Why Does God Allow Suffering?

Despite doctors’ differing opinions, the controversies and conspiracy theories, and the differing stories fed us by our governments and media, we can all agree on one thing: because of COVID-19, many people are suffering.

For many, their suffering is caused directly by the virus. They’ve lost friends and family to it, or have seen their loved ones get ill, or have contracted the virus themselves.

For many, their suffering is caused indirectly by the virus. They’ve lost jobs, had to postpone weddings, weren’t able to attend funerals, had graduations canceled, because of government policies enacted in response to the virus.

For most of us on this earth, our lives have been affected in some way, ranging from inconveniences to devastation.

There’s an old question, asked by many before, and I’m sure many are asking it even as I type these words. It’s a question which many people, not getting the answer they want, have used as an excuse to turn away from God, or doubt His existence in the first place. I confess, it’s a difficult question, and the answer is difficult to accept.

If God is good, why does He allow suffering?

The reason there is suffering in the world is ultimately because of sin, but it’s not just one group’s sin or one kind of sin. It’s my sins, and your sins, the world’s sins. Sin was what spoiled our perfect world and allowed evil into it, first through Adam and Eve, with the sin nature living on in each of us. Because sin allowed evil into this world, naturally there is going to be suffering. All of creation was affected by man’s fall into depravity, and it will not be healed until Jesus renews the world (Romans 8:18-23).

But why doesn’t God stop it? Isn’t He good, all-powerful? Why doesn’t He stop this suffering?

The author of Psalm 119 had an interesting take on suffering. “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees” (Psalm 119:71, NIV).

We don’t know who the author was, although there’s been much conjecture. We’re not even sure what was going on when the psalm was written. But the author was suffering (Psalm 119: 25, 28, 50, 81-83, 143). He talks of being taunted and mocked, his name and character defamed, of being wronged, persecuted, that his enemies were trying to remove him from existence, that they were trying to entrap him (Psalm 119:23, 42, 51, 69, 78, 85-87, 110, 134, 157, 161). He talks of suffering in body (Psalm 119:81-83). The words “suffering” and “afflicted” are used seven times (Psalm 119:50, 67, 71, 75, 92, 107, 153).

And yet in the midst of that, he declared his suffering good. He wasn’t a masochist. He begged for deliverance and help, for mercy (Psalm 119:107,116, 121-122, 132, 134, 145-149, 153-154, 156, 159, 169-176). He sought God’s action on those doing wrong, asked for his enemies to be punished (Psalm 119:21-22, 78, 84, 126).

But he believed that even though this suffering wasn’t enjoyable, that the actual actions which caused the pain were evil, it was ultimately good that he did suffer so he could learn more about God and His commands, that his afflictions brought him back to God (Psalm 119:67, NIV). He declared that, “I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me” (Psalm 119:75, NIV).

What are we supposed to make of this? Suffering has more than one cause. We can’t deny our suffering is sometimes because of sin in our lives. But ultimately, even though we may suffer because of evil deeds, even though we will suffer because of things like viruses in a fallen world, suffering is used by God for good (Romans 8:28).

Despite what he was going through, even though he still hadn’t been delivered, even though he still suffered, the Psalmist’s faith caused him to declare: “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” (Psalm 119:50, NIV).

God allows us to suffer, but He doesn’t abandon us. Even though our pain is great, and it seems bleak, He stays with us. When we are suffering, when our world is crumbling around us, we have two choices.

We can turn away from God, become bitter, reject Him and allow worry and fear to rule us.

Or we can trust Him, cling to Him, and be strengthened by Him.

That is my prayer in the midst of this crisis. That people would turn to God. That our faith would be strengthened. That we wouldn’t believe the devil’s lies.

That we would remember that God preserves our life. Our eternal life, the one we were given when we turned to Jesus as Lord and repented. No virus, no suffering, can take that away.