The tsunami disaster in South East Asia leaves us with many questions. Why did it happened? Is it the judgement of God, like some people suggest? I think what Jesus answered the disciples in John 9:2-3 and Luke 13:2-5 is closer to the truth!

Suffering touches all of us and for some it may last for years through illness or accident, or through emotions tortured by despair and black depression. Deaths, unemployment and betrayals are truly painful when they happen in marriage, family or church. Poverty brings suffering through, lack of food, clean water and medicine. Political or religious persecution is also intensely painful when it brings abuse, injustice, inequality and ostracism. Our challenge is how we deal with trials and difficulties in our daily life in this world.

The Bible teaches us that God is good and all powerful. He reveals himself as a God of love. At the same time the Bible very openly tells us that suffering is real and very painful. Many evil things happen in this world and many innocent people suffer. Many people have wrestled with this dilemma since time began. I believe that at the present time we can only bring a partial explanation to the problem of suffering and evil but one day, when we are with the Lord in the world to come, we will be able to fully understand.

At the moment we may identify three reasons for suffering:

1. A fallen world

We live in a fallen world, deeply affected by sin. This world is perishable. Death and decay are universal realities. When the first humans caused sin to enter the world, the entire world was affected by sin from galactic levels down to global, microscopic and atomic levels which explain the climatic calamities, the natural disasters and internal catastrophies in our bodies.

2. Man’s free will

Human beings have a God-given free will. This is our ability to choose right or wrong. People’s wrong choices cause considerable suffering. Naturally God has limited himself to respect people’s choices otherwise people would not have a free will. When people choose to satisfy their own cravings or pursue their evil desires innocent people often suffer the consequences of it.

3. A malicious devil

There is a malicious devil. His sole purpose is to steal, kill and destroy, – to cause people to suffer. Because of his active evilness all that is required for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing! Martin Luther King jr. said: “At the end of the 20^th century, most of us will not have to repent of the great evils we have done, but simply of the great apathy that stopped us from doing anything.” These words apply to us as well at the beginning of the third millennium. The malicious devil is active in the world; someone needs to take an active stand against his evil schemes to try to stop innocent people suffer or at least make it less painful.

Sufferings can not separate us from the love of God

The Bible is very clear that suffering doesn’t mean that God is against us or doesn’t love us. No suffering or hardship can ever separate us from the love of God:

As believers in Jesus Christ we face the same problems in life that all people face, and in addition we may meet persecution and suffering because of our faith. Sickness, economical problems and other difficulties are something we, as well as non-believers, may experience in this life. The big difference lies in the fact the Lord Jesus Christ is with us in our trials and is helping us through our difficulties. When we face persecution and suffering he will strengthen us by his presence and guide us by his Spirit. As believers we are never left alone; he is always near!