If God's so good, why's there so much pain?

One of questions I get asked most frequently when talking to people is "If God is so good and loving, and He's all powerful and knows everything, why is there so much pain and suffering in the world?"

If God really loves us and cares for us why doesn't He stop the bad stuff happening? What sort of father would just sit back and watch as their child got badly hurt without trying to do something to stop it?

It's a very fair question and one, unfortunately, which has drawn either a very trite, patronising answer from Christians in many cases or else a dismissive and uncaring answer. Neither accurately reflect God the Father, and they often compound the questioners doubts or hurts.


So why does God allow both natural and personal disasters to happen if He loves us so much? I'm going to try and answer that from a biblical viewpoint in a way that gives a real answer to very real pain. It's impossible to give a short answer to a complex question, but I'll try to be as succinct as I can.

The bible tells us that God created the world and it that it was good. There was no pain, to disasters, no violence, no suffering. That’s the way God intended it to be and man and woman lived in harmony with each other, their environment and with God. God had placed mankind in a garden with the instruction to spread out and subdue the earth (Gen 1:28). Subdue what? If Adam and Eve were the only people on the earth at that time, what were they to subdue? Inside the garden, up to that point, God ruled. Outside it, the devil ruled. The prophet Isaiah (14:12) speaks of the devil being cast out of heaven for opposing God, and being cast down to the earth. The devils sole purpose is to destroy everything that God has made and takes pleasure in. Therefore God's creation is number one in the devils firing line.

The devil approached Eve and created doubt about God's character. (Gen 3:1 - 4) "Did God really say 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?".........."You will not surely die"......"God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God". The father of lies speaks his native language (Jn 8:44) as he questions the goodness of God's character and says God is a killjoy and the only reason he doesn't want you to do that is to prevent you knowing things that only He knows. The devil appeals to human pride and desire for knowledge and Eve is deceived into disobeying God.

Now the bit that explains why this is all relevant to the original question. When we disagree with God and oppose Him, by default we are coming into agreement with the devil and what he wants, and when we do that we give him authority in our lives. Hence, when Adam and Eve agreed with the devil and did what he wanted, his ways of death, pain and discord entered the world.

The devil is regularly referred to as the 'prince of this world' (Jn 12:31, Jn 14:30, Jn 16:11) because mans agreement with him has given him authority in this world. When Jesus was tempted by the devil (Matt 4:8-10) and the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world saying he would give them to Jesus if he would bow down and worship him, Jesus did not contest the devils right to offer all the kingdoms of the world, he simply refused to bow to the devils bait.

The very real stuff which mess up peoples lives, whether caused by natural disasters or the badness of other people, happen because the devil loves to mess up God's creation and he has the authority to do it, because humans have given him that authority by coming into agreement with him in opposition to God.

But he's even more scurrilous than that! Not only does he take deep pleasure from destroying peoples lives, but his pleasure meter goes off the scale when he can continue his lies and deception to get us to blame God for what has happened. Why, for example, does the insurance industry call a natural disaster like an earthquake an "act of God" and not an "act of the devil"? Because the devil continues to play the same two cards he's played since the very beginning of time, sowing doubt about God's character and then bringing deception. He says "How can God be good if this happened to you?", "He can't be good, He mustn't care" or "maybe He does care, He just can't do anything about it"

God does care and He did do something about it. He cared so much that He sent His own son to take our punishment for breaking His own laws. Now that the debt we owed has been paid, our relationship with God can be restored and with it our authority to subdue the devils kingdom.

Jesus instruction to us in Matt 10:7-8 was preach that God's kingdom is near, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy and drive out demons. Our mandate is to execute God's judgement on the devils kingdom, by reversing what he loves to do, messing up God's creating.

The sad reality is that so few of us Christians have actually lived this, that we too have compounded the devils deception. Hurting people have the devil telling them God can't or won’t help them and Christians, who should know better, not exercising the authority they have been given as sons and daughters God to heal, restore and set free. Is it any wonder Rom 8:19 tells us all creation groans, like a mother in labour, waiting for the sons of God to be revealed?

