When God Does Not Tell us, “WHY” (Complete Booklet)

Introduction

The ICU unit in any hospital always intimidates me. I don’t like being there ---ever--- not as a patient and not as a pastor. It reeks of sickness, and suffering, and dying. Nevertheless, as I push through the entry to the ICU and walk to the nurse’s station, I become even more hesitant than usual. The reason is simple. I am certain that before this visit ends, she will ask one or more of the questions desperate people always ask. How do I know this? I know because I, too, have asked them. And although the questions have been asked repeatedly from the beginning of time, the answers seem as elusive as ever. These are questions which all humanity, especially Christians, want answered. They need not be perfect answers, but they, at least, must be reasonable. As I enter her room, I am hoping that God will keep me from sounding overly pious or trite or offering some tired religious cliché. I silently pray for wisdom.

She is awake. Tubes protrude from her body and monitors surround her bed. Her eyes and her faint smile reassure me that I am not intruding. I sense that she is glad that I have come. Her mother and husband sit on either side of her bed. Their faces tell me that they, too, are pleased that I am here. Steve stands and insists that I take his chair.

Just this morning her doctor has shared with them the results of the latest tests. He had tried to sound positive, but they quickly sensed his concern. The oncologist outlined his plan and the details for her treatment and, when pressed, offered his prognosis. It was not good. Although they had prayed constantly in these past three weeks, as the physician departs, they prayed again and cried together.

As I sit at her bedside, we talk of many things. I marvel at her wit, courage, and gentle spirit. She is a loyal and fervent Christian and gifted teacher. Her life revolves around her family and our church. She is still young and quite attractive—her husband says, “SHE IS BEAUTIFUL!” I read several passages from Scripture and try to assure them of God’s love and power. Her eyes begin to wander and she is hardly speaking. I feel she is growing tired, or her pain meds are making her sluggish, and so I prepare to leave. But I am mistaken.

“Pastor, before you go, will you explain something to me?”

I know what question is coming. What I had perceived as inattention was really her thinking of how to frame the questions. Tears fill her eyes and I look away. I glance at Steve and her mother but they remain silent. They already know the questions and they, too, must have answers. Hesitantly, she begins:

“Pastor, WHY will God not answer my prayers?” “WHY is God punishing me and my family?” “WHY doesn’t God show me what I have done?” “I love Christ, so WHY is this happening to me?” “If God loves me, WHY won’t he heal me?”

Her words may not have been verbatim, but these same questions have perplexed God’s people through the ages. When people go through tragic times, they want answers and so they ask questions. Some ask aloud and others ask in silence. The Bible records numerous examples of the very best of God’s people who have asked these same sorts of questions at different times and circumstances. Job ---Abraham—Moses—David, to name a few, all have asked them. Perhaps some of the more poignant questions to God are from the crushed and despairing Job:

WHY did you even let me be born? Job 3:11,12
WHY won’t you let me die? Job 3:20,21,23; 6: 9; 7: 15,16
WHY am I your “target?” Job 7:20
WHY won’t you forgive me? Job 7:21
WHY should I even try to live right, Job 9: 29, 30
God, WHY won’t you answer me and WHY the suffering? Job 10:2, 3
WHY do you hate me? What have I done? Job 10: 2, 3; Job 13: 24

It is important to note that in the book of Job, God never apologizes for Job’s suffering, nor does He answer Job’s “WHY” questions. Moreover, Job did not have the advantage of the completed Scriptures to which he could turn. Things are a little easier in that we, now, have the whole of God’s inspired Bible. The point is this: We know that some things are beyond human capability to understand, namely, “the secret things [that] belong to God,” [Deut. 29:29]. However, there is no need to infer that the Lord never gives us hints at reasonable answers to these questions. He does! It may only be an answer that is in a preliminary form, but this is at least something. We search for a glimmer of light—a rational possibility of purpose for all the tragedies and inexplicable suffering that we constantly see. It need not be a perfect answer, but at the least, it must be a reasonable one. This volume will be an effort to provide just that. The answers will not be based on philosophy or speculation, but grounded on a clear Biblical precept. Namely, it is certain that He, who notices when the sparrows fall, surely places much more value on His children. If His will be that we pass through the valley of the shadow of death [Ps. 23:4], He always will walk with us. We concede that God never obligates Himself to tell us “WHY” He permits the innocent to suffer. Nonetheless, hints of purpose and meaning and broad principles are put forth in Scripture that may suffice until that approaching day “when we shall know even as we are known,” [1 Cor. 13:12].

Things That We Know about Suffering

Since the fall of humanity and the entrance of sin, the story of this world has been a drama written in tears. These tears are the unspoken words of a universal language. Anywhere you may look—no matter the society, culture, or politics--- that language is known and understood. A child enters life with a cry and then exits with a groan. For most of us, between seasons of contentment, there are times of failure, disappointment, betrayal, loss, injury, sickness, sorrow, or suffering of every conceivable sort. Job said it well when he remarked that “man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” [Job 14:1].

Non-physical suffering

The “trouble” of which Job speaks is more than physical loss, pain and suffering. Human “trouble” may, also, indicate a “wounded spirit” or a “broken heart.” Furthermore, the book of Proverbs speaks of uttered words that are like the “piercings of a sword” [Prov. 12:18]. These kinds of suffering do not originate in God’s will. They come from man’s cruelty, barbarism and self-centeredness. This suffering is not rooted in physical disease or injury. It is agony born of things such as marital betrayal and infidelity by a spouse, or the dissipation of life by substance abuse. It is parental suffering due to the rebellion against any restraint by an out-of-control teenager. The suffering may arise in the unbearable mental abuse of constant criticism, relentless negativity or a hateful spirit. Admitting this, what blame may be leveled at God? What purpose is there in asking “WHY?” We already know the answer.

