Hi there,
So I just want to dwell briefly on the fact that God does not create, such that we suffer on our own, but that God creates knowing He will suffer from His creation suffering. God suffering is why our relationship to Him is so important: without a relationship to God, there is no end to our suffering. That's not just suffering (that there is no end) that is torture! Think about it, why would God risk torture, for the sake of a relationship? It is because the suffering has a chance and indeed a good reason to come to an end. God is counting on your suffering ending, with His suffering - at least while there is yet time to believe.
So when people abuse God - blaspheme, curse, etc - actually God knows that He is going to suffer these things. The point is, God sees an end to it, because when He suffers, He suffers perfectly. God does not suffer without seeing a way out of the suffering. This is the power to overcome suffering, that there is a way out. Of course you can make it worse, you can pile torture upon torture - but who in their right mind, does that!? What I think God wants us to see, is that God suffers with all of us, knowing that this immense pain, which creation is, will oneday bear the fruit that makes it all worth it - beings with Heavenly faith and spirit.
That's what Jesus meant when He said "a woman when she is in labour has great anguish, but once she has given birth she forgets the anguish, for joy that a human being has been brought into the world" - He was talking about God suffering with us! God suffers now, indeed His pain is constantly with Him, but He knows that this suffering will come to an end, that believers will come to have faith in Him. Now if God suffering can bring us to salvation, how can God not allow suffering? And if God has given us a choice, how will He not end suffering, once every opportunity to have faith has been had? Does Hell not cut off the suffering of Heaven, in the end?
The choice we have now is paramount: it can end our suffering, and it can end God's! We ought to be praying for this, that the world would know God has not abandoned them in their suffering, but is suffering to seek them out, to bring about a change, to the suffering in their destiny. The question "why does God allow suffering?" is misleading, in as much that God does not allow "ubiquitous" suffering, but sets about to bring suffering to an end, no matter how ubiquitous it becomes - He literally steps in to the fire, to rescue those that are burning. What kind of a God does that? Only one who is far greater than suffering could ever be.
I hope this has been of some encouragment.
God bless.
So I just want to dwell briefly on the fact that God does not create, such that we suffer on our own, but that God creates knowing He will suffer from His creation suffering. God suffering is why our relationship to Him is so important: without a relationship to God, there is no end to our suffering. That's not just suffering (that there is no end) that is torture! Think about it, why would God risk torture, for the sake of a relationship? It is because the suffering has a chance and indeed a good reason to come to an end. God is counting on your suffering ending, with His suffering - at least while there is yet time to believe.
So when people abuse God - blaspheme, curse, etc - actually God knows that He is going to suffer these things. The point is, God sees an end to it, because when He suffers, He suffers perfectly. God does not suffer without seeing a way out of the suffering. This is the power to overcome suffering, that there is a way out. Of course you can make it worse, you can pile torture upon torture - but who in their right mind, does that!? What I think God wants us to see, is that God suffers with all of us, knowing that this immense pain, which creation is, will oneday bear the fruit that makes it all worth it - beings with Heavenly faith and spirit.
That's what Jesus meant when He said "a woman when she is in labour has great anguish, but once she has given birth she forgets the anguish, for joy that a human being has been brought into the world" - He was talking about God suffering with us! God suffers now, indeed His pain is constantly with Him, but He knows that this suffering will come to an end, that believers will come to have faith in Him. Now if God suffering can bring us to salvation, how can God not allow suffering? And if God has given us a choice, how will He not end suffering, once every opportunity to have faith has been had? Does Hell not cut off the suffering of Heaven, in the end?
The choice we have now is paramount: it can end our suffering, and it can end God's! We ought to be praying for this, that the world would know God has not abandoned them in their suffering, but is suffering to seek them out, to bring about a change, to the suffering in their destiny. The question "why does God allow suffering?" is misleading, in as much that God does not allow "ubiquitous" suffering, but sets about to bring suffering to an end, no matter how ubiquitous it becomes - He literally steps in to the fire, to rescue those that are burning. What kind of a God does that? Only one who is far greater than suffering could ever be.
I hope this has been of some encouragment.
God bless.
