[Micah] It's been said that the problem of suffering, sometimes known as the problem of pain or evil, is the biggest hindrance to the faith of Christians, and atheists, so we've got that in common.

[Christopher Hitchens] The torture, the violence, the cruelty. Heaven watches this going on with perfect insouciance.

[Micah] Have you ever considered that the very fact that we can say that things aren't as they should be speaks to an objective standard? C.S. Lewis once said, "A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line." How would a store owner ever spot a counterfeit dollar if he had no idea what a real dollar was supposed to look like? To say that suffering isn't how things should be shows that we actually believe in a standard that is beyond that. And for any of these things to be objective, they have to be greater than human opinion. You know who else transcends human opinion and claims to set these standards? If you're someone who is currently suffering...

[Voice] I'm in an extraordinarily large amount of pain. The bone has gone through the skin.

[Micah] Maybe not like that. This section might be hard to hear. I want to assure you, and we're going to talk about it, not all suffering is designed and handed out by God. Sometimes it happens by random chance. But we have to answer the question, if God is all-powerful, why does He allow suffering in the first place? And the Bible offers three reasons. We cause it ourselves, to reveal God's glory, or for our betterment. Beginning at the Garden of Eden, we're made aware of just how many consequences there are to sin. When sin and death entered the world through Adam, the self-inflicted penalties of disobeying God became immediately apparent. And this isn't because God was vindictive and wanted to hurt mankind for disobedience. But when sin separates us from God, who is life, death is the outcome.

James, the brother of Jesus, wrote, "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war within you? You lust and you don't have. You murder and covet and you can't obtain. You fight and war, yet you don't have because you don't ask." Later, he says that friendship with the world and the desires of it make us enemies of God. Not only does this show just how much humanity has to blame itself for some of the most intense suffering in the world, but just how compounding this issue is as time goes on. Ideally, God would have us learn from our mistakes and draw closer to him, just like any parent who allows their child certain freedom, but ultimately wants them to live lives as close to blameless as possible, aware of the consequences.

Time and chance do happen to us all. In the Gospels, Jesus claims this of a man who is blind from birth. His disciples look upon this man's life of suffering and ask the question that we're asking today. For what purpose has this man suffered? Did he sin? Did his parents sin? You can almost imagine them saying, "It doesn't seem fair." Jesus answers that it wasn't because of this man's sin that he was born blind, but that God's glory might be revealed. You'll notice though, it isn't the man asking why he had to go through this. He was just happy to see again. He was thrilled that God's glorification meant his deliverance from blindness.

[Voice] How were thine eyes opened? A man that is called Jesus made clay and anointed mine eyes and said unto me, "Go to the pool of Siloam and wash." And I washed, and do see.

[Micah] If you're looking at your own suffering or the suffering of someone you love and are thinking, God's glory isn't much consolation for this abject misery, I understand, and it's a tall order. But the fact is, we are made to glorify God. Whether it be through our testing and trial or life's successes and joys, glorifying God is a human being's chief purpose. It's why He made us. Of course, He didn't make us purely to receive praise while we're miserable. He desires to show us His goodness through our trials and in time also glorify us. All of the suffering and pain and evil endured in this world pales in comparison to the inexpressible joy of truly being able to glorify God, because when God is glorified, He glorifies us with Him.

Think about a time in the past when you suffered. Looking back, you're probably grateful that you didn't always get what you wanted right away. These are hard things to see in the moment, but incredible life lessons we need to keep in mind. Sometimes God allows us to go through hard times because while He does want us to be happy and content, His ultimate goal is for us to be in His family. And He'll get us there any way He needs to, even if it means a painful journey. Maybe you feel you're in endless tribulation. Have faith, it will produce perseverance. Maybe you're tired of having to persevere. Have faith, it will build character. Maybe you're starting to question what godly character even counts for if you're still undergoing suffering. But have faith. It will produce hope. And hope does not disappoint.

It's true that there is no evil that happens that God hasn't allowed to happen. But it's also true that no hair falls from your head that He doesn't take stock of. No tear falls from your face that He doesn't account for. No person dies that He doesn't remember. The first step is knowing what the Bible says about it, remembering that God is good even in the midst of a suffering world. But actively feeling this is another step entirely, and it's a hard thing to do. I'm genuinely sorry that you're struggling. I've felt pain in my own life, and I hate it and struggle with it as much as you do. But I know that God has us both, and He knows what He's doing, even if it's hard for us to see what He's doing in the moment. What's more important is our reaction to it. I'll echo the Apostle Peter and pray that after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.