Vicarious Suffering

Suffering may also be what can be defined as vicarious [substitute] suffering. It refers to a true and heartfelt willingness and desire to trade places with another who is suffering. It is the highest form of compassion and is directed to those we dearly love. This is genuine suffering, even if it is neither personal, nor physical. It is an unspeakable agony that is experienced in one’s complete helplessness and inability to ease the pain or comfort a suffering child or a loved one with a diseased or broken body. Perhaps it is in the despair of loving and godly parents as they watch a child make foolish, destructive and irreversible choices. It may be what the Lord had in mind when he reminded the disciples that “greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends [John 15: 13].

Judicial Suffering

Whenever we endure suffering, although we may gripe and chafe, we instinctively know that these things are to be expected in life. We do not whine that our suffering is due to random fate or some cosmic bad luck. Neither do we think because we have troubles that “some strange thing has happened to us”[1 Peter 4:12]. We understand that this is normal as we live in a fallen and cursed world. Begrudgingly, we accept this routine suffering as the way life works. The origin of all evil was not the Creator, but the creature. When Adam and Eve rejected God’s rule and rebelled against Him, the result was catastrophic. The entire world plunged into chaos, suffering and death. As we grow old, our bodies weaken, wear out or become diseased. We know that sickness and death are appointed to all of us. Ours is a violent world that is filled with both natural evil and evil men. War and its horrors seem inevitable. This world has become very proficient in mayhem and killing. Thousands are slaughtered by abortion, and ill-conceived wars, and maniacal clerics, and political tyrants. Even more numerous than the dead, are the myriads of injured innocents who suffer ghastly physical and mental wounds. Nevertheless, as we bury our dead and tend the wounded, we dare not blame God. We grieve, but in our hearts we understand that this carnage is man’s doing, not God’s. It is the legacy of humanity’s determination to rebel against God and anoint himself as deity. The harvest of this human usurpation tragically can be measured in man’s greed, brutality, cruelty, revenge, hate, destruction, disease, selfishness, misery and death. Need we ask God, “WHY” when suffering comes? This is nothing more than judicial suffering.

Self-induced Suffering

There is also tragedy and suffering that must be attributed to the consequences of wrong personal choices and decisions. We understand that such suffering is self-induced. It should be remembered that “EVIL” is not only a noun, but also an adjective. What I mean is this: Man is soul as well as body. Sin is an evil choice made by the soul first and then carried out by the body as the medium for the soul. Thus, the body must share in the soul’s inevitable punishment. For example, we fail to study and miss class and so we fail a course. We choose a spouse without regard to God’s will or design and our life is an unspeakable misery. We speed or drive recklessly and receive a citation or have an accident. We choose to party all night and suffer a hangover the next day. We will not get a job and so we have no money. A person chooses to be promiscuous and is infected with a sexually transmitted disease. We abuse substances and our life is drastically shortened.

Our bad choices may not only affect us physically, but must also have emotional, psychological and spiritual consequences. Moreover, one never sins in isolation. Others are always impacted by our wrong choices and suffer because of our decisions. It is the iniquity of the parents being visited upon the children. God graciously enables us to understand that the “wages of sin is death” [Rom. 6:23] and that all our sin “will [eventually] find us out” [Num. 32:23]. Even the non-Christian has the insight to accept that wrong or poor choices will result in our “reaping what we sow.” We ask, in such suffering, how may one accuse God of injustice? How is He to blame for decisions that we made personally and without any thought toward seeking His will on the matter? Only the spiritually naïve or obstinate will insist on asking “WHY this suffering” even as the Holy Spirit and our own conscience accuse ourselves of the blame.

Inexplicable Suffering

But what of suffering that is of a different sort? I speak of the kind that seems inexplicable and irrational and that defies logic. It is suffering that appears so unseemly that some accuse God Himself as being cruel and unjust. Such occasions are when tragedy afflicts the innocent and is apparently without rhyme or reason. Examples are the affliction and death of a child, or when a young and godly mother is taken with a debilitating and incurable disease, or the sudden fatality of a loving and faithful husband and dad who is slain by a drunk driver. Another example may be when a loyal and loving spouse is betrayed and abandoned without cause by a vile and adulterous spouse. These and such like injustices seem too hard for us to bear. We can only see them as unnatural, undeserved, and therein, unjust. Our basic concept of God and His justice make these events seem outside the limits of logic. When disasters in nature such as tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, famines and pestilences increase in number and intensity, we find ourselves thinking, “WHY does God allow this?” Even more distressing is when family or friends require us to explain “WHY” God would orchestrate such suffering.

More people have denounced God and rejected Christianity over inexplicable tragedies and the apparently meaningless sufferings of the innocent than any other cause. Christians are confounded by these charges and struggle with their implications. Many attempt to answer the scoffers, but inwardly blush as their words ring hollow. It is difficult to convince others when our words have not even convinced ourselves.

The suffering of innocents is a critical issue and Christians must deal with it. The problem will not go away on its own. Atheists and other skeptics have done a good job of pinpointing the issue. Here are some of the accusations:

“If God exists and He is so good, WHY is His world so bad?”
“WHY is there so much meaningless suffering if God is so merciful?”
“If God is Love and God is all-powerful, WHY does he allow needless suffering to exist
in the world he created?”
“WHY do so many terrible things happen to the innocent and good--just as well as to the wicked?”
“If God is so great, WHY is he doing such a miserable job of running things?”

