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Each topic introduces a central Bible topic and then links the reader to free Bible studies and a free resource that can be downloaded simply by sending a text message. Watch for more popular topics coming soon!
Text on tract:
An Amazing Fact: Two years after losing his son and suffering financial devastation, Chicago businessman Horatio Spafford received word that the ship on which his wife and four daughters were passengers had sunk. While his wife survived, all of his daughters perished. On his way to join his wife, Horatio’s ship sailed near the place where his children had drowned. As he gazed heartbroken upon their watery grave, he was yet inspired to pen one of the world’s most beloved and uplifting Christian hymns: “It Is Well with My Soul.”
While Horatio’s faith sustained him through such trial and turmoil, throughout history, nearly every person has wondered why, if there is a loving God, do bad things happen. Why is there evil in the world at all? No doubt, you have also experienced tragedy and suffering in your life—and it’s a fair and natural question to ask: “Why me?”
The good news is that the Bible has real answers—ones that will sustain you and give you hope.
So here are six Bible-based facts about evil and suffering.
The Bible says plainly that “God is love” (1 John 4:8) and that He wants you to prosper and have a joy-filled future (Jeremiah 29:11). So why do we experience evil and suffering?
God also wants a genuine, loving relationship with you, but for genuine love to exist, so must real freedom to go our own way. He gives this freedom to everyone, including angels like Lucifer, “the father of lies,” who became Satan and brought his rebellion and sin to the earth.
Why didn’t God kill Satan immediately? Had the devil been destroyed in the first moments of his rebellion, God’s other intelligent creatures would have become afraid of their very Source of life—losing trust in Him. Thus, God allowed Satan to demonstrate just how much harm would come to the universe by following his path. God is also longsuffering, “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9), and so He gives us as much time as possible to turn back to Him!
Job, one of the most righteous men in the Bible, was attacked directly by Satan, who had to ask God’s permission to harass Job (1:2). Even someone who was “blameless and upright” (Job 1:1) can suddenly experience great tragedy. Loss and suffering happen to us all.
Job’s story illustrates how, though God created the world good, Satan seeks to destroy it through sin. We can expect suffering to happen—either by our own hands, the hands of others, or even the hands of the devil. Many blame God for the bad things that happen, but in one of His many parables, Jesus said, “An enemy [that is, Satan] has done this” (Matthew 13:28). Always remember that God is good.
Did you know that God “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”? (Matthew 5:45). God seeks your good, while Satan seeks to harm everyone. Neither education, wealth, nor status can prevent suffering from entering our lives.
David was a man handpicked by God to rule Israel. He enjoyed great wealth and the best his culture had to offer—yet he suffered great sorrow when pursued by enemies and when his sin led to the death of several of his children. Suffering happens to everyone. It’s how we react to suffering that matters. Beset by tragedy, Job responded faithfully, “Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
The Bible says, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep Your word. … It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes” (Psalm 119:67, 71). God can give us peace even when the world around us is falling apart. He can relieve our sorrow and replace it with lasting joy (Isaiah 61:1–3).
Learning to trust God even in the most challenging times is an important part of developing Christian character. If, as the Bible says, “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28), then surely God can use our suffering to save us and others. Commit to working with Him even through your suffering.
God created you and has numbered the very hairs on your head (Luke 12:7); He is intimately concerned with your welfare. He rejoices in your victories and accomplishments; He sorrows alongside you when you hurt.
Moreover, God is no stranger to loss, having seen the anguish and sacrifice of His own Son, Jesus, to save you from a sinful world. That’s why the Bible affirms God’s closeness during times of sorrow. “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:19). If you are in pain, if you are suffering, know that God is near and that He cares for you.
It is Satan’s plan to cause you to feel hopelessness by making you suffer. But difficult as your suffering may be, there remains faith, hope, and love! (1 Corinthians 13:13). God promises that sin, evil, and suffering will end. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:6).
In Revelation 21:4, we find a precious promise. Someday soon, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” When we trust in Jesus, God gives us a new life, and we can turn from our sins back to Him. What a beautiful plan of redemption we have through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus!
Just as Horatio penned in the darkness of his suffering, “When sorrows like sea billows roll,” you can also say, “It is well with my soul.”
