If God is So Good, Why Do We Suffer?

If God is so good, why do we suffer? Why must the woman suffer at childbirth? As a result of human sin, God made some re-adjustments, namely pain at childbirth, death, and an earth which had become less accommodating to our well-being (Gen.3). And it isn’t only women who grown, but the entire creation was consigned to groaning in a type of childbirth (Rom. 8:18-22).

Wasn’t this a bit of an over-reaction on God’s part? No! These measures were correctives instituted in hope of something greater (Rom. 8:20; 11:32; 3:19-20)! Philosopher Eleonore Stump writes about the necessity of evil and pain in her essay, The Mirror of Evil:

In an odd sort of way, the mirror of evil can lead us to God. A loathing focus on the evils of our world and ourselves prepares us to be the more startled by the taste of true goodness when we find it and the more determined to follow that taste until we see where it leads…[It] becomes translucent, and we can see through it to the goodness of God. (quoted from The Journey, Os Guinness, 171)

How does evil enable us to see God? We too need to go through the birthing process—intense pain followed by equally intense relief and glorious joy! Perhaps, this is the means that God has provided for the mother to bond with her child. (At the point of the greatest relief, a child appears!) Perhaps also, pain is the midwife that delivers us joyously and forevermore to our God and Savior (1 Peter 4:12-13). Perhaps only when we are sufficiently horrified by evil, especially our own evil, will be adore God? Ordinarily, we have little stomach for Him (Rom. 3:10-18).

Of course, the atheist will scoff at this: “If God is really omnipotent, couldn’t He think of a less painful way?” There are many such questions we can’t answer, at least, not completely. Jesus even asked to be spared the Cross if there was some other way. Evidently, there wasn’t. But why not? (Whenever God’s decision involves a cost, the skeptic can always ask, “And why couldn’t He do it without a cost?” Even when God decided to make the grass green and the sky blue, there was always room to ask that unanswerable question, “What’s the matter with red?” Let’s face it--God’s ways are inscrutable, just as He’s told us!)

All this proves that God has constraints. Things must be done in a certain way, however inscrutable this might seem to us. But we’re not alone in our perplexity. The Prophets of Israel also struggled with the ways of God. Habakkuk complained:

How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. (Hab. 1:2-3)

Nevertheless, Habakkuk concluded his oracle with praise for this same God, pledging that he would follow Him, however dismal his situation (Hab. 3:17-19). What made the difference? Habakkuk was birthed by God’s revelation! He might not have answered all of Habakkuk’s questions, but somehow, he was consoled by God. Perhaps, like Job, he was made to look into the mirror of his own evil and cognitive limitations and perceived that praise was wiser and more fitting than indictments.

Lest all of this seems too burdensome, we have to remind ourselves of the broader context of God’s incredible love. He meets all our needs. We thirst and He provides water; we hunger and there is food; we tire and He has instituted sleep; we get lonely and He provides family and friends… No wonder the Psalmist exults:

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. Psalm 145:8-9

Daniel Mann
challengingthedarkness@yahoo.com