Inexplicable Suffering Contradicts our Perception of God.

Christianity has, through several millennia, put forth to the world a unified understanding of God’s nature. Among other attributes [characteristics] of God, the Bible teaches us that He is omniscient and that He is omnipotent. This means that He knows everything and that He is all-powerful.

The omniscience of God is a grand and exalted concept. This means that God knows Himself and knows every other thing. He knows all things, whether they be actual or merely possible. He knows all things completely, perfectly, immediately [right now], simultaneously and from all eternity. The past, present and future are all known in this same manner and degree.

God’s omnipotence, like His omniscience, is a profound concept. When Christians speak of God’s omnipotence they mean certain things. They are saying that God alone is the Creator of the universe and that it is He alone Who sustains it. God declares that He can do absolutely anything that He wills [wants] to do. This also means that He does not have to do anything that He doesn’t want to do.

“I am God Almighty” [Genesis 17:1].
“I know that thou canst do all things and that no purpose of thine can be restrained” [Job 42:2].
“ Ah Lord Jehovah: behold, thou hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by
thine outstretched arm; there is nothing too hard for thee” [Jeremiah 32:17].
“With men this is impossible but with God all things are possible” [Matthew 19:26].
“Hallelujah: for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigneth” [Revelation 19:6].

The Christian is repeatedly urged to trust God in every aspect and need of life. This trust is grounded on God’s declared love for His own and His sovereign power to do what He wills. God’s promises and faithfulness to us is neither determined by, nor dependent on, our worthiness or our works. In fact, it is not about us at all. It is all about God’s faithfulness to Himself and His love and compassion for His own. This simply means that God always does the right thing. The “right thing” includes His treatment of people. This is what is generally referred to as “God’s goodness.”

In a comprehensive view of “God’s goodness”, there should be included all the qualities that are connected to the ideal person. It is reasonable and biblical, then, to conclude that God’s “goodness” abounds in constant love, kindness, mercy and grace. These virtues comprise the very essence of His Being. The full and constant exercise of His “goodness” neither contradicts nor conflicts with other aspects of His essence, namely, His holiness, righteousness and truth. In recent decades, this biblical teaching on God’s nature is being altered, and sometimes discarded, by skeptics as they relentlessly attack it. The alleged needless and inexplicable suffering in “God’s” world is the main justification for this secular and theological assault.

These are charges that will test our faith. What may we say to the scoffer who demands of us, “where is your all-knowing and merciful God?” Or, “If God is able to do anything He wants, then, why doesn’t he?” We are perplexed as we struggle to silence the cynic as they smirk and ridicule the God we trust with accusations such as:

“If God is all powerful and he does not prevent the suffering of the innocent, he must not be all-good. [or] If
God is all-good and does not prevent the suffering of the innocent, then, he must not be able to stop it and
so he cannot be all-powerful.”

The logic of the skeptic seems unanswerable. But they are wrong. At best, it is pretentious to claim a perfect understanding of why God allows the suffering of innocents; but there are reasonable answers. Before presenting several of these, it is needful to identify offered solutions that are misguided, and often, downright repugnant.

Wrong Answers on Why the Innocent Suffer

Atheistic fatalism

The atheist vexes Christians with their blather and bluster on numerous issues, but it is especially so when human suffering is discussed. Their position is both cruel and dehumanizing. For example, evolutionary physicist and astronomer Carl Sagan claims to have devoted much of his life to “debunking the absurdity of a personal God who intervenes in lives or who even cares about individuals.” Novelist Taylor Caldwell once painted a word picture that neatly epitomizes Sagan’s haughty conceit:
“Sad little man, sitting on a dung heap and crowing defiantly at the sun as it rises, and often
believing that without his crow the sun would not come up at all.”

The greatest misery of suffering is not due to the physical or emotional pain. It is the denial, or doubting, that the suffering has a purpose. We can handle the suffering so long as we can see meaning in it. But the atheist admits neither rhyme nor reason for any event in our life or even for life itself. Human pain, sickness and heartache are no more meaningful or lamentable than the results of someone swatting a fly. The atheist, Carl Sagan, views the troubles and sorrow of the entire human species, through cold and clinical spectacles:

“Our existence itself is but a random, insignificant and meaningless nothing. There is no
purpose or reality other than the survival of those most fit. The secrets of evolution are time
and death--time for the slow accumulation of favorable mutations and death to make room for
new species. [Any] compassion to the weak and helpless is misguided and merely delays the inevitable.”

Evolution allows for neither purposeful design nor a Designer. For them, there is no such thing as intentional purpose---only cosmic and eternal randomness and chance. But what do “randomness and chance” know of justice, morality or mercy? In such a worldview that allows for neither divine justice, nor absolute morality, right and wrong are always changing, regional and expedient. The atheist can never admit to any purpose, meaning or message in human suffering, dying or death. These are simply biological processes and nothing more.

There is no such thing as happy evolution. It is always hard, cruel and empty and, it goes without saying, that this is not a theory that makes suffering or dying easy. Still they would have us believe that theirs is the only realistic and honest way to confront suffering. It is telling, however, that this theory is most vigorously advocated when the proponent is young and healthy. Witnesses often note the proponents of meaningless randomness have not the same confidence when death and dying come knocking at their door.