The world is crying out in pain waiting for help, while God's sons and daughters, as those he has delegated to bring healing, restoration and freedom, look from one to the other wondering who is going to take the first step. It is time for God's children across the world to stand up, apologise to a hurting world that we didn't help sooner and get down and dirty telling people God's kingdom is close by, healing the sick, raising the dead, setting those who are oppressed mentally and physically free and drawing in the outcast and marginalised. Then people will know that it is the devil who brings pain and suffering but the loving Father who protects, heals, restores and sets free.

Jesus said (Jn 10:10) "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full."

Relationship not religion.

God our father longs for relationship with us not religion. He's not interested in mechanical observation of rules. In fact He hates religion so much that Jesus compared religious people to tombs. All painted and pretty on the outside and stinking like a rotten corpse on the inside!

Jesus' story commonly known as the Prodigal son is actually the story of two sons. One is the more famous one who went off and got in a mess, but given the original audience it's more like Jesus was emphasising the usually forgotten older brother.

Outwardly, the older brother was the model son, obedient, respectful, hardworking, but inside he was riddled with cancerous religion. When his brother comes home and is welcomed back by their father with open arms and a party thrown to celebrate, he chucks a complete 'hissy fit', stamps his feet like a two year old and all the toys exit the pram at high speed. You can almost hear the righteous indignation in his voice as Jesus tells the story. "Your son, who has squandered your money on prostitutes". He spits the words out with disgust from the safe place of the moral high ground. Is there anything more indignant than a religious person on the moral high ground, observing the low-life around them?

The incredibly sad thing is that the older brother was as far relationally from his father as the younger brother. Despite his close physical proximity to the father, he never knew him. He can't have or he'd have known his fathers pain at losing his son, and then been delighted for his father when the son returned. He can't have or he'd have been amazed at his fathers graciousness and generosity in recieving his son back and he'd have loved him more.

The older brother is a picture of what religion offers. Obedience without relationship. Going through the motions, with a festering boil of resentment waiting to explode at the unfairness of it all. Father God longs for relationship, for us to know his love and to love him in return. Funny thing is obedience follows naturally when we love him. Jesus said "If you love me you will obey me"(Jn 14:15) This is not a manipulative ultimatum but a statement of fact. Religion says obey, Jesus says love.

God bless you,
Enjoy soaking in the Fathers love

Thanking Great Dads

Sunday was Father's Day so a few mates and I BBQed a load of sausages and handed out free Hot Dog rolls on the street to thank great dads. For some reason, most of the publicity about dads in the media is negative, even most fathers day cards seem to contain a little barb, but we decided to do the opposite. Why did we do it? After all, it doesn't take much observation to see that not all dads are great.
Well, even the worst father, reflects God our Father, at a most basic level. Even if the only positive involvement a man has in a childs life is to provide sperm, he is still reflecting God by creating life. Obviously, the more loving, giving, protecting and affirming a father is the more accurately he reflects the one perfect Father.
Somehow, if you keep telling dads for long enough, that they're rubbish, they'll believe it and live it. Give a dog a bad name and he'll wear it, I believe the expression is. We went out to do the opposite, tell dads they're great, they're doing a great job and by speaking life over them and affirming them, just the way Father God does, they begin to become more like our perfect Father.
That perfect Father loves and loves and loves and keeps on loving. No matter what we've done, no matter where we've been, we've never gone too far, or done too much. His love never fails, ever! In the bible when God chose to describe himself the first words He said were 'full of mercy and grace, slow to get angry, overflowing with love and faithfulness' (Exodus 34:6) That's the first thing He wants us to know about Him. He doesn't treat us as we deserve to be treated, he is slow to get angry and he never lets us down. No matter what you've done, He still loves you passionately and is waiting for you to reach out to Him.

Have a listen to this song that describes His love for you.



Have a great week,
the Father's love on you

Welcome

Hi,
Welcome to the 'Who's your Daddy?' campaign.
Hopefully you've enjoyed the video's and they've prompted questions and a need to know more.
The purpose of this blog is for you to comment on what you've seen and heard and for me to answer some questions.

God bless you,