The Sovereignty of God in Pain & Suffering

These photos from The Boston Globe's "Big Picture" section broke my heart. It's times like these when it would be so easy to shun God. It's human nature to see these horrendous pictures and automatically question, "WHY, GOD, WHY?!" in essence demanding an answer from the Creator of the heavens and earth. I'm not trying to diminish the pain and suffering these individuals and their families are going through—they are absolutely suffering, in a greater way than I have ever experienced. But the question that arises is: "Is God sovereign or good?" thus making individuals choose between the two, as if they are mutually exclusive options.

I am certainly not the first to propose this, and I know I will not be the last, but the right question to ask is, "Can it be shown that God is both wholly good and absolutely sovereign?" I firmly believe with all my being that the answer is a resounding "YES!" But before I attempt to spew out everything I've been learning going through the Desiring God National Conference, 2005; James with my Bible study methods class; my discipleship counseling class; and the Old Testament with my Old Testament survey class, I need to (1) finish my homework [lol] and (2) think of a structured, concise, and compelling way to answer this question, both for my own heart and anyone else out there listening to my ramblings J

However, for those who absolutely cannot wait, a few great places to start searching would be:

• James 1:1-16
  
• Job 42:2
  
• Genesis 50:20
  
• Psalm 145:9, 17
  
• 1 Corinthians 10:13
  
• Romans 8 (especially vv. 18-25, 28-30, 31-39)
  
• Desiring God 2005 National Conference—a series of 8 messages about the sovereignty of God in suffering.
  
• "Four ways to measure the love of God in the scream of the damned"—sermon by John Piper during Resolved Conference 2008.
  
• Christ and Cancer—sermon by John Piper to his congregation.
  
• "Helpful things: Pastors who love their people"—a blog post by John Knight, a man who encountered unbelievable suffering, and was personally encouraged by Piper and the rest of the congregation. Knight includes in his post the letter of encouragement Piper wrote to him and his wife.
  
• And finally,
  
• "A Testimony to God's Goodness in Disability and Suffering"—a blog post linked to another blog post by an individual with spina bifida, someone who certainly knows firsthand of the suffering that disabilities bring.
  

 

My goal is to blog at least once short post per week on this subject… whether that goal is realized or attained is another matter entirely.

 

PS—if you haven't looked at the "Big Picture" link mentioned above, you really ought to. They will set you thinking!