How Can a God of Love Allow Pain & Suffering? | Embracing God's Omniscience

Hey everybody, Greg Laurie here. Let me ask you a question. Are you eager to make a difference in the spiritual lives of others? When you give to Harvest, you become a part of our mission to make God known through unique avenues like television, radio, and large-scale evangelistic events. Support us today at harvest.org slash donate and help us to continue to spread the gospel around the world. Why does God allow pain, suffering, evil in the world? Why does God allow things to happen in your life that make no sense?

Are you ready? Here's my answer. I don't know. On this side of eternity, it may be one of the unknowables. But today, Pastor Greg Laurie says the Lord doesn't leave us with no hope. Jesus said, in this world, you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. This is the day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Again you hear all the angels are singing.

This is the day, the day when life begins. God is on missions. He's all-knowing.

We're not. There are so many things God understands that we can't quite grasp. We don't even know how many things we don't know. Well, today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out one of the most often asked questions falls into this category. But Pastor Greg tackles it head-on and offers encouraging biblical perspective.

It's a message from his candid new series, Hot Button Issues. The title of my message is, How Can a God of Love Allow Pain and Suffering? Some of you are thinking, oh, why did I come to church today? And others are thinking, I'm so glad I came to church today.

It all depends what you're facing in life. But I did hear a story about a man who was on his deathbed. And he was slipping in out of a coma for several weeks. And his wife faithfully stayed by his side for the entire time.

And so he came to consciousness and he motioned to her to come close and she did. And he said, my dear wife, I have to say, you have been with me through everything I've faced in life. You were with me when I got fired from my job. You were with me when my business failed. When we lost the house, you were there. When I got really sick, you were still there. When I got shot, you were there. And her heart was warming up and her eyes were welling up with tears. And then he said, I think you're bad luck.

Just a joke. Okay, so life is filled with trouble. There's no escaping it.

No getting away from it. In fact, in the book of Job, chapter five, verse seven, it says, people are born for trouble as predictably as sparks fly upward from a fire. And that's so true. And then there are those days where everything seems to go wrong. Then we just look at what's going on around the world and we say, why is this happening? Or we hear of a cataclysmic event. Maybe a tsunami hits a place. Or we hear of someone that we know.

They get cancer. Or just the tragedies of life. And they're out there. And we wonder, why? How and why could a God of love allow all of this pain, tragedy, and suffering?

In fact, a barnacle was taken and they were asked, if you could ask God one question and get an answer, what would you ask? And the response was, we want to ask God, why is there so much pain and suffering in the world? If you're sharing the gospel with someone, it probably won't be long before they say something along the lines of, well, if God is so loving and caring, why would He allow suffering and pain in the world?

C.S. Lewis put it this way, and I quote, the problem of pain is atheism's most potent weapon against the Christian faith. And that's true. More people point to the problem of evil and suffering for their reason for not believing in God than any other. It's not simply a problem. It is effectively the problem. If God is so loving as it's often framed, why doesn't He do something?

Here's the classic statement of the problem. Either God is all powerful, but He's not all good, therefore He doesn't stop evil. Or He's all good, but He's not all powerful, and therefore He can't stop evil. So the tendency is to blame God pretty much for everything. It's God's fault. And if He's loving and good, why doesn't He do something about it?

Well, the whole part of this, the statement, and especially the first part of it, is based on a false premise. Because people who say, if God is good, why? They're essentially saying, I determine what is good. I even determine if God is good. So God, in their estimation, is not measuring up to my standards of what I perceive goodness as, therefore they're concluding, falsely of course, that God is not good.

Now, my response is, when did you become the moral center of the universe? Who are you to say what is good in the first place, or what is bad? Here's what the Bible teaches, and this is why we need to learn to think biblically. God is good, period. If I believe it or not, God is good. The Bible clearly establishes that.

Paul said, let God be true, and every man a liar. Okay, but what is good? Answer, good is what God approves.

It's good because he approves it. Well, someone might say, that's circular reasoning. I call it biblical reasoning. I'm just coming back to what the Bible says. God says in Isaiah 1 18, come, let's reason together.

Or another way to put that, let's argue this out. You see, God's thoughts are above our thoughts. His ways are above our ways, and there's no higher standard of goodness than God's own character. So God is good. So let's include that part of the question, and instead of saying, if God is good, why? Let's just say why. Why is there suffering?

