The thought that God allows suffering without being affected by it himself makes him difficult for many people to relate to. But looking at it differently changes everything: God suffers with us—and far more than we could ever endure. By Kai Mester

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Why does God allow so much suffering and temptation? I have reflected on the main argument that freed me from my doubts about his goodness.

An Answer to the Hardest Question About God?

If he allowed us to suffer while remaining in a heaven of bliss, he would, in a sense, be living at our expense. That would make me question his character and compassion as well. But the fact that he actually suffers more and for longer than any human being—because he suffers with humanity and takes the entire burden upon himself—speaks volumes against the idea that he is a cruel God.

This Thought Completely Changed My Faith

“Few give thought to the suffering that sin has caused our Creator. All heaven suffered in Christ’s agony; but that suffering did not begin or end with His manifestation in humanity. The cross is a revelation to our dull senses of the pain that, from its very inception, sin has brought to the heart of God.” (Ellen White, Education, 263.1)

It is, of course, utterly astonishing that an almighty God permits such a degree of suffering. This also includes the suffering caused when people give in to temptation and make wrong choices. But the fact that he shares in this suffering—and even suffers far more than we could endure—gives me pause.

That is the only reason I began to trust him.

God Does Not Use His Power for Himself

He does not use his power to exploit us or enrich himself. On the contrary, he stoops down to lift us out of the deepest mire.

He allows us to “kill” him, insofar as it is possible to “kill” the almighty, immortal God. In other words, he allows us to torment him with our sins, just as he allowed us to nail his Messiah, his representative, to the cross.

He even permits his archenemy to pursue his agenda until his evil character is fully revealed. For God knows that otherwise humanity would never trust him completely. We would always question his motives. After all, why would HE, the Almighty, not arrange everything to suit himself? That is how human beings think. But God surprises us.

Why God Does Not Simply Put an End to Evil

Even though we cannot fully answer the question of where evil originated or how much responsibility God bears for creating a spirit who was free to sin and kill, we can see God’s Son—the most precious and eternal gift to humanity. He will never again relinquish his human body! He meets us where we are and accompanies us step by step back to Paradise. He guarantees that we will arrive there. At the same time, everything remains entirely voluntary.

The Rarely Spoken Truth About God’s Pain: God Suffers With Every Tear in This World

Perhaps one more thought: You might ask, how can God be suffering now?

If he truly loves more deeply than any human being can—and if he genuinely loves every person as he loves Jesus, more than a mother loves her own child—then remember that every minute people are murdered and raped or take their own lives. Every minute … let that thought sink in.

What God must suffer every single moment! Compared with that, even the cross at Calvary almost pales.

This Thought Led Me to Trust God

Then consider that God knows where every angry word and every loss of control will ultimately lead if allowed to run its course: to murder and rape. This shows that God suffers even more, because he already sees where it will all lead.

Suddenly, you want to be free from sin. You want to turn your eyes away from the glorification of violence and immorality. You suffer with God. You turn away from behavior that frightens people or makes them sad or angry—not merely as an intellectual decision based on knowing that it is wrong.

Instead, you want to do everything you can to ease God’s suffering, even if it brings him only the tiniest measure of relief. Not because you pity him, but because you know that he permits all of this only because he loves us and wants us to live with him forever.

Why Mary Magdalene’s Story Is Told Everywhere

Mary Magdalene had this spirit. That is why the Bible says that wherever the gospel is preached, her story will be told. She anointed Jesus to alleviate his suffering. Her act gave him strength to better endure Gethsemane and Calvary.

Otherwise, his most terrible suffering would have been the impression that all his work had been in vain.

For this was his most terrible suffering: the disciples had abandoned him out of fear. They still seemed to have understood nothing of his true mission.

Why Love Is Stronger Than Fear

Think about it! Perhaps these thoughts contain a spark that will set your heart ablaze. Once it has caught fire—the fire of the Spirit—it will not be so easily extinguished.