Why is there so much suffering in the world? There are diseases, accidents, natural disasters, poverty, discrimination and injustices of so many kinds. It is painful to watch, and excruciating to be caught up in.
Often as children, we are taught there is right and wrong in the world, and so we start out with this concept in our heads. Yet as we get older, we realise that life is messy and unfair- we don’t get the grades we want in our exams, our relationship with that person breaks down and we have no idea why, and we see examples of rascism and prejudice all around. It can be really hard seeing how raw and painful life can be.
Hopefully people can experience periods of happiness, of laughter and joy. But when suffering comes what can we do, how do we survive? And where is God?
One of the great things about the bible is that it is very real. People are shown in all their fullness, with their mistakes and character flaws, as well as their moments of inspiration and inspiration. We see this right from the beginning in Genesis with Adam and Eve. They were made in God’s image, called to look after each other, the plants and the animals. Yet the serpent tempted them to disobey God, to rebel against Him, and their rebellion led them to be banished from the garden. Here we have human nature descibed perfectly- each of us made in the image of God, beloved and given every opportunity. Yet we are also capable of rebellion, and of breaking trust with those most important to us.
Life then consists of moments of harmony and vision, and then pride and brokeness. The Old Testament is full of flawed people, and many who endured such pain. We might think of Joseph who thought he was better than his brothers, of King David who was a man after God’s heart, yet committed adultery and had another man killed. Or we might think of Jeremiah weeping over the destruction of Jerusalem, or Job wondering why his whole life has disintegrated around him. We think of Naomi and Ruth who experienced so much loss, or Esther who was surrounded by corruption and the suffering of her people. When you read these old testament narratives, there are so many questions, moments of heroism and dreadful decisions.
In the new testament, we might think of the challenges faced by the early church, the killing of Stephen or the sufferings of Peter. There is also incredible stories like the conversion of Saul on the Damascus road, becoming Paul one of the greatest apostles. The letters written by Peter and Paul are a treasure trove of insights as to how we might endure suffering. Some examples are below:
‘ 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[a]
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ Romans 8: 35-38
Or
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.’
2 Cor 2: 3-7
Or
‘though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
1 Peter 1: 6-7
These are just different examples of how some of the early followers of Jesus saw suffering.
I don’t know if we can ever ‘understand’ suffering. When you are hurting and bewildered, maybe we just need to know that God has not rejected us, and that He is with us in the darkness.
We look to Jesus for an example. He was misunderstood, castigated by the religious leaders, mocked and beaten by the soldiers and jeered at by the crowds. He was humiliated, led out to die to be crucified in the most public way, and suffered agony on the cross, in body, mind and soul.
In his agony, Jesus cried ‘ Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani- which means ‘My God, my God why have you forsaken me?’. Mark 15:33
In his darkest moment, Jesus Himself had questions.
On the cross he also said ‘Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ Luke 23:34
Even whilst he was dying, Jesus cry was for forgiveness. If the cross is the sign of the darkest cruelty and vindictiveness of humanity, it is also the symbol of the strong and generous love and forgiveness of God.
And on the third day, He rose again. This brings us assurance, that even after the darkest and most dismal hour, there can be some form of healing and grace and restoration.
Some people experience more than their fair share of suffering and pain. We do not know why. The God of the Bible walks with people in pain, in Jesus Christ he has experienced that darkness, and sends His holy spirit to be our Comforter.
I think that suffering trauma and wounding is the hardest thing. There is also the dimension of moral injury, the wounding to our soul, the affront to our conscience. God helps us finds healing through prayer, pastoral conversations and therapeutic and somatic practices. Christian writers like CS Lewis, Tim Keller, Tish Harrison and Ruth Haley Barton help us as we struggle through these issues. The novels of Sharon Garlough Brown also gently help us reflect on what healing might look like, and remind us of the power of spiritual accompaniment. In the therapeutic world, people like Bessel van der Kolk, Bruce Perry and Gabor Mate offer pathways to healing for individuals and communities. We are blessed by many who share their insights and wisdom, often from their own lived experiences.
We don’t have all the answers, but we pray that God will be with us in times of brokness and despair, that we will know the tender and compassionate presence of Jesus Christ, and the beautiful comfort of His Spirit, to sustain and teach, to soften and transform. And we ask that in all this, somehow we might become more like Jesus.
Gracious God, You made this world to be harmonious, with cherished relationships between people and animal and garden. Eden was so beautiful, but was spoiled by mistrust and rebellion. We live in a fallen world, where we have freewill, and we often use this for ill, with so many dire consequences and ripples of destructiveness. Lord Jesus cleanse us, have mercy upon us, forgive us. When we sit alone in the dark, lift is up into your presence, cradle our souls, comfort us and remind us that there is hope. Holy spirit, bring healing and peace. May nothing we have learned be lost, but always used to encourage and bless others. May we find from You this day the very Word we need to hear, and know that nothing can ever separate us from your love. Thank you Lord, Amen.