Why is there pain? Why all of these things happening in the world? Well, God created us with a free will because he didn't want a bunch of robots that were pre-programmed doing whatever he told us to do. He wants us to love him out of our own heart and our own volition. So many of the bad things that happen in life, quite frankly, are brought about by mankind.

Not all, but many, if not most. It all goes back to our first parents, Adam and Eve. They ate of that forbidden fruit. If they had not eaten of that forbidden fruit, sin would not have entered the world. If they had not eaten of that forbidden fruit, we would have never gotten sick.

We wouldn't age. We wouldn't even die if they had not eaten of that fruit. But they did eat.

If they had not eaten of that forbidden fruit, I would have a full head of hair right now. So we're all reaping the consequences of their choice. Which, quite frankly, if you had been the first ones in the garden instead of Adam and Eve, you would have made the same choices as well.

The Bible tells us, Romans 5, 12, when Adam sinned, sin entered the human race, and Adam sin brought death and death spread to everyone, for everyone has sinned. But when we're mystified, why do these things happen? So I'm going to give you the answer. If you miss everything else I've said, here's the answer. Why does God allow pain, suffering, evil in the world?

Why does God allow things to happen in your life that make no sense? Are you ready? You have a pen? Write it down. Here's my answer. I don't know.

I don't know. You should have met me when I was 21 years old and I just started preaching. I knew everything.

I had five scriptures, and I had an answer for every question. I'm not saying I know less now than I knew then, but I'm just saying it's okay sometimes to say I really don't know why. Okay, but there are some reasons God allows suffering in our life that we'll explore together, but we are going to suffer in life. That's clearly taught in scripture. Some people do suffer more than others, don't they?

Yeah, we don't know why. 1 Peter 4, 12 says, don't be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you. Our trials and sufferings and difficulties should not seem strange.

They should be expected in some way, shape, or form. Jesus said, in this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer I have overcome the world. So maybe I'm talking to somebody that's just having the greatest day of all time.

In fact, you said, I was in the greatest mood until you started preaching. Well, I hate to break it to you, but there's trouble coming your way in some way, shape, or form around the corner. You're either coming out of a storm or eventually pulling into one, and this is not just for the Christian.

This is for everyone. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. Calamity comes into all of our lives, so that should not surprise you. That should not shock you. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.

Whenever you send us an email, letter or post a comment on social media, we read every word. Pastor Greg, I really needed to hear your podcast today about discipleship. I've been wanting to hear God when I'm reading the Bible and to learn to study it slowly so that I'll understand what I'm reading, which I'm now doing. By the way, I also really enjoyed watching the last Harvest Crusade online.

It was so encouraging to see so many young people there, and it filled my heart with joy and hope for the future of my grandchildren. Thank you, Pastor Greg. Has Pastor Greg heard from you? Why not drop him an email? Send it to greg.harvest.org.

Do it today while you're thinking about it. Again, that's greg.harvest.org. And you're along today for Pastor Greg's enlightening message called, How Can a God of Love Allow Pain and Suffering? I want to look at the story of a man who suffered greatly. He's sort of the poster boy for someone who suffered. And his name, of course, is Joe.

This is a man who in one single day had the bottom drop out in life, and every bad thing that could seemingly happen happened to him and maybe even a little bit more. Many believe that Job is the oldest book of the Bible. Some believe that Moses is the author of this book. But it starts by telling us Job came from a place called Oz. It almost sounds like a fairy tale, like Oz, Dorothy and Toto. But it was Oz. It was a real place. Job was a real guy who faced real problems, who turned to a real God, and he found real hope.

And Job shows us what we should do in times of crisis as well. So the story of Job opens in heaven. And then it sort of unfolds on earth. And a conversation is being held between the Lord and the angels. And among the angels is Satan. Now, remember, Satan the devil, also known as Lucifer, is a fallen angel. In fact, he was once a very high ranking angel. So in the story of Job, here he is before the throne of God, and the Lord says to Satan, so wherever you come from, Satan replies, Job 1.7, I have been going back and forth across the earth watching everything that is going on.

Kind of creepy. But that is the devil. He is looking for trouble. He is looking for lives to ruin. He is looking for things to destroy. As Jesus said of him, the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.

