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that a loving and merciful God should not cause suffering. What they overlook is that the devil is the one that causes suffering, and God simply allows it to happen for various reasons. Take Job, for example. He lived as righteously as was possible, and yet God allowed the devil to inflict great suffering on him in order to teach him a lesson. Job did not have enough humility and trusted too much in his own righteousness. Goaded by his foolish friends, he spoke boldly to God and was immediately put in his place (Job 38). When he learned the lesson of humility and of submitting to God's will for his life, then his children and possessions were multiplied more than before.

So one purpose for suffering is to teach us lessons. When everything is going well, people have a tendency to forget God and think that their own abilities have given them what they have. When things go wrong, then they turn to God for help. Putting us in tight situations is one way to teach dependency on and respect for God.

What about natural disasters? Well, Sodom and Gomorrah are examples of cities that were destroyed through a catastrophe due to the wickedness of their people. That's not to say that all natural disasters are directly caused by people necessarily, but God allows natural disasters for various reasons which we may not even be able to see yet. His perspective is far above ours. In some cases, allowing a natural disaster may actually be an act of mercy.

No matter the type or source of suffering, the response of God's people to that suffering should be to remain steadfast, endure, and ease the suffering of others as much as possible. Matthew 10:22 gives this reminder: "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved."

Learn more about this author, Reiko Yukawa.
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