Questions for God: Why Does God Let Good People Suffer?
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
April 3, 2011
It is necessary to boast; nothing is to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
Back in 1991, when I was an associate pastor, I received a visit one day from a troubled young man. I had been working in my office, and the secretary stepped in and said, “There’s a young man here who wants to see you. He looks really troubled and upset.” I told her to send him in. Before I could even introduce myself he said, “Why does God let good people suffer and die?” That’s not an easy question to answer even with a lot of thought, but it’s especially difficult to answer right out of the blue. I took a step back with him, asked him his name, told him mine, and then I asked, “What’s happened to you that’s causing you to wonder? It’s obvious that something bad has happened.” He said, “I don’t understand why Senator John Heinz died yesterday in a helicopter accident. He was a really good man. Why did he have to die?”
He told me that he had been a college intern in Heinz’s senate office, and that Heinz was one of his heroes. We talked for about an hour, and then he left. I don’t think that anything I said helped. I’m not sure that there was anything that I could have said that would have helped. The problem was that he really didn’t want “God” answers. He didn’t want to hear anything about the promise of Heaven, he didn’t want to hear anything about how God created the universe, and he didn’t want to hear about trusting in God. I’m not sure what kind of answer he wanted, but it was clear that nothing I could say was going to make a difference. He had questions, but he also placed restrictions on the kinds of answers I could give.
I learned early on in my ministry that it’s very difficult to answer people when they ask why God lets good people suffer and/or die because they set the parameters of the answer. Often the people asking only want answers that fit with their already-formed theologies about the way the world either does or should work. In other words, people may ask us why God lets good people suffer, but that does not mean that they are interested in our answers, especially if the answers don’t fit their already held beliefs.
So, why does God let good people suffer? I have to answer the question from within Christian parameters—from a Christian perspective. To answer the question, we have start with a basic fallacy that so many people have, which is that a good God would only let good things happen. The Bible really shows both that God is good, and that bad things happen. Looking at our primary source, the Bible, it’s clear that a good God not only lets bad things happen, but the Bible wants to teach us how to live with suffering.
Our passage for today is a great example of that. The apostle Paul, whom we can lift up as an example of the great Christian life, has this incredible experience in which he is lifted up to the third heaven (whatever that is). He goes on to say that even though he has had this experience, he still has something that causes a great deal of suffering for him. In other words, God may have given him a glimpse of Heaven, but that doesn’t take away his suffering. He calls his affliction a “thorn in the flesh.”
We don’t quite know what that thorn was. It might have been some sort of physical impediment he’s had his whole life. It might be physical damage caused by the several beatings he had received at the hands of people who saw him as a danger. It might be something else. Whatever it was, Paul prayed three times for God to heal him, and he hears something surprising. God says to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul then testifies, “So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul is saying that a good God doesn’t take away suffering. A good God, instead, uses our suffering to bring grace into our lives.
Let’s look again at the question: So, why does God let good people suffer? To answer the question we also have to look at the whole nature of Creation. If we look at the nature of Creation, we discover that suffering happens because of God’s goodness. That’s an odd statement, isn’t it? But it’s true. To understand what I mean, we have to recognize the dual nature of all of Creation, which means that everything has the potential for good and bad. God creates everything as good, but even all this good can lead to what is bad and causes suffering. You can’t have good without the potential for the bad.
For instance, look at nuclear fission—the nuclear reaction in which the splitting of an atom causes the release of great quantities of energy. Nuclear fission can lead to great good. As I write this, the electric power giving me light, allowing me to use a computer, a printer, the ability to post it on a website, and more all come from a nearby nuclear power plant. But that same fission can create bombs that have the power to destroy the whole planet.
Food has a dual nature. It keeps us alive, and it can lead to great pleasure. We’ve all had meals that were incredibly delicious. But too much food can lead to obesity that leads to chronic illness and premature death.