And that is exactly what he was doing. In Peter he is described as a roaring lion walking about, seeking whom he may devour. But when we read that, he is watching everything that goes on that suggests activity, action, and a restlessness. And then the Lord decides to brag on Job. And in the presence of the angels and Lucifer, the Lord says, have you considered my servant Job, a perfect and upright man, one that fears God and shuns evil. The devil pushes back. Loose paraphrase.

Oh, give me a break. Job follows you because you give him cool stuff. He has a big family. He has wealth. He has the best life ever. And that is why he follows you. He doesn't really care about you. Give me a little time with Job and we will see what he is really made of. Now when I read this conversation I think, Lord, if you are ever for a fleeting moment feeling proud of me, don't say anything while the devil is around. Because a series of calamities came crashing down on Job.

It is unbelievable in many ways. It was probably a day like any other day. He opens his eyes. Here comes the sun rising. Stretches out his arms. Ok, Lord.

Let's see what you have in store for me today. And then one bad thing after another began to unfold in the life of Job. So the story begins where someone comes into his family that are having a meal together. And they say that a group of marauders just stole all of our animals and killed our farm heads. And before that person can finish speaking another comes in and says, well the fire of God fell on your sheep and on your shepherds. And then another one says, hey the camels were just stolen and more farm heads were killed.

And then it went from bad to worse. And we pick our story up in Job 1 verse 18. I am reading from the New Living translation. While he was still speaking another messenger arrived with this news.

Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother's house. Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the desert, hit the house from all sides and the house collapsed. And all your children are dead.

I am the only one escaped to tell you. Job stood up. He tore his robe in grief and he shaved his head and he fell to the ground before God.

Wow. I'll tell you all the things that Job experienced. The loss of his livestock and other calamities. None of it compared to losing his family. Losing his children. And I know this pain because as you know it happened to us when our oldest son Christopher was killed in a tragic automobile accident. When I heard the news I felt like my world literally ended. You say, well Greg you're a pastor.

Yeah I am. And I'm also a dad. And I was devastated. And I literally fell to the ground.

I couldn't even stand. And Kathy got down on her knees and she took my face into her hands and she said it's going to be okay. And of course in a broad sense it wasn't okay but I think what she was saying to me was you're going to survive this.

We're going to survive this. She was the only one who could say that to me in the room because she lost a son too. Because you know what? People say really crazy stuff in tragic times. They're well meaning perhaps. But they try to say something to comfort you and it doesn't comfort you. Sometimes it makes it even more difficult. There's a whole other message one could give on what not to say to someone who has lost a loved one. And I could just give you a list that goes on quite a while of things to not say.

Actually here's just a simple way to look at it. Less is more. There's nothing you're going to say that's going to make it better. Literally just to say I'm so sorry and just be there can sometimes do more for a person than trying to give them a little sermonette. And I heard quite a few sermonettes and I didn't need those at that particular moment. But it reminds me of how Job reacted.

He just fell to the ground. And we joined a club we never wanted to join. The club of people who lost children. Now you know it's interesting if you lose your husband you're a widow. If you lose your wife you're a widower. If you lose your parents you're an orphan. What are you if you lose your child? Well there's no word.

Maybe because it's so incomprehensibly awful they haven't come up with a description for it. But I joined this very exclusive club and it's not a fun one to be in. But I'll tell you God was with me. I was being interviewed a while back and someone asked me what is the most spiritual moment of your entire life? Meaning when did you feel God's presence more than any other time?

I had to think about it. I thought was it the day when I came to Christ? That was a very spiritual day. But actually it was not an emotional day for me. I don't know about your conversion. Was it the day I was baptized? As you know I sank down 30 feet. I'm kidding. That's a Jesus Revolution film.

Little footnote. Do you know how they shot that scene? How many of you have seen the Jesus Revolution film? Ok so when my character Greg is baptized he goes in the water but then he's sinking. Do you know how they did that? They shot that in a water tank in Alabama. And the actor Joel Courtney playing me had weights attached to him. And they took him down and they had John Irwin the director had a scuba tank and he would give Joel oxygen and then they'd push him back up and he sank again. And that lasted for hours. He was like pickled by the end of it.

But when you see the scene you just see he goes in the water sings the music plays. Very dramatic. That's how it was done. But was my baptism my most emotional day? No it wasn't. Was my wedding my most spiritual day? Big day.

