Heavenian asked,
Why do people suffer?
Let your answer comes from the Word of GOD.
Thanks.
JESUS is LORD..
Just like the question above, I have heard people ask, if God is in control of the Universe, why are there so much chaos in the world? why so much suffering?
1. The chaos, pain and sufferings are man made and God has nothing to do with them than to ensure that man's wickedness does not disrupt the equilibrium of the universe which he created for the collective good of all. The chaos are as a result of man's failure to walk with God in righteousness and allow him guide his feet to peace. God gave man a choice --- to choose between life and death and man chose death by committing evil continually and walking away from the life of peace and harmony which he can only have in God. His pride, greed and covetousness drives him to monstrous outcomes. The scripture says that evil shall slay the wicked and the wicked is snared in the works of their hands (Psalm 34:21, 19:16). Therefore these sufferings exist in part for the wicked to reap what they have sown. They sow evil, they reap same evil.
I watched a viral video involving a Barber and one of his customers which gives more insight to this discourse. Their conversation went thus:
Barber --- I do not believe God exists
Customer---- why do you say so?
Barber ---- God does not exist, that is why everywhere you go, you realize that there are so many people in pain, so many people suffering. If God really exist, why does he allow these things to happen?
The customer stepped out of the barber shop and came back with a man with a very long hair and their conversation continued
Customer ---- I do not believe barbers exist.
Barber --- why do you say that?
Customer-----if barbers exist, men will not go about with long hair hanging on their shoulders.
Barber ------ they have long hair because they refuse to go to the barber to cut their hair. it is their choice.
Customer ---- in the same way people suffer and are in pain because they refuse to go to God to have peace. It is their choice. Some fail to understand and obey the word of God.
Barber -- could not utter another word because he understood clearly the analogy of his customer.
We wonder what is happening to our earth environment. We hear about climate change - ozone depletion and ozone hole and other unexpected natural catastrophes brought about by the activities of mankind. Today, Nations go overboard to compete with one another and waste enormous resources on Space Programs, Nuclear and chemical weapons while our immediate environment weeps for attention and care. There are pollution everywhere. Soon, the rich will plan their vacations to Space and probably wish one day to relocate there permanently to escape the pollution and "enjoy" life, all at the expense of our environment and its poor inhabitants. We celebrate ostentatious living, ill -gotten wealth and power, ostracism, racism, inequality to mention but a few and close our eyes and ears to the plight of the poor. There are pollution from idols set up in our hearts and evil works everywhere which put stumbling blocks in our face.
The society in ignorance gives its consent and approve of these doings with its members reveling in the ego of being the richest and most powerful nations or among the clique of the richest persons in the world. Some who oppose do so not necessarily for godly purposes but for the sake of party affiliations or allegiance to a particular clique or group to the detriment of the others. They affiliate themselves only where it will benefit them, having men''s persons in admiration because of advantage. The few good ones tend to loose their voices in a society where there is no principled leadership or social cohesion. These atrocities go on from generation to generation and the woes continue to occur from generation to generation. We ask, where is God? Why should God allow these to occur? Why do we suffer? Man has a duty of care to the earth environment which God handed over to us as our abode. As we lay our bed, we shall lie on it. God continues to ensure that man''s inhumanity to man and to the earth environment does not destroy the collective good of all and overall system he has put in place.
The Lord said, woe unto you for you build the sepulchers of the prophets and your fathers killed them. Truly you bear witness that you allow the deeds of your fathers for they indeed killed them and you build their sepulchers. Therefore, said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles and some of them they shall slay and persecute that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation. So, when we allow the atrocities of others either by encouragement, outright support, utterances, actions, even thoughts , no matter how subtle these may be, we will partake in the consequences of such atrocities. We will be held accountable as well. Even when we are neutral in situations of injustice, we have chosen the side of the oppressor and will pay for our lukewarmness. It pays to speak up against injustice. it pays more to do something about it in whatever capacity we can no matter how small that action may be.
The sufferings, tribulations, pains that befall us do not necessarily equate or show the degree of unrighteousness in us. It does not follow that the one suffering is worse than him that suffers not or him who is suffering most is a worse sinner than he who suffers less. Jesus puts it succinctly when told of the Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices. He answered, suppose you that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered such things? I tell you Nay except you repent you shall all perish. Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and slew them, think you that they were sinners above all men that dwell in Jerusalem? I tell you Nay, except you repent you shall all perish {Luke 13:1). We must return and prepare our heart to do the will of God and only then shall we find peace.
2. We should be aware that trials and temptations exist in form of suffering, tribulations, reproach ,persecution, pain etc to prove the integrity of our heart towards God, to prove our faith. Jesus went through his temptations victoriously and was celebrated by the angels. If we go through our temptations and overcome them the right way, if we suffer towards godliness, it enables us to grow in grace and we receive the glory of God. But, when we fail to overcome by allowing them to drive us to ungodliness, we suffer the outcome of our failure as a way of chastening us to do right.
In the midst of the chaos pain and suffering, however, is peace for the righteous, for the children of God who truly worship him in truth and spirit. This is so because the love of God is shed in their hearts by the Holy Spirit which he has given them that with his assurances and guidance, they feel safe amidst the chaos and false evidences of the physical senses. And when they, on their part, feel the pain and suffering, they know that it is for their spiritual growth, knowing that all things work out for good for everyone that loves God. Moreover, they know that what is happening is a phase that passes away and works for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ( 2 Corinthians 4:17), Hence, for one on the righteous path, suffering genders perfection for even if the outward man perishes, the inward man is renewed day by day by the experiences gathered through the help of the Holy Spirit. Suffering is not a bad thing if we sorrow to godliness as St Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 4:16. We learn obedience by the things we suffer. God will not allow us suffer for more than we can cope with but we can perish for lack of knowledge especially for refusing to learn from these experiences.
Sufferings, pains, and woes could therefore come as a trial of the righteous or chastisement of the sinner to redirect his feet to the way of salvation or as punishment to the wicked.
culled from the book: SOLVING THE MATRIX OF BEING (Understanding who we are in relation to God Almighty) by Eucharia Nonyelum Unegbu, which can be bought at Amazon.com. Just search by the tittle of the book or author's name. It is in both digital and paperback.
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