If God is Good, why do I Hurt So Bad?

“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made” Psalm 145:8, 9.

This verse tells us the Lord is gracious, compassionate, rich in love and good. To read the whole psalm click here. And yet some of the difficult trials God’s people go through seem to contradict that truth. And beg the question, if God is good, why do we suffer?

Take Moses for example. He was God’s hand-picked deliverer of His people from the Iron Furnace of Egypt. And yet, he endured 40 years in the wilderness being sorely tried and severely tested by the Israelites. To the point that he even despaired of his life. This account can be found in the books of Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

And then there’s Moses. He was a man of God with a great call on his life. And yet, he had to endure years as a slave and prisoner in a foreign land. For a crime he didn’t even commit. See Genesis chapters 37 and 39.

Or look at David. He was a man after God’s own heart. And was anointed to be the next king of Israel. And yet, he too endured long years of suffering. He had to run for his life from a madman, hiding out in caves, although he had done nothing wrong. This saga begins in 1 Samuel chapter 21.

If God is Good, Why Do We Suffer? Life on Earth is a Wilderness

So, how can we reconcile these accounts of long, hard painful trials in the lives of God’s chosen servants (and in our lives) with the truths in this psalm? These situations were painful and difficult. So much so that these godly men were tried to their breaking point.

So, how is this in keeping with the idea that God is love?

The truth is much of life on this earth is a wilderness experience. It’s a seeming contradiction of God’s word that He is love.

But, actually, it’s not really a contradiction at all. These trying circumstances were necessary to prepare these men of God (and us) for the abundance and glory that was to come. It was meant to mature them. So, they could experience God’s love in more pleasant, agreeable ways.

They also came to know God as their Helper and Comforter and Deliverer. I believe coming to know God in our pain is one of the most important reasons Christians suffer.

But it seems probable that when they were going through it, it felt like a contradiction. It likely felt like anything but an expression of God’s love.

If we cling to our faith that God is indeed good and gracious and loving in the midst of our wilderness, we’ll make it through to the other side. And will eventually see the manifestation of what we’re believing but don’t yet see.

We are Transformed as we Choose to Believe

We are learning to walk by faith and not sight. And eventually, when our faith has matured, we will see with our eyes what we’ve been believing in our heart. Anything we want outwardly, we must possess inwardly first.

And that’s the whole point of the wilderness. We are being transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12: 1, 2) as we continue to choose to believe that God is love when it looks and feels like He’s cruel.

And once that transformation is complete and we are mature in love, we will come into abundance and blessing and glory. We must remember that it’s our character that determines our destiny. And character is developed when everything around us seems to scream God hates us and we continue to believe He loves us anyway.

God said through the prophet Jeremiah:” For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope” Jeremiah 29:11. But this is only true if we hold fast to our belief in the promise of welfare in the midst of what looks like calamity. Then we are transformed as we hold fast to the promise.

Christians Do Suffer, but Those Who Love God are Always Blessed

Everything we experience is a glorious expression of God’s love and goodness toward us. Either He’s blessing us in tangible ways or He’s preparing us to be blessed in tangible ways through our trials. Remember, we can never have more outwardly than we do inwardly.

At least, not for long. In order be blessed in ways that are seen, we must first be blessed in ways that are not seen. That’s a big reason Christians suffer.

And that’s why every experience, especially the wilderness that seems to contradict the truth that God is love actually is the greatest expression of it of all. Because it is the foundation for everything else. For similar posts that look at the question of why Christians suffer, see What Does it Mean to Humble Yourself?

Although many of my posts are intended to motivate Christians to grow up so they can be blessed, that shouldn’t be our main reason for wanting to mature. Ultimately, everything we do as a Christian should be a response to what He’s already done for us.

From Foolish to Wise to Foolish Again

In fact, growing up and becoming wise is only the first step in the Christian experience. Some already come to faith with a measure of this, but many do not. And as we’ve seen, wisdom or maturity brings rich rewards. But that’s not the end of the journey.

Once we’ve done the hard work to become wise or mature and are experiencing the benefits, the next step is to give it up for Christ. In other words, to become a fool for Christ. We then have come full circle. We’ve gone from foolish to wise and back to foolish again. To learn more about this click here: What It Means to be a Fool for Christ.

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