But no. And I had to admit that the moment I felt the presence of Jesus was right after I heard the worst news ever. It's like Jesus made himself so known to me that he was there. And Job experienced that as well. You know sometimes when tragedy hits people say I lost my faith. You know this happened to me.

It's not fair. I lost my faith. Ok. Maybe that's good.

What? Hey the faith that cannot be tested is the faith that cannot be trusted. Your faith should not be based on your emotion. Your faith should not be on everything going circumstantially well because it won't. Your faith should not be on everyone always being the perfect example for you to follow. Your faith needs to be in Christ. And he will never let you down. He will never abandon you.

He can be fully trusted. That's the faith you need. Character is not made in Christ. It's revealed.

It's revealed. It shows what your character is. It shows what your faith is in or I should say rather who your faith is in. And so here is Job facing all of this. Good insight from Pastor Greg Laurie today based on the familiar story of Job in the Old Testament. Pastor Greg will continue his message next time but he has a final comment to share with us in just a moment so stay tuned. Well Pastor Greg somebody may be listening right now who's facing some pain and suffering of their own.

They may not consider themselves as particularly religious but boy they could sure use some help about now. Yes sometimes God will let us go through hardship so he'll get our attention. The psalmist said before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have kept your word. So maybe something's happening in your life that's caused you to look up as in looking up to God and you're saying help. Listen that's not a bad place to be. In fact that's a really good place to be. It's been said when you get to the end of yourself you get to the beginning of God.

Do you feel like you're at the end of yourself right now? Then why don't you pray? In fact I would like to lead you on a prayer. Maybe you've never prayed before. You don't even know how to start praying.

That's okay. Prayer is just talking to God. Let me lead you in a simple prayer. You could pray it after me in fact and this is a prayer where you're asking God to enter into your situation but more significantly you're asking Christ to enter into your life. See that's what being a Christian is. It's having Christ living inside of you.

It's a relationship not some religious thing. So if you would like a relationship with God, if you would like God to walk with you through your times of difficulty, you could pray this prayer after me right now. Just pray these words if you would. Lord Jesus I'm scared and I need your help and I'm asking you to enter my life. I'm asking you to forgive me of my sin. I know that you died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead but I want to receive you now as my Savior and my Lord.

So I invite you into my life and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for hearing this prayer and thank you for answering this prayer. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Amen. And listen if you have just prayed that prayer along with Pastor Greg and you've meant those words sincerely, the Lord has heard you and has forgiven you of your sin and we want to welcome you into the family of God. Let us help you begin living for the Lord each day. Pastor Greg would like to send you his New Believers Bible. It's in an easy to understand translation and has scores of helps to get a New Believer started. So get in touch and we'll send you the New Believers Bible free of charge. Call us at 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click the words Know God. And Pastor Greg we're so thankful for the work God is doing through this ministry. We're touching lives for eternity and we're really thankful for our friends who see the fruit of this ministry and invest so this work can reach even further isn't that right?

Absolutely. When you invest in Harvest Ministries you're investing in the souls of men and women, boys and girls. And what is the value of a soul?

Well let me personalize it. What's the value of your soul? What's the value of the soul of your husband, your wife, your son or your daughter or your mom or your dad or your best friend?

Well I would say you probably couldn't put a price tag on it. It's so valuable. Well listen God says all souls are mine.

God loves us and sent his son to die on the cross to pay the price for all of our sins so we could be forgiven and come into a relationship with him. I can't think of a better investment of my resources, of my money than in the work of the kingdom of God. So we would ask you to prayerfully consider investing in Harvest Ministries as we continue on to fulfill the great commission. Yeah that's right and you can make your donation right now at harvest.org or write us at A New Beginning Box 4000 Riverside California 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300.

That's a 24-7 phone number 1-800-821-3300. Well next time, more good perspective on the reasons God allows those times of pain and suffering in our lives. But before we go for the day, Pastor Greg returns to a study called How Can a God of Love Allow Pain and Suffering? You know people say I have questions for God and I have questions for God too. And when I get to heaven I have a list of questions.

Oh do you now? I can just see you. There you are in the presence of God Almighty.

There's the glassy sea. There's the angels of God. There's all of your loved ones.

There's Jesus Christ. Arms outstretched. You are going to say, hey everyone good to see you. I have these questions. You won't have any questions. You will just be worshiping God with the rest of us. Because all of your questions will be answered in that final day.