Why would God allow this?
If He is such a loving God, why doesn’t He stop this?
We’ve all asked these questions at one point or another. Our world seems to be crashing down on us and it feels like there’s no way out. We cry out to God for deliverance but things only get worse. Is He listening?
Jeremiah 29:11-13 tells us He does listen,
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
The truth is God never promises that if we follow Him we will be free of suffering. In fact, He tells us in His Word that we will suffer and He encourages us to count it as a joy (see 2 Timothy 3:12 and James 1:2).
However, He also promised to send us the Holy Spirit to be our comfort and Helper. We received Him the moment we accepted Jesus as our Savior.
If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. ~John 14:15-18
God is a loving God. He would never abandon us in our time of need – even if it feels like He does. He is always carrying us through the storms and fighting for us in ways that we can’t see.
As stated earlier in Jeremiah 29, He doesn’t have thoughts of evil toward us. He hurts when we hurt, but the suffering must happen.
Our suffering is necessary for our growth. It’s through our suffering that we become strong, patient, a little bit wiser, and learn to rely completely on the Lord. If life was perfect, how would we truly learn any of those things?
Think back on your times of suffering, when all hope seemed lost and you didn’t know how you could face another day. Now look where you are today. It may have seemed like God had forsaken you, but He carried you through the storms and you were made stronger in it. Yes, you may have a few scars from the battle, but they will be your testimony.
Maybe you’re suffering today and you don’t see a way things could ever get better. Maybe you’re just barely hanging on by a thread and you wish you could sleep until it all passes away. I encourage you to pause and remember how God has carried you in the past. He loves you. He is listening to your every cry and He will deliver you from this in His perfect timing – just as He always has.
I pray that we would all be able to repeat the words of David in Psalm 40:1-5,
I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrile pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth- Praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord my God are your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
If you’re suffering now, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment and ask for prayer. I will pray for you the second I see it. If you would like to give details privately, you can reach me on Instagram @morning_star_gazer.
We aren’t meant to do this life alone. Let’s pray for each other – God is listening. <3
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