It is sad that many people feel the Lord is not answering their prayers. I totally understand their position - suffering is not fair - but we need to know that suffering is definitely not a reflection of God's grace. Every human suffers - but why? This is a difficult issue theologically...consider these things:
1. God didn't initiate suffering in the world - Mankind chose to go this way and walk through the ages without God. Every degree of suffering is the consequence of humanity's choice to turn away from God. The only other choice from the Garden of Eden was to allow satan's laws to be perpetrated upon the earth.
2. Because of satan's plan, everyone is subject to sickness, death, tragedy etc. Being a Believer doesn't change the fact the world is under satan's curse.
3. No suffering in life is fair - God didn't promise to be fair - He promised to be JUST. Justice may not look like what we want - it may look like He is doing nothing, but we need to trust His ultimate plan and infinite wisdom.
4. When we pray for God to lift the sufferings we face, we are asking Him to intervene with His wisdom and power into our circumstances. We are not asking to have our way - we are asking for His will to be done.
Sometimes it is His will to heal and change our problem immediately, but many times He sees a greater plan. It seems inconceivable to us that a kind and gracious Father would allow His children to suffer - even as we cry out for His help, but He sees beyond the suffering and has plans that we don't understand. It is not a copout to say this. It is truth. God has not ordered our suffering - He uses the pains and horrors of our lives to shape our souls - but He didn't plan the suffering to hurt us - satan did that, and mankind chose satan over God. God simply uses our pain to change, direct and draw us to Himself. He has many ways and uses for pain...it is ALWAYS about Him longing for relationship with us and He has our very best at heart even when the utter waste of suffering stares us in the face day after day.
5. Do you remember the story in the Bible about Jesus and the disciples in the boat? There was a big storm and Jesus spoke to the storm and the waves. He told the wind and waves to be still. In another story when they were also in a boat during a storm, He didn't calm the storm...He told Peter to walk on the waves. In one instance Jesus took the storm away...in another instance He wanted His disciples to be increased in faith by walking in the storm. In one instance he calms our storm...in other instances He keeps us in the storm and helps us to walk through it - He has deeper things to teach us. He has a higher perspective that often make no sense to us. It feels as though He has not heard our prayers - that is not the case, He is the Shepherd who walks with us through every valley and shadow of death.
6. Answered prayer doesn't mean that we get everything we pray for. Think about all the suffering in the world...if all it took to stop every suffering was to ask God to stop it, then all suffering would be over just because WE prayed. That is not how God conquers satan's kingdom. Adam started this...the last Adam (JESUS) is the only one who can, and has, conquered satan's kingdom. It has taken all these thousands of years to bring an end to what Adam and satan started because God is not a magic wand who simply does our bidding. He is working on the hearts of men - He wants His kingdom and the laws of heaven to flow through people who make a free choice to follow Him no matter what happens. He doesn't want spoiled children to follow Him just because they get their way...He wants soft and tender-hearted children who have chosen to follow Him despite the sorrows and battles they face.
The way God overcomes suffering is two-fold:
a) the power of the resurrected Christ can stop every sickness and suffering in an instant. It was conquered on Calvary - completely - totally - instantly.
b) He can strengthen His Bride in the midst of suffering - purifying their hearts and softening their souls to such a degree that the power of suffering is no longer the issue...His power working through His people is the greater thing. His grace flows through them to a suffering world - even as their own pain rages on. His joy illuminates every darkness - even when they feel as though they sit in deep darkness themselves. His wisdom and grace flows from their lips - even when they cannot find wisdom and grace for themselves. His strength lifts their heads as they stare down the devils plots - even when they feel weak and powerless.
Paul, the Apostle suffered greatly - He asked God to take away his suffering - but this was Paul's conclusion:
2Corinthians 12:9-10
9 But he answered me, “My grace is always more than enough for you, and my power finds its full expression through your weakness.” So I will celebrate my weaknesses, for when I’m weak I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me. 10 So I’m not defeated by my weakness, but delighted! For when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment—when I’m surrounded with troubles on every side and face persecution because of my love for Christ—I am made yet stronger. For my weakness becomes a portal to God’s power.
Even death itself cannot turn my heart away from my choice to follow Him. Even death itself cannot rob me of the knowledge that I am completely in His hand.
7. So...we are all in God's hands - He hears our prayers and answers them. But...He may not answer them in the way that we want and in the time frame we desire. For some reason that baffles us when God chooses to answer in a different way than what we have asked for. God is interested and involved in the magnificent process of our lives. He is more interested in who we are at the core than giving us everything we want. What He is doing is so much greater than we can see as we stand in the midst of our trouble. He must see that there is a jewel inside our hearts that can be mined through the process of suffering. I know that may seem like a bummer. Unfortunately it is not our choice any more.
8. Suffering of every sort is a bitch...but we must hold on - the reward is ten trillion times greater than anything that satan can throw at us. Read this slowly and meditate on every verse. I am giving it to you in a modern translation and then an older translation that you might recognize. This was written to Christians who were being persecuted and put to death because of their commitment to Jesus - they suffered greatly, and this is paul's answer to their suffering - it is my answer to suffering - it doesn't take the pain away...but it shows where we are seated today and always:
Romans 8:35-39
35 Who could ever separate us from the endless love of God’s Anointed One? Absolutely no one! For nothing in the universe has the power to diminish his love toward us. Troubles, pressures, and problems are unable to come between us and heaven’s love. What about persecutions, deprivations, dangers, and death threats? No, for they are all impotent to hinder omnipotent love, 36 even though it is written:
All day long we face death threats for your sake, God.
We are considered to be nothing more than sheep to be slaughtered!
37 Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything!
38 So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. 39 There is no power above us or beneath us—no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God’s passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!
Romans 8:35-39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long;We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
