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Your Question:
Why did God allow this suffering?
Answer:
As a pastor, I've had many conversations with people who struggle to understand why God allows suffering. It's a question that has puzzled me too, and one that I've grappled with in my own life. But as I reflect on the nature of God's love and sovereignty, I'm reminded that His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). He is a God who is gracious and loving, and yet He permits suffering to come into our lives. I think of the example of Christ, who suffered in a way that was beyond our comprehension. He bore the punishment for the sins of the whole world, and yet He did so with love and obedience. His suffering was not something that He voluntarily assumed, but rather it was something that He was called to endure for our sake. And it's in this context that we can begin to understand why God permits suffering. He is not a God who delights in our pain, but rather He is a God who uses our suffering to bring about good in our lives. As I look at my own life, I see how God has used suffering to refine me and make me more like Christ. My son Joshua has faced his own struggles, and yet God has used those struggles to teach him valuable lessons about perseverance and faith. And as a pastor, I've seen how God has used suffering to bring people to Himself, to deepen their faith, and to make them more dependent on Him. So while I still don't fully understand why God permits suffering, I do know that He is a God who is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).
Sources:
warranted christian belief
alvin plantinga
raising passionate jesus followers
phil diane comer
on guard
william lane craig
why does god allow evil
clay jones
dogmatic theology
shedd
my utmost for his highest
oswald chambers
potters freedom
james white
christian theology
millard erickson
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