Retributive Justice

There is another proposed answer for why the innocent suffer. It is mainly the opinion of religious legalists or strict moralists. These are persons who pride themselves in “telling it like it is” and who glory in their self-asserted insight into every human dilemma. The moralist likens his own judgments, which are based on his own observations and experience, to the infallibility of God Himself. Though some of what these say may be true and important, their main error is in believing that their opinions on sin and suffering are indisputable truth and that there can be no allowance for exceptions.

Their basic theology is only a partial truth. They affirm that in this life, righteousness will always be rewarded, and evil will always be punished. It is true that ultimately, the unredeemed wicked will be punished and the Lord will reward the righteous, but in this life things are not always as they seem. In spite of repeated biblical examples to the contrary, the moralist is convinced that all suffering is to be explained by God’s retributive justice. They allege that, in every case, the afflicted suffer because of sin even though they are not able to say for certain just what that sufferer’s sin might be. Still, they have no doubt the afflicted is guilty of something that has displeased the Lord…ergo, the sinner is suffering. They are confident that some hypocrisy or hidden sin is at the root of all God’s chastening. This is the logic, “God is just and would never punish the innocent, so if you are suffering, you certainly must have done something to deserve this.” The moralist is so certain of his own beliefs about sin and suffering that any claim of innocence by the afflicted is subject to subtle ridicule.

This is no false indictment of the moralist’s thinking. Notice, for instance, the first speech of Job’s friend, Eliphaz:

“Behold thou hast instructed many, and thou has strengthened the weak hands. Thy words have upholden him that was falling and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees. But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope and the uprightness of thy ways? Remember, I pray thee, whoever perished being innocent: or where were the righteous cut off: Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same” [Job 3:3-8].

But does God’s Word endorse the claim that every trial and suffering is retribution for sin? Clearly this is not so! Regarding the above charges, the Lord displays his disapproval and anger at the false accusations against Job and the mistaken misrepresentations of God. At the close of the book of Job, his accusers are instructed to seek both God’s and Job’s forgiveness and to ask Job to pray for them [cf. Job 42: 7-9].

It is conceded that the Bible speaks of sufferings from personal moral choices. The sin of the [first] Adam has tainted and contaminated our entire race. Death, clearly, is rooted in rebellion and is the consequence of his sin [Romans 5:12-21]. Moreover, the sins of parents are often the cause of suffering in their children [Exodus 20:5; 34:7; Numbers 14:18]. Certainly, one’s personal choices are the main root of personal suffering [Deuteronomy 28: 15 ff; Jeremiah 31:30]. But it is not true that all suffering can be traced to some personal and specific sin.

Some are unaware that by New Testament times, the Jews had embraced a tradition that seems strange to Christians today. It was the belief that a person could sin before birth and suffering might be the result of prenatal sin. This idea was evidently in the disciples’ minds when they encountered a man that had been born blind [John 9: 1-3]. They questioned the Lord on who was the cause of this pitiful condition. Was it the sin of his parents, or his own sin that had caused him to be born blind? Jesus dismissed both options as mistaken by saying, “Neither” and assigned the suffering of the blind man to the “the purpose of God.”

Finally, there is an even more compelling reason for rejecting the retributive theory for all suffering. The theological and moral problem of the prosperity of the wicked has bothered believers for a very long while [cf. Psalm 73: 1-28]. There is little effort by those who hold to the retributive theory for suffering to explain in a biblical or reasonable argument why God allows the wicked to prosper. The empty assertion that the wicked will be recompensed in the next life raises more questions that it attempts to solve. The main contradiction is that God has often declared that He is not a respecter of persons [Acts 10:34; Rom. 2:11; Jas. 2:9]. What sort of justice is it, then, when the innocent suffer more severely than the openly guilty and defiant?

Defective Faith

There is an additional opinion on the tragedy and suffering that believers sometimes experience. It is probably the most popular of these heresies, and certainly, it is the cruelest. It is claimed that adversity, illness, poverty or suffering are never God’s will for the Christian. Any misfortune, especially sickness or suffering, is always the fault of Satan and never God’s doing. It is taught that poverty, sickness, and disease can invade and overwhelm a believer only because the Christian does not demand healing or deliverance. This assertion is rooted in the unbiblical assumption that Christ’s suffering on the Cross guarantees not only healing of the soul, but also physical healing for every believer [Isaiah 53:4,5]. Those who hold this teaching insist that because of Christ’s victory over Satan and because of His promises, confession and faith obligate God to heal any Christian who demands it.

But is this so? Those who promote this heresy also condemn and disparage any who disagree. They do this by claiming that rejecting this teaching is no more than an attack on God’s sovereignty, or a subtle denial of His power. It is neither. Nor is this meant as a repudiation of those who believe in faith healing. Exposing the error of this teaching is merely an attempt to correct a hurtful heresy. The heresy and harm of this teaching are seen in the confusion and false guilt laid on those who have, with all their hearts, trusted Christ for healing. If that healing is not forthcoming, they have no recourse but to blame themselves for the continued suffering. The failure to be healed is alleged to be the fault of their unbelief. There is no great difficulty in demonstrating the unbiblical nature of this teaching. The Scripture is clear:

“Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in
well doing, as unto a faithful Creator [1 Peter 4:19].

The plain and historic teaching of Christianity is this: Christ died on the cross for our sin [the sickness of our soul], not for the illness and diseases of our bodies [Isaiah 53:5,10; Colossians 2:13,14]. The healing of the soul is in His blood and death while the healing of the body was in His life [Matthew 8:14-17; 1 Peter 2:24]. Additionally, the healing of the soul is eternal while the healing of the body was only temporal. Every single person that Christ healed physically eventually died. If bodily healing is in Christ’s atonement, then that healing would of necessity be as enduring as the spiritual healing of the soul. In plain language: if this were so, we should never get sick again, or even die. But of course, we do wear out, get ill and die, and we will continue to do so until that glorious day of the resurrection. It is only then that we will experience the promise:

“God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow,
nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away[ Revelation 21:4].