Music has a dual nature. It can inspire us to experience God’s presence, and lift us to live better lives. It can soothe us, too, when we are stressed. Yet it can be a destructive force, too. Look at how Communist and fascist countries use music to brainwash whole populations into obedience. Music can also be personally destructive. When I worked as a counselor with teens in a psychiatric hospital, we saw how destructive the music could be. Many of the kids who were angry and suicidal were listening to groups like AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and Ozzy Osbourne, and some talked about that music’s influence in their self-destructiveness.
Gardens have a dual nature. That beauty that you cultivate in your garden also kills and causes suffering to weeds and insects.
Earth tectonics—the movement plate of tectonic plates across the top layer of the earth—allows for life to exist on earth. The fact that the earth’s crust is flexible caused massive eruptions millions of years ago (billions?) that allowed oxygen to form in our atmosphere, and soil to accumulate on the surface. Tectonic plate movement has given us life, but it also leads to earthquakes that cause massively destructive tsunamis like the one two weeks ago in Japan. Tectonics give us life, but also takes it away.
Even pain has a dual nature. That physical or psychological pain that leads to suffering, and that we want to avoid, actually keeps us alive. You and I hate pain, but without it we would die quickly. For example, have you heard of Hansen’s disease (what we often call “leprosy”)? It’s a disease that is said to cause people to lose their extremities—fingers, toes, noses, ears, etc… In fact, it’s not the disease that causes the loss of the extremities. The disease simply kills nerve endings so that people can’t feel pain at all. And their inability to feel pain means that they bump fingers and toes, but don’t realize it. Their lack of feeling allows infections to grow in these bumped fingers and toes, but, again, they don’t realize it. Eventually the extremities become gangrenous, and need to be cut off. It’s the loss of pain that leads to the loss of fingers and limbs. Pain keeps us alive by helping us to avoid things that could hurt, maim, or kill us.
Everything has a dual nature, and that nature can bring great pleasure and joy, or pain and suffering. If God were to get rid of the suffering, God would also have to get rid of pleasure and joy. God would have to get rid of the good in order to get rid of the bad.
So, why does God let good people suffer? If you want to understand suffering, it also starts with recognizing that there are two sources of suffering, and much of our suffering comes from the latter, not the former. The first kind of suffering is the nature of nature. In other words, nature leads to illness and death. Nature leads to earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, and more. Nature, by being nature, can lead to suffering.
But by far the biggest cause of human suffering is the second source, which is human acts—what we inflict on each other. We humans do terrible things to each other either out of direct desire to harm others, or out of our own ignorance on how our actions hurt others. We criticize each other, neglect each other, abuse each other, commit acts of violence upon others, and fight wars with each other. Most of our acts come from selfishness, pride, and a lack of concern for others. Even much of what we see as good can cause suffering. For instance, just seeking a profit in business can lead to decisions that harm others economically and socially. In other words, most of the time suffering has nothing to do with anything God has done, but arises out of the freedom God gives us to do what we do. Human life causes suffering.
So, why does God let good people suffer? Much of it is directly due to the freedom God gives us and all of Creation. God’s given both the universe and us freedom to act in ways that bring life, beauty, destruction, and pain—all together.
So, why does God let good people suffer? Another answer is that it goes with the nature of redemption and transformation. In many cases suffering is the first step in redemption and transformation. Think about your own life. How often have you grown after a bad experience? How often has it been the failure that eventually led to success? What would Christianity look like without the cross? The Bible constantly pushes how experiences of suffering can lead us to a greater awareness of God. Think of your own life. If you are like most people, it’s periods of struggle that have led you to reach out for God.
In fact, it’s the lack of struggle among teens and young adults that often leads to an ignorance of God or the need for church and faith. For most teens and young adults, they live in safety pods either at home or at college. They have their food, shelter, entertainment, and more all taken care of. Suffering is kept to a minimum. And so their need for God is also diminished. Suffering has the ability to lead us to look for God, and to find God.
So, why does God let good people suffer? I think that the question really isn’t why God let’s good people suffer? I think for us Christians it’s a question of how we respond to suffering:
• How will we respond to the suffering of tsunami victims?
• How will we care for the grieving?
• How will we care for those who are sick and in pain?
• How will we care for the hungry, the poor, the homeless?
• How will we tend to the world’s pain?
Amen.
