Why is there Pain and Suffering?
Perhaps the one question that has threatened the faith of the most faithful and kept the unbeliever running away from God is why is there suffering? Just open your news app and plastered on your phone’s screen are story after story of unbearable pain, brokenness and suffering in both our local community and the world abroad. When that hurt finds its way into our own story, that one question becomes even more visceral - Why?
Suffering was never the design when it came to God’s plan. He created a world in which beauty and perfection existed, where pain was unknown. Yet, because He chose to give His creation free will, suffering entered our world when the lure of sin enticed humanity away from the pain free existence they were made for.
As we think about the why in suffering, we can really be asking who. Who is responsible for my hurt? Who is the perpetrator of my pain?
And while there can be many contributing factors when is comes to our ache, there are four main culprits of pain that we need to recognize in light of our suffering to help us better understand the why of it all:
1. My Own Sin:
Sometimes our pain is the direct result of our own choices that have led to heartbreak in our lives. Our heart’s tendency towards choosing the lesser things of this world instead of God as our source of comfort and sense of value can lead to sinful and unwise decisions that usher in a world of hurt. Few of us have anyone else in our lives that have hurt us, betrayed us, or lied to us more than we have to ourselves.
2. Someone Else’s Sin:
Other times, it is not our own sin, but rather the sinful choices of someone in our lives that can make our world come crashing down. It can be the unfaithfulness of a spouse, the addiction of a parent, or senseless violence of a stranger towards those we love that can lead us to a season of unrelenting pain.
3. Spiritual Attack:
We have an enemy whose main battle plan is to steal, kill and destroy anything good in our lives. While much of our suffering is the result of the choices of people in the physical world, some suffering can come from attacks in the spiritual realm. Satan loves nothing more than to threaten our faith with his arrows of hurt and use the wedge of doubt to gain a foothold in our lives.
4. Living in a Fallen, Broken World:
Much of our pain is due to the fact we live in a broken and fallen world. Bodies are no longer perfect as they once were in the garden before the fall and now diseases such as cancer can cause our hearts to shatter and long for something more than the brokenness of this place.
While pain always has a perpetrator, it also has a purpose. God’s invitation is for us to partner with Him in bringing healing to the fallen nature of this world and help make things right again. The most important thing to remember when it comes to suffering is that it is only temporary. For those of us who have a new life in Christ Jesus, these heartaches we endure this side of heaven are not going to be our eternal experience.
The Apostle Paul reminds us that suffering is not going to last forever and by setting our eyes beyond our pain, we will find hope that outlasts every ache we face:
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV)”
If you find yourself wrestling with the why of suffering and coming to the realization that you may not fully understand it here, know this, no matter what: your pain has a purpose. Ask the Lord to help you find it as He tends to your wounds and helps you put together the pieces of your broken heart.
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