In summation, the above three explanations for the suffering of the innocent are base, misguided and hurtful distortions. They are so because they are neither reasonable nor biblical, and they are hurtful in that they will only divert the focus of a sufferer from the needed peace and hope that is in Christ and turn it toward the turmoil and despair of self-pity. There are reasonable answers for why the innocent suffer, but we must look elsewhere than atheistic fatalism, pharisaical vindictiveness or Pentecostal superstition.

Reasonable Answers for Why the Innocent Suffer

The Suffering of the Innocent Confirms God Is Always Going to be God

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and
my thoughts than your thoughts.”[Isaiah 55:8,9]“. . .O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?” Romans9:20

The unvarnished truth --- the bottom line---and perfect answer for why God permits suffering of the innocent is not complicated. Simply stated, “There is no perfect answer.” The “we,” of course, is referenced to mortals and angels and does not include the Lord. This admission of ignorance is not a suggestion that we stop asking God, “WHY.” It is our nature to do this and the question surely will be asked. However, as we continue to probe for an answer, our search must be subject to a basic ground rule, namely, God is going to be God.

That reminder in a different time would have seemed so elementary that only the new convert or a child would have wondered at its meaning. Not so any more. Ever-expanding humanistic and secular influences have drastically influenced every aspect of our culture. This is especially apparent in our educational system. From kindergarten through post-grad study, the exaltation and deification of man has of necessity caused a debasing and humanization of God. This is a day when many mortals claim that God is neither sovereign nor all-wise. Apparently, some believe that God should be obligated to consult with them about His decisions.

But what biblical justification is there, or even sound logic, that allows the skeptic to expect this from God? Shall we venture to instruct God on justice, mercy or morality? Are we to think that we know better what is right than God does? Shall we, the thing that is made, say to the One who made us, “Why have you made me this way?”[Rom. 9:20]. Do we really believe that we are more righteous, kind or wise than He is? Are we to condemn the plan without an understanding of the purpose? Can we rightly judge that of which we have no knowledge?

God has not left us completely bereft of information. He has not withheld all knowledge from us, and occasionally gives us subtle hints about “WHY” He does what He does. For example, Isaiah mentions righteous men who died unexpectedly and without apparent cause [Isa. 57: 1]. But on this occasion, God allows us to peek behind the curtain. He doesn’t tell us everything, but He does imply that [critical] people did not consider the fact that God was sparing these taken from “the evil to come.” Could this not mean that God in His wisdom and mercy protected these righteous men from some national judgment or approaching calamity that would exceed in severity the relative easy passing that God allowed? We should consider this when we fault God for allowing a premature passing of an innocent child or loved one.

God has given us much information. But God never intended that we know everything. Just as in Eden, we may know and enjoy all that God gives us. But like Eden, there are restrictions imposed by God on matters today that are not for us to know, but are strictly His concern. This is what Moses meant about “secret things” that belong to God [Deuteronomy 29:29]. How are we wronged when God informs us that “His thoughts are not our thoughts” [Isaiah 55:8]? Why is it difficult to accept that some unexplained suffering is unexplained because God intended it that way? God always seems more concerned that Christians know the “WHO” rather than the “WHY” in times of difficulty and suffering. When we are able to know and trust the “WHO,” the “WHY” is not nearly so important to us. Did not Job decide at the lowest point in his inexplicable sorrow that: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.”[Job 13:15]? This is a confident trust in the “WHO” rather than a constant turmoil about the “WHY”.

Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said, shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him:
He that reproveth God, let him answer it. Then Job answered the LORD, and said, Behold, I am vile;
what shall I answer thee: I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further. Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. Wilt thou also disannul my judgment: Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous: Hast thou an arm like God: or canst thou thunder with a voice like him: Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty. Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him. Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place. Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret. Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee [Job 40:1-14].

The Suffering of the Innocent is Restorative

Several questions had greatly troubled me for a number of years after I became a Christian. The questions were in reference to the justice and purpose of pain and suffering. I had been taught that all suffering was the consequence of God’s curse on creation, or due to humanity’s sinful nature, or punishment for our individual sins. After several years of ministry, I became convinced that the answer may not be that simple.

The best preparation for suffering is to make sure that your theology is right. God is not unloving, insensitive or detached from a person’s calamity. Nevertheless, it is becoming increasingly apparent that humanity has lost sight of God’s sovereignty. God is being “downsized” and shrunk to fit the limits of our mind. At the same time, humanity is creating another god made in man’s own image. But God will have none of this tampering. It has been said that, “suffering is God’s megaphone to rouse a sleepy world.” But why must God use suffering? Could it be that our sleep is so deep and the dream from which we must be awakened is, “the dream that all is well?”

Most Christian workers would agree that more people look to Christ as Savior in a day of suffering than will trust Him when all seems well in their life. The Psalmist said it this way:

“Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy word. . . . .It is good for me that I have
been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes [Ps. 119: 67, 71].

Suffering is a tool of God for turning the lost sinner to Christ, but even more so, it is an instrument that God uses in restoring Christians to fellowship with Him. Suffering need not be, as some allege, a cause of resentment or bitterness. Quite often, suffering is the root of true repentance. This is not the repentance necessitated by either overt or hidden transgression or disobedience, but it is a sorrow of the inner man for a wrong attitude, and a lack of trust and faith in the wisdom and goodness of God [cf. 1 Peter 3:14,17; 4:12-19].

