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May God's abundant blessings cover the entire blockchain community.
Suffering is a hard and painful process in humanity. There are those who question God for the many moments of suffering that man lives.
On one occasion, a French philosopher made the following comment: "God is dead. Marx is dead. And for my part, I don't feel very well." His words and attitude illustrate the prevailing pessimism in our society.
If there really is a God, why does he allow so much suffering in the world? people ask
Many sincere Christians debate this same question. We can only understand the problem of suffering by going to the Bible.
Basically, there are four types of suffering.
The first case of suffering is the result of natural disasters, such as an earthquake or a great storm, whose consequences affect the just and unjust (Matthew 5:45).
A second type of suffering could be called "the inhumanity of man towards man." The war would fall into this category. The man tries to hurt his neighbor because of his greed and pride (James 4: 1-2).
A third type of suffering is clearly demonstrated in the life of Job in the Old Testament. It was the result of Satan's direct attack. After receiving God's authorization, Satan began to act and caused Job and his family suffering.
The fourth type of suffering is what happens as a result of our own wrong actions. For example, if I throw myself from the roof of my house and fall to the ground, breaking my leg (and that is the least that can happen to me), I am suffering because I violated the divine law of gravity. Similarly, individuals suffer when they violate God's moral laws.
There is much suffering as a result of the bad decisions that men make. Part of the suffering, although not all, is allowed by God as punishment for sin. Often, God simply forces people to live with the consequences of their actions (Galatians 6: 7-8).
Every time men violate God's law, there are others who will also be exposed to pain. We find a clear example in the story of Achan in Joshua 7.
When he coveted and participated in the spoils of the battle of Jericho, his sin cost the lives of 36 men in the battle against the people of Ai.
Others will suffer from a person's disobedience. It is unavoidable.
Whether we have caused our suffering or not, the way we respond to it will build or destroy us as Christians. Circumstances generally do not shape our character, but reveal it. But by responding properly to the tests, we can develop patience and a mature character (Romans 5: 3-4).
The problems, pressures, calamities or death of a loved one often make us examine ourselves and try to discover sin in our lives (1 Kings 17:18).
Pain hits the flag of truth in the heart. However, we must be careful not to allow Satan to overwhelm us with a false sense of guilt and excessive pain (2 Corinthians 2: 7). Job's wife urged him to curse God and die. But he did not give up and remained faithful to the Lord. Keep in mind that in the end God gave Job back everything he had before, and even more (Job 42: 10-17).
Instead of focusing our eyes on circumstances, we must keep our eyes on Jesus Christ, the source of life. He will give us victory in whatever situation we are going through, and as a result of those trials, we will be stronger and better equipped Christians to serve him.
In times of pessimism and suffering we can say with the psalmist: "It is in my favor! How can I fear? What can man do to me?" (Psalm 118: 6). The Lord Himself, as the suffering Servant, is our comfort and hope in difficult times.
Do you trust God and wait on Him when you go through times of difficulties and sorrows?