By: Annagail Lynes
I used to stay up late on Sunday nights to listen to a certain preacher. He was so funny that he could take a series on the Ten Commandments and have me laughing until tears flowed down my cheeks. But I don’t watch him any more because he told me that God wanted me to suffer.
I’ve heard the Word of God preached since I was in diapers, I have read the Word and studied the Word for myself. And I can come only to one conclusion: that suffering doesn’t come from God.
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I [Jesus] am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 KJV).
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 1:2 KJV).
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 KJV).
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17 KJV)
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4 KJV).
From these Scriptures, it is clear to me that it is not God’s intention for us to suffer. In fact, Isaiah 53:4 tells us that Jesus borne our griefs and carried our sorrows on the cross.
“Then Annagail,” you may be saying, “why are the children starving in Ethiopia? Why are the children homeless in the United States? Why do people die in car crashes?”
God, not unlike human parents, has a perfect will and a permissive will. It is God’s perfect will for you to be healthy, be prosperous and not to suffer. However, if you do something wrong, you step over into God’s permissive will. God will forgive you if you repent, but as much as He hates to see you suffer, He will not take away the consequences of your action.
Everything that happens in life is a result of someone’s choice. Not necessarily your own. The consequences of your actions don’t always affect you alone but others as well.
I was in a car accident two years ago this November. Why? Because a woman made the choice to speed through a red light.
The Twin Towers were bombed because terrorists made a choice to fly planes into the buildings. As a result, thousands of innocent people died.
Prayer was taken out of the schools. Why? Because many Christians made a choice not to pray for our nation.
And what about the starving children in Africa? Did you know that we have plenty of food on this Earth? Did you also know that people in the governments of some countries have made the choice not to distribute the food throughout their country?
I am not saying not to help the suffering people in this world. Just don’t blame God for their suffering.
James 1:13-17 explains, “If a person is tempted by such trials, he must not say ‘This temptation comes from God.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But a person is tempted when he is drawn away and trapped by his own evil desire. Then his evil desire conceives and gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Do not be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of the heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning.”
We are not to blame God when we suffer because it is not His will for us to suffer. Our suffering is a result of bad choices on either our part or someone else’s part.
But that doesn’t mean that you cannot pray for God to help you, even if the bad choice was yours. He loves you, and He will come to your rescue when you ask.
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