WHY DOES GOD ALLOW SO MUCH SUFFERING AND YET WE ARE TOLD HE IS ALL LOVING?
I had wondered this question myself until I got this satisfying answer that got me convinced and cleared all my doubts.. This article is kinda lengthy but I encourage u to finish it and thank Godness later.. It's especially written because of people's views that I've read here in Nairaland.. Just so that everyone could read it without prejudgement! I'll save my source for later..


After a terrible battle in one war-torn land, the thousands of civilian women and children who had been killed were buried in a mass grave surrounded by markers. Each marker bore the inscription "WHY"? Sometimes that is the most painful question of all. People ask it when war, disaster or crime takes their innocent loved ones, destroys their home, or brings them to untold suffering in other ways. They want to know why such tragedies befall them.
Why does God allow suffering? If Jehova God is all-powerful, loving, wise and just, why is the world so full of hatred, and injustice? Have u areever wondered about these things yourslf? Is it wrong to ask Why God allows suffering? Some worry that asking such a question means they're showing disrespect for God. When reading the bible you will find that faithful, God-fearing people had similar questions. Eg Propbet Habakkuk asked Jehovah "why is it that you make me see what is hurtful, and you keep looking upon mere trouble? And why does quarreling occur, and why is strife carried? Habakkuk 1:3. God did not scold Habakkuk for asking such questions, instead He included Habakkuks sincere words in the bible. God also helped him to get a clearer understanding of matters and to gain greater faith. Jehovah wants to do the same for you. Remember the bible teaches that "he cares for you"(1 Peter 5:7) God hates wickedness and the suffering it causes far more than any human does. WHY, THEN, is there so much suffering in the world?
WHY SO MUCH SUFFERING?
People of various religions have gone to their religious leaders and teachers to ask why there is so much suffering. Often, the response is that suffering is God's will and that he long ago determined everything that would ever happen, including tragic events. Many are told that God's ways are mysterious or that he brings death upon people, even children, so that he can have them in heaven with him. But of truth, Jehovah never causes what is bad. The bible says "far be it from the true God to act wickedly, and the Almighty to act unjustly!" Job 34:10
Why do many make mistakes of blaming God for the suffering in the world? This is because they think that he is the real ruler of this world. They do not know a simple but important truth the bible teaches. The real ruler of this present world is Satan.. The bible clearly states "the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one" (1john5:19) when you think about it, does that not make sense? This world reflects the personality of the invisible spirit creature who is "misleading the entire inhabited earth" (Revelation 12:9). Satan is hateful, deceptive, and cruel. So the world, under his influence, is full of hatred, deceit, and cruelty. That is one reason why there is so much suffering.
A second reason is, mankind has been imperfect and sinful ever since the rebellion inthe garden of Eden.msinful humans tend to struggle for dorminance, and this results in wars, oppression, and suffering (Ecclesiates 4:1; 8:9) A third reason for suffering is "time and unforeseen occurrence" (Ecclesiastes 9:11). In a world without JEhovah as a protective ruler, people may suffer because they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It's comforting for us to know that God does not cause suffering. He is not responsible for the wars, crimes, oppression, or even the natural disasters that cause people to suffer. Still we need to know. Why does Jehovah allow all this suffering? If he is Almighty, he has the power to stop it. Why then does he hold back? The loving God that we have come to know must have a good reason. Consider this
To find out why God allows suffering, we need to think back to the time when suffering began. When satan led Adam and Eve into disobeying Jehovah, an important question was raised. Satan did not question Jehovah's power. Even satan knows that there is no limit to Jehovah's power. Rather , satan questioned Jehovah's right to rule. By calling God a liar who withholds good from his subjects, satan charged that Jehovah is a bad ruler (Genesis 3:2-5) satan implied that mankind would be better off without God's rulership. This was an attack on Jehovahs sovereignty, his right to rule..
WHY did Jehovah not just destroyed the rebels in the Eden.... Adam and Eve rebelled against God. In effect, they said "we do not need Jehovah as our ruler. We can decide for ourselves what is right and what is wrong. How could Jehovah settle that issue? How could he teach all intelligent creatures that his way truly is best? Someone might say that God should have simply destroyed the rebels and made a fresh start. But Jehovah had stated his purpose to fill the earth with the offspring of Adam and Eve, and he wanted them to live in an earthly paradise (Genesis 1:28) Jehovah always fulfills his purposes (Isaiah 55:10,11). Besides that, getting rid of the rebels in Eden would not have answered the question that had been raised regarding Jehovah's right to rule. To illustrate
Imagine that a teacher is telling his students how to solve a difficult problem. A clever but rebellious student claims that the teacher is not capable, this rebel insists that he knows a much better way to solve the problem. Some students think that he is right, and they also become rebellious. What should the teacher do? If he throws the rebels out or he class, what will be the effect on the other students? Will they not believe that their fellow student and those who joined him are right? All the other students in the class might lose respect for the teacher, thinking that he is afraid of being proved wrong. But suppose tha the teacher allows the rebel to show the class how he would solve the problem.
Jehovah has done something similar to what the teacher does. Remember that the rebels in Eden were not the only ones involved (Job38:7, Daniel 7:10) Millions of Angels were watching. how Jehovah handled the rebellion would greatly affect all those Angels and eventually all intelligent creature. So what has Jehovah done? He has allowed satan to show how he would rule mankind. God has also allowed humans to govern themselves under satans guidance.
The teacher in our illustration knows that the rebel student and those on his side were wrong. But he also knows that allowing them the opportunity to try to prove their point will benefit the whole class. They will understand why the teacher thereafter removes any rebels from the class. Similarly, Jehovah knows that all honest-hearted humans and angels will benefit from seeing that satan and his fellow rebels have failed and that humans cannot govern themselves. Like the Jeremiah of old, they will learn this vital truth "I well know, O Jehovah, that it does not belong to a man who is walking to even to direct his step" Jeremiah 10:23 .

