Resources by Topic: Suffering and Evil

I have the greatest appreciation and respect for Joni Eareckson Tada. In this touching article, Joni writes, “Resilient joy makes hope come alive, so much so that we can be ‘sorrowful, yet always rejoicing’ (2 Corinthians 6:10).” This sister is pure gold.

Recently I read “9 Lessons from God Concerning Sickness” from J. C. Ryle, an Anglican bishop (1816–1900). Every lesson he shares applies to how Nanci lived out her last years before relocating to Heaven. 

In this clip from his interview on the Revive Our Hearts podcast, Randy talks about how Nanci focused on the goodness of God during her cancer journey and trusted in His sovereignty.  

No Bible verse says God kills our loved ones prematurely so we will be happier, and that’s not Randy’s point in his post, either. Scripture does tell us that God is the author of life; He has exclusive prerogatives over it.

If we are to face suffering well, if we are not to waste our suffering, we must let it take us to God’s Word. If we don’t, our loss will be incalculable. If we do, our gain will be abundant and eternal.

Having lost a beloved dog to disease, I can empathize with the pain you are feeling over the impending death of your furry friend. Death is not a normal part of our life, at least not the life God wanted for us. I suppose that’s why it hurts so much.

Randy spoke with his close friend and pastor Steve Keels at his home church, Good Shepherd Community Church. They talked about Nanci’s passing and what it looks like to have an eternal perspective in the midst of suffering, loss, and grief.

Though we don’t know exactly when, we do know for sure that either by our deaths or by Christ’s return, our suffering will end. From before the beginning, God drew the line in eternity’s sand to say for His children, “This much and no more, then endless joy.”

God invites us to ask questions. He invites us to dig for answers in His Word and trust it over our experiences. He’s very patient and wants interactions with us based on our trust in Him. Asking “Why?” will not annoy Him, especially if you are willing to humbly accept that His answer to you may be similar to the answer Job received, which was essentially, “You’re not God, I AM.”

In this clip from a Q&A at an illumiNations gathering, Randy talks about the problem of suffering. He shares about his own experience of grieving his wife Nanci, and how the Bible allows us to face the hardest questions of life in the light of God’s sovereignty.

I first posted about “the problem of goodness” on my blog 14 years ago, but it is still relevant to conversations I’m having today with others (nothing has changed other than the fact that I am 14 years older!). People always talk about the problem of evil, and how it threatens the Christian worldview, but they almost never talk about the problem of goodness and how it threatens non-Christian worldviews.

I’m so sorry to hear about your loss, and the added pain and regret that you have felt in the wake of your daughter’s death. I’m praying for you and your family as I write this. This is a very long reply to your message, but perhaps something I share will be of help to you.

Randy Alcorn was on the Do Hard Things podcast with The Rebelution to talk about the hope we have in Heaven (and what Heaven is really going to be like). He shared how this hope has sustained him through his own season of loss and suffering.

I was not speaking literally. As you point out, angels are not biological humans. “Twins” simply means an equal opposite in this case.