Why suffering?

I was tremendously blessed this week to take part in a service of thanksgiving for the life of a church member called Agnes. Agnes was aged 87 when she died, but the crematorium was packed out. There was, quite literally, standing room only, as many came to give thanks for and celebrate Agnes’ life. One aspect of her life which was revealed was that her Christian faith developed considerably through attending an Alpha course. Alpha is a course which helps people look at aspects of Christian faith, and is used in many parts of the world.

One of the key elements of Alpha is the opportunity to ask questions. A book, called “Searching Issues” has been published which addresses 7 of the most commonly asked questions on Alpha course. Perhaps not surprisingly, the first chapter deals with the whole subject of suffering. Basically put, the question often goes something like this: “If there is a loving God, who is all-powerful, why does he allow suffering in the world?” This is not a new question, it’s been around for thousands of years (try reading the Old Testament book of Job, or some of the Psalms, for example). I guess that the recent horrific events in Haiti will have raised the question of suffering in many minds. So how can Christians begin to address the question?

I have taken the plunge and decided that I will preach on the issue of suffering this coming Sunday! Obviously I can’t relate everything I am going to say on Sunday here in this blog entry, but perhaps a few initial observations.

Firstly, a reminder of what Paul says in his first letter to the church in Corinth: ‘We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us.’ In other words, big questions like suffering will never be fully answered in this life.

Secondly, there is a danger of hypocrisy in our condemnation of God’s apparent inaction. I have read one estimate that the number of deaths in the Haitian earthquake may be as high as 200,000. Compare that, then with a UN report produced in 2003 which estimated that around 25,000 people die each day through starvation. Or the startling fact that some 5,000 children die each day because of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. If we are to start wagging our fingers at God, complaining about suffering caused by the Haitian earthquake, God might with good cause ask us how we are responding to the terrible suffering already taking place in the world.

The third point I would want to make arises out my personal experience of life as a Methodist minister over some 20 years. This is not a hard and fast rule, but rather a general observation. And that is that often the “why suffering” question is more to the forefront in the minds of those who observe suffering than in the minds of those who experience it. I have come across some amazing people over the years who have suffered greatly in many ways, not least physically, but whose lives and faith have been radiant. I remember, for example, a lady called Elsie, whose body was racked with pain, yet who never ceased to thank God for his continued blessings; a visit to Elsie always lifted my spirits!.

There are no easy answers to big questions like that of suffering. But I believe that there are some things we can say. The rest will have to wait until Sunday!