Why Does God Let Good People Suffer?

Q: There are too many good people suffering, and many other people who get by with the most dastardly deeds. While many say that God is a Friend, He seems unfair. — D.G.

A: What seems unfair to us is not unfair by God’s standard. God is just and righteous. He does no wrong. The human spirit is always looking for an excuse. When we refuse to acknowledge God’s truth — that no one is good, no not one (Romans 3:10) — we turn and blame God, the merciful One, who sent His Son to die in our place.

The Word of God also teaches that evil will not go unpunished. We may not see the results of this in others’ lives, but God does not overlook sin. The important thing is not to focus on the evil of others, but to acknowledge our own sin before a forgiving God. It was man’s disobedience that brought heartache and injustice into the world.

Take time to read about the great heartaches of those who have gone before us and how they looked to God for peace in its midst.

A young Irishman, Joseph Scriven (1820-1886), was deeply in love with a young woman, and their marriage plans had been made. The night before their wedding she drowned. For months Scriven was in utter despair.

At last he turned to Christ, and through His grace, found peace, and wrote the familiar hymn that has brought consolation to millions of aching hearts: “What a friend we have in Jesus / All our sins and griefs to bear!”

Sometimes our way lies in the sunlight. Other times it lies in the path of sorrow. Yet even sorrows turn to blessings when they make us less attached to the world and more attached to God. Then more than ever we discover that Jesus truly is our friend. “What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.”

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

(c)2019 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.