THE PAIN OF THE UNIVERSE

If we are to know any comfort in our suffering and find strength to bear it in a truly Christian manner, we must first set ourselves to understand it as well as is humanly possible. We must have a thorough grasp of what the Scriptures teach about evil, for evil is the source of all suffering. We must be quite sure in our minds that evil is no mystery to God, and that he holds all evil under his sovereign command. Evil is not part of God’s nature and did not originate with him, but it did not come upon him unawares, and it seems to exist by his permission. God was fully cognizant of its possibilities before he purposed human creation. In his inscrutable power and wisdom, God uses evil, working through it to fulfill his will in ways beyond our understanding. One day, his purposes accomplished, he will eradicate all traces of evil from his universe.

Evil does not belong to our true nature, for men and women were created in God’s image. Evil entered our humanity from without: ‘an enemy did this’ (Matt.13:28). But evil has marred our nature. This does not mean that we are incapable of any good – we still bear the image of God, however distorted. Rather, it means that no part of any of us – mind, heart, will, conscience, or anything else – remains untainted by the fall. And evil affected not only humanity, but the whole of creation as well: physical evil entered our universe in the wake of moral evil.

These are the realities of human existence. While we are in this life, we must live in the presence of evil and do battle with its powers. To one degree or another, all of us will be partakers in the pain of the universe. Dark and mysterious as these things may be to our finite minds, this is the teaching of the Word of God. Any consideration of human suffering must face these facts. Only a solid grasp and a willing acceptance of these basic truths concerning evil can enable us to triumph in our personal war against it.

Suffering is no afterthought in human existence, but an integral part of it. Satan originated evil; God has allowed it to be; we have brought it into the universe. The wonder is not that we suffer so much, but rather that we do not suffer more than we do. None of us is without some part of life’s suffering, although, of course, some suffer more than others.

Suffering viewed as part of human life may help us in our personal struggle with pain, but it may also pose a question. If suffering is a result of God’s judgment on human sin, should we seek to alleviate it? Jesus healed the sick and suffering wherever he went. He spent much of his public life ministering to human ills. He had come to the earth to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8); he fought evil in all its forms wherever he found them.

And although we know that suffering will never be eradicated from human life till Christ returns, we, too, should seek to destroy the works of sin, not only by easing suffering in every possible manner, but also by husbanding and restoring our ravaged earth and environment. Christians must seek to better human lot in every way – physically, morally, socially, educationally, politically, economically. God is not a sadist, and his people are not called to be masochists. We should seize every opportunity to alleviate suffering of whatever kind in every ethically responsible way we can devise. As long as we are in this life, however, we must share in the pain of the universe, despite our noble efforts. An understanding of these things can comfort and strengthen us in our own personal struggles.

(Margaret Clarkson, Destined for Glory, pp.30-32)