Additionally, if a case can be made that suffering is restorative for the wayward or apathetic Christian, cannot God use suffering to preemptively hinder one from the first steps in departing from Him? Suffering can mature us, strengthen us, enlighten us, and cause us to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. We mortals are in need of many things ---nothing more so than humility. But until we have suffered, or have seen others’ suffering, what can we know of humility? If suffering does not humble us, then it is wasted suffering.

The visitors had recently moved to our area. I will call them Bob and Sue. They would stand out in any group, but especially in a small church such as ours. They were still young, quite friendly, and good-looking. I perceived that they were affluent, and probably well educated. My assumptions proved correct. The couple continued to attend the services, but only as spectators, not participants. One day over coffee, I got to know them much better. They were both Christians and recounted that at one time, years ago, they had both been zealous workers at their church. Bob had been a deacon and Sue an AWANA and Sunday-school teacher. They were faithful to every service and had been active in many things including the choir and soul-winning. Twice they had visited overseas to help with short-term mission projects.

“But,” they admitted, “we gradually wandered off course.” “Life had taken them down another path,” Bob had mused. This “new direction” had led to financial success, and the probability of even more advancement in Bob’s career. Both tried to avert my glance as they admitted they were not in fellowship with the Lord. As I gently pressed them, they acknowledged that they often regretted that they were no longer serving Christ. “But above all,” they confessed, “we miss the closeness to Him that we once enjoyed.” “But pastor,” they both smiled, “Life is good. In fact, it is very good. The only thing we need to make us totally content is a child.” Sue’s inability to conceive, apparently, was a mystery to their physicians and a deep sorrow to both of them.

For months, I prayed for them and we grew close. We talked often, and, there were times I truly thought they were ready to get back in fellowship with Christ. But always, they would back away. Regrettably, it seemed that week by week they were growing more distant. Then I got the call. Bob was so excited he could barely tell the news. Sue was pregnant, and the baby would be born in the spring. She was, and they named her, Marcie. Children’s Hospital is a sad place even when it is just for tests, but they did not have to visit there for very long. Marcie lived for only a month. I hate leukemia.

The wind was cold and brisk on the slopes of Washington Cemetery as, Bob Hummel, the funeral director opened my door. He moved slowly to the back of the hearse, cradled the tiny white casket, and walked carefully to the opened grave. I walked with them, but no one spoke. I read a few verses and we prayed. I finished, but they continued to kneel. I listened and stood silently as their words and tears mingled. “Lord, please help us! We are sorry and we need you. Will you please forgive us?” There is no hint of anger or bitterness in their voice. There is only brokenness and sorrow.

A few months later, they moved to a different state ---another mandatory transfer. They didn’t want to leave the church. I didn’t want them to go. We stayed in touch for several years. Many times they called to share their joy at the birth of another child. It was never said, in so many words, but their love and intimacy with Christ was obvious. To my knowledge, they are still serving Christ.

Back then, I had no good answer for their “WHY” questions. Most likely, I never will. All that I knew at that time for sure was their unspeakable sorrow at the suffering and death of their innocent child. But I am certain of something now, that I did not see back then. It is this. Marcie became God’s mighty instrument for restoring her parents to fellowship with the Savior.

The Suffering of the Innocent Displays God’s glory

At first glance, this premise might appear to be little more than an attempt at religious “spin.” The skeptic is sure that such a claim is merely a subtle attempt to evade the implications of meaningless and inexplicable suffering of the innocent. But, the skeptic is mistaken. There is no biblical reason to doubt that God desires to promote the happiness of His creatures [cf. Acts 14:17; 1 Tim. 6:17]. It is also true that He is concerned about the progress of our sanctification, namely, becoming Christ-like in every dimension of our life. But these designs for His people are neither, His highest purpose, nor, the ultimate goal of His works. Orthodox theology has consistently held that God’s ultimate purpose in all things is God’s own glory [cf. Ps.19:1;Isa. 48:11; Rom. 9:23; Eph 1:6; Rev. 4:11]. For example, the answer to the first question in the Westminster Catechism is “Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God and fully to enjoy him forever.” A long held biblical dictum teaches that a person may only enjoy full harmony with God’s purpose [and therein true happiness] when God’s glory is made the goal of life [1 Cor. 10:31].

During four decades of starting and pastoring churches, this writer has witnessed several miraculous healings of sick and injured bodies [including my own] that defy explanation. I have personally heard several capable, non-Christian physicians attest to some healing event that defies any scientific or medical explanation. In such case, there is no clinical answer for why a person suddenly gets well who never should have recovered. At these times, sometimes begrudgingly, the non-Christian doctors and nurses, are obliged to concede the intervention of a “Power” that is greater than that of modern medicine. In such cases, God receives much Glory!

But miracles are not limited to physical deliverance. Hopeless marriages have been salvaged and blessed. Broken and estranged families have been joyously reunited. Both improbable and impossible prayer requests have been granted, and amazing emotional, physical, material, and spiritual displays of God’s power are all common. All these point to the glory of God. It is a dark and cynical mind that denies the source for these doings could be anything other than the hand of Almighty God. It certainly isn’t difficult to glorify the Lord at these displays.

