Why Does God Let the Innocent Suffer?

Tragedy hurts. But a tragedy that involves the utterly senseless taking of the lives of innocent children is a blow to the heart that can send us reeling. Such a blow is hard to recover from and the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, is a most recent and horrifying example of this profound pain. Heated debates typically spring up after such a tragedy as everyone wants answers as to how to stop such things. One resounding question that comes from believers and unbelievers alike is, how can an all-knowing, all-powerful God see such things happen and just, well, just do nothing? If God is love as the Bible says He is, how do we even begin to understand what so many consider to be His utter lack of attention and intervention in such tragedies? God created humanity in His own image. This means He gave us the abilities to feel emotion, to think critically and to choose. While these abilities are among the greatest aspects of our human freedom, they are also the most problematic. We are also descendants of Adam and were therefore born into his sinful nature. This means our emotions, critical thinking and choices are distorted by unbalanced and broken perceptions of the world around us. While we are all stuck in this sin-driven pattern, those who commit heinous crimes are particularly noticeable. They ruin themselves and destroy the lives of countless others in the process. While God does allow our sinful emotions, thinking and choices – and their consequences – to rule our lives, this is not the end result of His plan. The pain and suffering we feel as a result of the senseless killing of children and adults heightens our longing for sin and evil to cease their merciless rule in our lives. The uplifting and relieving news is, God’s plan reveals that this change will occur. As a matter of fact, it will occur in dramatic and unmistakable fashion. The problem is we are not yet at the time for that dramatic transition. Right now, we are left to cope with the hurt and sadness of our ever-present grief and losses. So, what do we do? Check out our June 20, 2022 podcast, “Why Does God Allow the Innocent to Suffer?” for direction. While there is no miracle cure for the pain we feel, we can take small steps towards being able to manage it. The first of these steps is to try and see our horrific experiences through God’s eyes. Seeing what He sees feeds us the renewal and strength to fight another day. Understanding and applying God’s perspective will help with the acceptance we need to slowly put the broken pieces of our lives back together. Such a rebuilding also provides us with the opportunity to reach out and encourage others in their pain and loss. Nothing is easy here, but by the grace and plan of God through Jesus, we can cope with all of this sadness. Join us and shine the light of God’s truth into a dark place!