are you saying to me in this

what do you want to change in my life

what do you want to do in me and through

me that this pain in this suffering is a

part of the preparation will remember

this pain and suffering will either make

us better or the wrong response

it’ll make you bitter and you do not

want that in your life remember God has

a purpose he didn’t say I’d understand

it he does have a purpose and he’ll turn

it for your good if you will respond in

a matter of Thanksgiving and praise even

though you don’t understand it that’s

not the issue

he didn’t say understand it he says

trust him and he’ll turn it to your good

well that’s all the time we have for

today and remember God could use your

email questions to encourage someone

else right there you’re paying your

heart ache your questions your doubt

your fears become a catalyst to a

question that answers the issues and the

lives of other people and God use you to

do it so keep sending them and I look

forward to hearing from you again next

week and thanks for joining us today on

InTouch and until next week obey God

leave all the consequences to him

because that’s living life and it’s very

best and that’s the life he has prepared

for you no matter what you’re going

through today his best is his choice