#201 WHY DOES GOD ALLOW ADVERSITY

When the subject of adversity or human suffering is mentioned, man generally assumes that all suffering is evil.  Is this really true?  Is adversity always evil?  Man's primary purpose in existence is to honor and glorify God, and to become as God-like as it is humanly possible to become.  Now this being so, everything that takes him away from God is evil and everything that brings him toward God is good.  When we have accepted this standard, we can see the events of our world in a different light.  It is quite possible that the riches, the honors, and the pleasures of this world are actually hindrances rather than helps.  It is quite conceivable that illness, loss of money, or even the loss of friends might ultimately serve some good purpose.  Under certain circumstances, poverty is better than riches.  Jesus once said, "A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth."(Luke 12:15) All too often the material things of our world blind us to the spiritual things and thus become curses instead of blessings, not just for a time, but for eternity.

There is a passage in the letter to the Hebrews in which God tells us that He allows us to suffer because of His love for us: "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.  If He endure chastening; God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?  But if ye be without chastening, whereof all have been made partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.  Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence.  Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits and live?  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.  No chastening seemeth for the present to be joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them that are exercised thereby, Hebrews 12:6-11.  This is also what David meant when he said, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I may learn thy statutes."(Psalm 119:71) God does not promise His children that they will be immune to all suffering but he does promise, "And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good even to them that are called according to His purpose."(Romans 8:28)

Were it not for heartaches, disappointments, and sufferings of this world we might forget the greater destiny that lies before us.  Perhaps the sufferings of this world were designed, in part, to cause all of us not to be satisfied here, but to lift our eyes toward the more wonderful world to come.  Beyond this life with its toils and tears, its struggles and disappointments lies a realm of pure delight of which John wrote, "He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more."(Revelation 21:4)