Pastor Phil Ayres

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When God created human beings, he did 2 things as a part of that creation.
1. He gave mankind authority to rule and have dominion over the earth. In other words, the decisions that mankind makes in his affairs and dealings in life, will have a direct
consequence on themselves and others.
2. He gave mankind the freedom of choice and the power to use their own will. Again, similar in a sense to being given the dominion over the earth, freedom of choice has to mean the potential to choose good or evil, to choose right and wrong, to choose life or death. We know that early in the creation story, Adam chose a path that led mankind into a fallen state. he separated himself from his creator, and entered into a state of being called sin. The choice to rebel against God and enter this fallen state, brought with it consequences:
a) death - separation from God
b) corruption - man began to age and physically die
c) Suffering - mankind would experience suffing and pain as a condition of the fall
d) Fallen nature - Man would have a nature that would desire evil and self over God and others
Today we see these 4 principles still at work in peoples lives. The book of Romans 3: 23 tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of God's Glory (His original sin free plan) Eg: Freedom and Responsibility - We all have a right to put whatever we like into our bodies. we have the freedom to put good in, or bad.

If a young pregnant woman chooses to take heroin, instead of maintaining a healthy diet, or looking after herself, the consequence of that choice will result in the suffering of an innocent third party. This is true whether it is an individual case, or decisions being made at the level of government. When people with the authority/ In power, make choices based on their own selfish desires, an innocent party will usually suffer. It is clear to me, that most of human suffering is caused by the decisions and choices of others that brings with it a consequence/ suffering to innocent parties.

Having said this, there are still other situations and experiences that are beyond anyone's control. That don't seem to make any sense. It is this type of suffering that leaves individuals to question the character of God. Why does he allow this? Such as a massive natural disaster, where many children and people who love God are taken suddenly, or left terribly injured. We think of the terrible fires in australia's east or the Psunami's in the Indo/
asia regions.

These types of disasters, I would not even try to make a hypothesis as to why or how? I think only God himself knows the answers at this level.However from my perspective, I can make some observations about God from what I know in His relationship to people and suffering.

1. God loves people
From the 1st verse of genesis to the last verse of revelation, we learn of God's desire and focus to build relationship/ friendship with people. God sent Jesus into the world (The Son of God/ Co creator of the universe) as a man to experience life from a human perspective. Jesus carried in himself the fullness of God in bodily form.
Colossians 1:19
...it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
Colossians 2:9
For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
Hebrews 1:3
...who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,..
John 3: 16 Says that God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son..
Not only does God love people, but by nature he is a lover, love is seen as one of His quality attributes.
1 John 4:16
..And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. God is intimately acquainted with suffering himself.The cross that Jesus died upon was a barbarick instrument of torture, so brutal in fact that a Roman Emporer in 316AD abolished this form of capital punishment. We are told that the suffering Jesus experienced caused him to sweat great droplets of blood. The beatings, the crown of thorns,The 6 inch spikes through each hand, and the 12 inch spike through both feet. The spear through the side, the abandonment from his closest friends, the mockery of his peers,the cat of nine tails on the back. The ripping out of pieces of his beard, the humiliation of hanging in public by the side of the road bloodied and fully naked for all to see.

We know that he did this for our sin, as a substitutionary death on our behalf. But also in this act we see that God is aquainted with pain and suffering, if you like, within His own family.He identifies with my pain, my human condition and suffering. he even experienced a death in His own family (God the father and Son were separated for a time when jesus bore our sin in His body.

We are told in the book of Hebrews that our High Priest Our Savior is not indifferent to our pain, but understands it, because He himself suffered.He promises to comfort and strengthen us when we go through suffering.I regularly take a hold of this personal promise and reach out to Christ in the midst of grief, trials and suffering.
Hebrews 2: 18