However, there is another side to this coin. As difficult as it may be to accept, God’s performance of miracles, or other great display of power are not His only venue for glory. We dare not forget that God is as glorious when He waits while we pray, as God is, when He works while we pray. God’s silence is as marvelous as His thunder. His glory is as invincible when He frowns, as it is, should He smile. His glory is neither enhanced by our faith, nor diminished by our doubts. When God loves and when He hates, His glory remains undiminished. His glory is not lessened by a Christian’s untimely death, any more than it is enhanced by a Christian living to the age of one hundred.

In a great trial, the prophet Elijah sought for God and His glory. He was sure that God was to be found in a ferocious cyclone, or surely, in an earthquake. He did not find Him, so he kept looking and thought that maybe God was in a great inferno. But God and His glory were in none of these. The prophet met Him in a cave and it was in a “still small voice” that Elijah knew Gods presence and glory [1 Kings 19: 11-13].

God’s glory is not affected in the least by His ordering of the events of our life. This is apparent in the contrast in the life and death of two of the Lord’s apostles. God’s glory is seen in John’s prolonged life, but His glory is just as plain in Peter’s premature death. With John, it was by living that God is glorified, but with Peter, it was in his dying that God’s glory was manifested[John 21:19-23].

Who can deny the glory that Christ received by the multitudes of healings done in Christ’s name through Paul? Though it is more difficult to see, there is equal glory for Christ, when three times Paul asked Him to heal his own affliction, and, three times God said, “No.” What the Lord did do for Paul, was to assure him that His grace would be all that he needed [2 Cor. 12: 2-10]. We are not told if Paul ever asked God, “WHY?”

But even if the apostle did ask the “WHY” question, this does not lessen Paul’s faithfulness. He came to understand that it is in the denial of healing that God’s glory would be amplified in his life. Paul speaks of the glory of bearing in his body the “marks of the Lord Jesus?” These scars were the consequence of the torture and suffering Paul endured for Christ’ sake [Galatians 6: 14-17; Phil 1:29; Acts 5:41]. This is no glib sentiment, but personal experience, that Paul is expressing when he speaks of presenting our bodies as a holy, acceptable, and living sacrifice, [Rom. 12: 1, 2]. God’s glory is magnified every time any believer remains steadfast and trusting. But who can doubt that His glory is even more exalted when a Christian in a time of much suffering or even death, neither denies nor faults the Savior.

A final thought concerning God’s glory and suffering should be mentioned. Christ’s glory is neither limited to, nor, exclusively defined by his power or other Divine attributes. His glory is without doubt, connected to His own suffering, dying, and resurrection. The undeniable proof that God’s glory is not diminished by the suffering of the innocent is seen in the redemptive suffering of the only One who is absolutely innocent, Jesus Christ, Himself:
“Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify,
when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the GLORY that should follow” [1 Pet1:11].

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name
which is above every name. . . .And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father” [Phil. 2: 8, 11].

The Suffering of the Innocent and Intimacy With God

“Suffering” is a sort of word that is not typically used in a positive context. Yet, beyond what has already been pointed out in the preceding paragraphs, suffering is the main door through which Christ’s people may enter into true intimacy with the Savior.

Every believer has peace with God because of our reconciliation with God. The new birth results in, not only, reconciliation, but also, justification, and sanctification, and brings the convert into essential unity with Christ. But many Christians never enjoy the degree of peace and fullness of relationship with Christ that the Lord desires for us. This potential fellowship is what the Bible calls the peace of God, and is first mentioned by Jesus in His final sermon before His Crucifixion:

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid [John 14:27].

This is the same concept that the Apostle Paul speaks of in his letter to the Christians at Philippi:

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto
all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the
PEACE OF GOD, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus [Phil. 4: 4-7].

But how is one most likely to secure this special “peace?” How may we genuinely rejoice in all things, or how are we to accept, as God’s purpose, the sort of protracted suffering that overwhelms us, crushes us, and breaks our heart? In such times, we do not see this as God’s will, rather, we believe ourselves to be forsaken by God and forgotten by our friends. We are sure that no other person can possibly relate to our circumstance, neither the fullness of our suffering, nor the depth of our despair. We ask ourselves such questions as: “Who but we, or our loved ones, can know what it is like for my baby [or me] to have incurable cancer?” Or, “How can anyone with a sound marriage know what it is like to have your spouse betray you and insist on a divorce regardless of what it will do to the children?”
Troops on patrol hunker down in a ditch or filthy street in Iraq or Afghanistan, and wonder, as they grieve over the legless and mutilated body of a friend just killed by an IED, “What can anyone, who has never been in battle, know of the suffering of war and combat?”

It is when someone who has endured the same peril or suffering and attempts to console us, that we are best helped by the comforting. The personal experience of such a comforter makes for a greater credibility, insight, and intimacy, than is possible from any other source. Educational, religious, or professional background and credentials mean far less to the suffering than does the simple, but valid assertion, “I know what you are going through.”

Allow me to give an example. Members of our Armed Forces or veterans who have earned the Purple Heart ribbon for wounds received in battle, or the Combat Infantryman Badge for service in actual combat understand the significance of these awards. Wherever they are spotted, perhaps a ribbon or badge on a dress uniform, a small pin on a hat or suit coat, or an emblem on a license plate, or on a wall display, there is an immediate response. The warriors who have earned these citations may have done so in different wars, be of varied ages, and come from diverse backgrounds and circumstances. But without words or introduction there is a connection, a brotherhood, and an intimacy that is unsolicited and spontaneous.

This principle of shared experience and common interest is not limited to military or public service personnel. It is apparent in many social, civic, and advocacy groups. These groups such as cancer survivor clubs, or divorce support groups, or single parent clubs, may all have an agenda. But in each group there is a mutual experience that unites and energizes the members. The unifying bond is that of some common or shared tragedy or suffering.

