WHERE IS GOD IN SUFFERING?

I just read a blurb in my email inbox from Focus on the Family that states the response to that question concisely and appropriately. This was the statement:

Where is God in Suffering?

Job was a "blameless and upright man" (Job 1:1) who fell subject to terrible sufferings in spite of his righteous character. He lost seven sons, three daughters, and all his property in a single day. After that, he was deprived of his health and his self-respect simply because Satan thought it would be interesting to see how he'd respond. And God allowed it to happen.

Was that fair? Was it just, loving, and kind of the Creator to stand aside and let this avalanche of tragedy and pain come crashing down on the head of a good man?

The remarkable thing—the thing we need to remember whenever we find ourselves in Job's position—is that the question never receives a direct answer. In fact, when God speaks to Job out of the whirlwind (Job 38:1), He treats the question as if it's beside the point. Justice is not the issue, He seems to say. Life in a fallen world can never be "fair."

In the final analysis, God does not answer the problem of unjust human suffering by explaining it. Instead, He enters into it. In the person of Jesus Christ He experiences what it is like to be unfairly accused, arrested, tried, condemned, beaten, reviled, spit upon and put to death. An innocent Man, He bears the penalty while Barabbas, a criminal and an assassin, goes free. He takes upon Himself the burden of our anguish and pain. He drinks the cup to its dregs without murmur or complaint. In so doing, He demonstrates His love for us and sends us this unmistakable message: the answer to the problem of suffering can't be discovered by means of theological rationalization. The answer to the problem is Jesus.

I've grappled with the 'why' many times - and my conclusion was that God is honored in the faithfulness of His followers, in spite of what the circumstances are, but this answers the question far more clearly. In fact, in 2000 after my oophorectomy, I read the book of Job while I was recuperating, and the lesson I learned from Job was that God deserves our praise and worship no matter what our circumstances. However, that residual question still gnaws at us when injustice occurs - when someone far too young who has served the Lord with all their heart dies, when evil occurs that maims and destroys....

Where is God in suffering? Right there in the middle of it with us! Loving us, holding us close, immersed in every part of it. Thank you, Lord.