4. Why is there evil and suffering in the world?

The question about suffering is used as one of the main arguments against a loving, creator God. If there is a God then why does He allow people to suffer? Why? One the surface it doesn’t seem to make sense at all.

It is fair to say that most of the suffering on our planet is caused by the people who populate it. Greed and selfishness are often the root causes of so many social ills and lead to devastation on a global scale so that now we see starvation, famines, and wars that have ravaged tribes and nations in countless countries. If there is a God then why doesn’t He intervene to stop or prevent murder or other evils? Is He not able, or doesn’t He care?

Let’s look logically at these emotive issues:

If God is all-powerful then He could stop the killing.

If God is all-loving then He would wish to stop the slaughter.

If God has made us in His own image then He will not force our hand or control our will.

To go down this track of thought, that there is a God, then we must see the kind of Creator He is and the character He has. God did not make a planet full of pre-programmes people. By making us in His image, to be like Him, He gave us our freedom.

We can choose to love.

We can decide to kill.

We can follow God’s ways.

We can walk our own path.

As we point the finger of blame at God for the moral cancers of our society, we must see the fingers pointing back in our direction to understand who really created these evils. The fact that God made a world in which the possibility of evil and suffering could flourish is mind blowing. The fact that God created us at all and gave us the choice of loving Him is mind boggling. Whether we realise it or not, I believe our heartache for the pain in this world is a heart-cry to God that above all else we need His help and His love and one day to receive His mercy.