"Why is there suffering? That
proves there is no ‘loving’ God."
Study the soil for
a moment. It naturally produces weeds. No one plants
them; no one waters them. They even stubbornly push
through cracks of a dry sidewalk. Millions of useless
weeds sprout like there’s no tomorrow, strangling
our crops and ruining our lawns. Pull them out by the
roots, and there will be more tomorrow. They are nothing
but a curse!
Consider how much
of the earth is uninhabitable. There are millions of
square miles of barren deserts in Africa and other parts
of the world. Most of Australia is nothing but miles
and miles of useless desolate land. Not only that, but
the earth is constantly shaken with massive earthquakes.
Its shores are lashed with hurricanes; tornadoes rip
through creation with incredible fury; devastating floods
soak the land; and terrible droughts parch the soil.
Sharks, tigers, lions, snakes, spiders, and disease-carrying
mosquitoes attack humanity and suck its life’s
blood.
The earth’s inhabitants are afflicted with disease,
pain, suffering, and death. Think of how many people
are plagued with cancer, Alzheimer’s, multiple
sclerosis, heart disease, emphysema, Parkinson’s,
and a number of other debilitating illnesses. Consider
all the children with leukemia, or people born with
crippling diseases or without the mental capability
to even feed themselves. All these things should convince
thinking minds that something is radically wrong. Did
God blow it when He created humanity? What sort of tyrant
must our Creator be if this was His master plan?
Sadly, many use the issue
of suffering as an excuse to reject any thought of God,
when its existence is the very reason we should accept
Him. Suffering stands as terrible testimony to the truth
of the explanation given by the Word of God. But how
can we know that the Bible is true? Simply by studying
the prophecies of Matthew 24, Luke 21, and 2 Timothy
3. A few minutes of openhearted inspection will convince
any honest skeptic that this is no ordinary book. It
is the supernatural testament of our Creator about why
there is suffering...and what we can do about it.
The Bible tells us that
God cursed the earth because of Adam’s transgression.
Weeds are a curse. So is disease. Sin and suffering
cannot be separated. The Scriptures inform us that we
live in a fallen creation. In the beginning, God created
man perfect, and he lived in a perfect world without
suffering. It was heaven on earth. When sin came into
the world, death and misery came with it. Those who
understand the message of Holy Scripture eagerly await
a new heaven and a new earth "wherein dwells righteous-ness."
In that coming Kingdom there will be no more pain, suffering,
disease, or death. We are told that no eye has ever
seen, nor has any ear heard, neither has any man’s
mind ever imagined the wonderful things that God has
in store for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Think for a moment what
it would be like if food grew with the fervor of weeds.
Consider how wonderful it would be if the deserts became
incredibly fertile, if creation stopped devouring humanity.
Imagine if the weather worked for us instead of against
us, if disease completely disappeared, if pain was a
thing of the past, if death was no more.
The dilemma is that we are
like a child whose insatiable appetite for chocolate
has caused his face to break out with ugly sores. He
looks in the mirror and sees a sight that makes him
depressed. But instead of giving up his beloved chocolate,
he consoles himself by stuffing more into his mouth.
Yet, the source of his pleasure is actually the cause
of his suffering. The whole face of the earth is nothing
but ugly sores of suffering. Everywhere we look we see
unspeakable pain. But instead of believing God’s
explanation and asking Him to forgive us and change
our appetite, we run deeper into sin’s sweet embrace.
There we find solace in its temporal pleasures, thus
intensifying our pain, both in this life and in the
life to come.
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