In July 2014, Randy Alcorn was interviewed by Susie Larson on My Faith Radio on the subject of evil and suffering and his book If God Is Good. In this clip, he shares why he researched and wrote on the topic of suffering and evil.

In July 2014, Randy Alcorn was interviewed by Susie Larson on My Faith Radio on the subject of evil and suffering and his book If God Is Good. In this clip, he talks about how he prepared for and dealt with unjust circumstances in his life. 

As a young pastor I loved God sincerely; but like my tavern-owner father, I was independent, self-sufficient, and prone to do things on my own. 

When the hard things come upon us, we tend to use them as a way of saying, “This is so bad, that if God really is in charge and He sent this to me—or even just allowed this to come into my life—He’s being cruel to me.” 

Believers often wonder about the connection between suffering and being the heirs of God, which Paul talks about in Romans 8:16-17. Randy Alcorn addresses this by pointing out that a spoiled prince turns into a tyrant king. In contrast to this, suffering in this life prepares us to rule with grace and mercy in the life to come. Randy emphasizes that though we will be made perfect (free of sin) in Heaven, we will not suddenly lose all the growth and refinement we went through on earth. Our life here prepares us for Heaven. This video clip was excerpted from Randy's Eternity 101 DVD class.

Because of my daughter Angie’s pending surgery and diagnosis, and because the subjects of trust and trials are all pertinent in my heart right now, I wanted to share some thoughts about how the Lord uses pain and suffering in our lives.

Sit in on a devotional led by Randy Alcorn at the Eternal Perspective Ministries board meeting (March 2011). Randy teaches on James 1, and invites the board to discuss.

In this three-minute clip, Randy talks about what James 1:2 means when it says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds."

I’ve received private notes and sympathetic phone calls from people regarding the depression I wrote about on June 30. I appreciate people’s genuine concern, as well as their statements that they’ve been encouraged as they go through their own struggles, many of which are tougher than mine.