Answers
By BGEA Admin • March 22, 2019 • Topics: Crisis Situations, Suffering
Q:
The question is as old as time, I suppose, but while I love God and try to do the right thing, I cannot understand why God allows good people to suffer. Is there any simple answer?
A:
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham:
There may not be “simple” answers to why people suffer but there are many examples of how people survive hardships that come to us in life because they see the bigger picture. In spite of what many people believe, we are put here for one purpose—to glorify God through obedience to Him.
Years ago a woman watched her comfortable world disintegrate in one blinding moment. Without her faith in God, she might have remained hidden in a dark room.
She had been in a hideous accident. While she was spared from burning to death, her beautiful face was disfigured and went through many reconstructive surgeries. One day she had a sun-filled life with beauty, wealth and an attentive husband; the next day she lost it all.
After six weeks in a coma, and seven years of seclusion, she gave her life to Christ and realized it was time to emerge from despair. She knew God had saved her for a reason. She began working at a rehabilitation center where her own disabilities gave her the credibility to reach out to others. When asked about her greatest joy, she answered, “It’s waking up in the morning and knowing that nothing is an accident.”
She came to believe that while life can hand us difficulties, the Lord will bring good out of them. We can accept this truth or we can deny it, but our attitude toward the outcome makes all the difference. Human weakness makes this impossible sometimes, but with God all things are possible when we are willing to give Him glory and praise for seeing us through (Matthew 19:26).
(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