Why For So Long? And why does he not prevent bad things from happening? Well consider two things that the teache in our illustration will not do. First, he would not stop the rebel from presenting his case. Secondly the teacher would not help the rebel to make his case. Similarly, Jehovah has not stopped satan and those who side with him from trying to prove that they are right. Allowing time to pass has thus been necessary. In the thousands of years of human history, mankind has been able to try every form of self-rule, or human government. Mankind has made advances in science and other fields, but injustice, poverty, crime and war have grown ever worse. Human rule has now been shown to be a failure. Again, similarly, Jehovah has not helped satan to rule this world. If God were to prevent horrible crimes, fro instance, would he not, in effect, be supporting the case of the rebels? Would God not be people think that perhaps humans can govern themselves without disastrous results? If Jehova were to act in that way, he would become party to a lie. However, it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18)
What though about all the harm that has been done during the long rebellion against God? We do well to remember that Jehovah is almighty. Therefore, he can and will undo the effects of mankinds suffering. The effects on the planet will be undone by.. And effects of sin will be undone by resurrection.. Meanwhile, God has been actively seeking sincere worshipper and helping them to endure any suffering that may come upon them in this troubled world..John 4:23; 1Corinthians 10:13
Some might wonder, could all this suffering have been prevented if God created Adam and Eve in such a way that they could not rebel? To answer that question, you need to remember a precious gift that Jehovah has given you.. "Free will" ..
That's the different between man and robots... Would we be happy if God made us like robots? No..
Jehovah is not interested in service performed under compulsion (2Corinthians 9:7) to illustrate, what will please a parent more- a child saying "I love you Mum" because he was told to say it or his saying it freely? Adam and Eve made wrong choices of their gift of free will, how would you use yours?

::H

Monday, May 11, 2015
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Does God Care?

"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."1[/size]

Some time ago when my then twenty-something son came to see me one evening, he was terribly distraught over a broken relationship that triggered a lot of pain from the past. As I hugged him, he sobbed his heart out on my shoulder. I am so thankful that he felt safe enough to do this knowing that it is always okay to share his feelings with me no matter what those feelings are … and no matter what age he is.

At times like these I have little to say—I feel my silence and giving him my presence speaks the loudest. I do, however, assure him of my love and acceptance no matter what. Unfortunately—usually more by men than women—when our kids or anyone else is hurting, we want to fix them and wax eloquent with unsolicited advice—advice that is totally divorced from the need of the moment and totally misses the opportunity to be as Jesus to one who is hurting. What people need when they are troubled is a listening ear, an understanding heart, and a shoulder to cry on.

At a time like this the question is often asked, "Where is God when our heart is breaking … does He care? Strange enough, right while my son was sobbing his heart out, the following gospel song was being sung on my computer. It brought tears to my eyes.

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth or song,
As the burdens press, and the cares distress,
And the way grows weary and long?

Refrain:
Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.

Does Jesus care when I've tried and failed
To resist some temptation strong;
When for my deep grief there is no relief,
Though my tears flow all the night long?

Does Jesus care when I've said "goodbye"
To the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks –
Is it aught to Him? Does He see?2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You that You do care when my heart is breaking. Help me to always remember this and sense Your comforting presence, knowing that when I commit and trust my life to You, You will, in time, turn my mourning into rejoicing and I will become a richer, healthier, more caring person. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT).
2. Frank E. Graeff, 1901.

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NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon Click HERE http://www.actsweb.org