My point is this: Tragedy and suffering may open a door to spiritual intimacy with Christ that can be entered in no other way. The deepest love and closest fellowship with the Savior is not to be realized in the context of some great healing or stunning accomplishment. It is mostly in the school of suffering that such intimacy with the Savior is learned.

“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings,
being made conformable unto his death;” [Phil 3:10].

“For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points temped like as we are, yet without sin, [Hebrews 4:15].

It is in a time of great suffering, and, when every possibility of human help is exhausted, that a real intimacy with Christ is most likely. So often the sufferer thinks that no one can possibly know the depth of their sorrow or suffering. They wonder if God knows the situation, and if so, does He even care? But God does know and He does care about the affairs of His children. The often repeated charge by the cynic is: “Where is God on the day that the sufferer really needs Him?” The simplest answer is that “He is in the same place as He was when His Son needed Him that day at Calvary.”

There has never been, before or after, such innocent suffering as that endured by Christ. It is easier for us to accept that God sometimes does not answer our “WHY” questions, when we recall, that neither did he answer Jesus’ question. The ultimate example of the innocent suffering while God remains silent is Christ Himself: “My God, My God, [WHY] hast thou forsaken me?” [Matt. 27:46].

The suffering of Christ was much more than the unspeakable physical torture and pain of crucifixion. He had been betrayed by a friend, tried illegally by religious courts, and condemned unjustly by Roman officials. He endured, alone, the bitterness and despair of complete rejection by God. But there is more. Not only was Christ utterly forsaken by God, but also, abandoned by His followers. He is denied and deserted by His closest friends and His earthly family. Little wonder that the Lord was overwhelmed with sorrow and loneliness. His suffering would have neither respite, nor mitigation until the work of redemption is finished.

There is a commentary in the book of Hebrews concerning Christ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane [cf. Hebrews 5:6,7]. It should be observed that as Christ prayed, He did not ask His Father to save Him from death. It is simply a statement that Jesus prayed to the One “able to save him from death.” What the Lord is confirming is Christ’s perfect trust in the Father, and His acceptance of God’s will regardless of the cost and without trying to alter it:

“Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with
strong crying and tears unto him that as able to save him from death and was heard in
that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered,”
[Hebrews 5: 7,8]

But need we limit the benefit of the suffering and sacrifice of the Savior to that of redemption and justification and the other glorious aspects of our soul’s salvation? It is clear that there is also the blessing of a present and caring Friend. A Comforter that is able to succor us in our suffering. He is the One that has been through what we are going through and knows what it is that we are suffering. It is Christ who will not forsake us and will walk with us even through the valley of the shadow of death. He does understand and He does care. He knows the pain, and despair and confusion of not knowing, “WHY” God will not answer us.

Some Christians willingly endure suffering for His name’s sake because they love Him and that they may serve Him. Innocent sufferers do not choose this path, but God chooses them for it. They may not see it now, but one day they shall know the purpose of their suffering. Perhaps it is but an initiation into a sacred honor, namely, the privilege of knowing the “fellowship of His suffering” so that true intimacy with the Savior may be entered.

“Does Jesus Care?”
Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth and song;
As the burdens press, and the cares distress,
And the way grows weary and long?

Does Jesus care when my way is dark
With a nameless dread and fear?
As the daylight fades into deep night shades,
Does He care enough to be near?

Does Jesus care when I’ve said goodbye
To the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks-
Is it aught to Him? Does He see?

Refrain

Oh, yes, He cares; I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.
Frank E. Graeff / J. Lincoln Hall

Conclusion

It has now been a little over a year since I first visited here. The ICU unit looks the same. It still reeks of sickness, and suffering, and dying. I am still intimidated, and I still don’t like being here. For several months after the treatments, she had progressed enough to remain home with Steve and the kids. Precious and joyous days, regretted only because of their brevity.

But the enemy has been brutal and relentless. The battle will soon be over. The tubes and monitors are still connected. Steve and her mother are sitting in the same spots and in the same wooden chairs. I notice that now there are others standing quietly in the room. They nod a welcome as I enter, but nothing is said. Alas, what can be said? Steve gently holds her hand. This time he neither stands, nor offers his chair. A kindly nurse, busy with the monitors, offers to find me a seat. I thank the nurse, but tell her that I would rather stand.

Her face is gaunt, but she still manages a faint smile. Her words are soft, barely a whisper, “I am glad you are here, Pastor.” In spite of her weakness, there is something different about her. The change has been apparent for several months. As health declined, her spirit has grown stronger. Her family is not sure what has changed, but for quite a while, she has shown neither desperation, nor fear. What had first been mistaken for resignation, they now agree, is a remarkable peace. The tears still fall occasionally when she hugs her children or Steve. But even when the tears come, they don’t last long anymore. An unseen hand wipes them away and she is confident. The pity is not for herself. It is for the void she knows that her leaving will cause them.

God still hasn’t told her “WHY.” But she is neither angry, nor perplexed. Everything is OK. Instead of telling her “WHY,” it seems He has shown her “WHO.” It is enough. It has been less than an hour since my arrival, but it is time to go. Steve holds her and whispers one last time, “You know I love you and YOU ARE beautiful.” She smiles and whispers, “I’ll we waiting with our Savior.” She departs. I am glad I was here.

Etched on a grave stone in a tiny village cemetery are these words:
“And he asked, ‘who gathered this flower?’
And the gardener answered, ‘The Master.’
And his fellow servant held his peace.”