Answers
By BGEA Staff • April 13, 2024 • Topics: Aging
Q:
It has been gut-wrenching to watch my parents grow old and exist in bad health that keeps getting worse. Why does God allow people, especially people who follow Him, to suffer so? The dying process is grotesque, and I think it is worse for the caregiver than the patient because we have no control of the outcome.
A:
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Many people have experienced watching a loved one grow old and struggle with pain and discomfort for great lengths of time. No one knows completely why, but the Bible tells us that we live in a fallen world and much of what happens falls far short of God’s original plan. Why? Because man disobeyed God and rebelled against Him.
But even when we can’t totally understand why God allows things like this to happen, He can still be trusted to do what is right. God is sovereign and He knows what is best for the one who is suffering and for those caring for them. In God’s time, He will take the suffering saint to be with Him.
When someone is dying, we should ask God to teach us whatever lessons He has for us in this experience. Sometimes, God allows a loved one to linger because family members need to come together and be reconciled to one another. God also may use situations like this to teach us how to love others who are in need and to remind us of the brevity of life.
We can react with bitterness and hate God, as some do, or we can accept suffering as a natural part of life and a condition that comes with living in this world. We cannot avoid suffering, but we can determine our response to it.
(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
