WHY DO WE SUFFER?

Many of us, from time to time, ask ourselves the age-old question: “If God is God, and if God is a great God, and if God is a good God, and if God is a powerful God, why does He allow bad things to happen to me and others who have good intentions and want to please Him?”

Deep down we do believe that He is a good and great and powerful God. But, that question still nags at our innermost thoughts and feelings and, from time to time, challenges our faith with subtle doubts.

He certainly does have everything under His control, and He does desire our very best. But not all things, such as sorrow and suffering, seem good while we are going through them.

I remember very well my Mother’s homemade bread. I would return home from school and the entire house would be filled with the aroma of warm, freshly baked bread waiting for some butter and homemade strawberry jam.

By themselves, I would not eat the flour, yeast, shortening or baking soda. But, when “Ma” mixed all the ingredients, allowed them to “rise,” and then baked them in a hot oven, the results were amazing and wonderful.

Is that not how God works? Some pain here. A lot of suffering there. A time of grief. Sorrow for a season. Financial problems. Discouragement over a loss. That’s God working in our lives – mixing everything together for our good and His glory in our lives.

Prayer:  Father, give us grace and courage to look at our lives the way that You look at them – knowing and believing that everything works for our good and Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today:    And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28