Why do you allow suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people? Because these two questions to God persist, suffering is one of the most common reasons for rejecting God. You've heard the statement, "I can't believe in a God who would let that happen."

The attempt to make sense of God's role in suffering is a monumental task. Sometimes the good we do leads to suffering and sometimes suffering just happens at random. We want suffering to make sense, but it can end up leading to more questions. There is an assumption that bad things should only happen to bad people, so when bad things happen to good people, we wonder if those people are actually bad.

When suffering occurs, we're focused on who is to blame. Because we're invested in the idea that bad things happen for a reason, we blame victims or we find a way to justify the suffering. Jesus wasn't interested in assigning blame. John's Gospel describes Jesus's encounter with a man who was born blind. When the disciples asked whether the man or his parents sinned, Jesus replied, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." Then he healed the man.

Jesus takes a different approach to suffering. In John 11, he weeps with sisters Mary and Martha after learning their brother Lazarus has died. Jesus didn't blame the sisters for the death of Lazarus. Instead, Jesus grieved with Mary and Martha. In other words, he joined them in their suffering. When Jesus tells us, "Take up your cross and follow me," his message is twofold. Jesus is saying you will suffer—and I will with be with you. When we suffer, God joins us instead of taking our pain or grief away. A grieving widow once summed up the relationship between God and suffering when she told a group of friends, "Without suffering, there is no resurrection."

When people are grappling with injustices or disasters, they ask God, “Why do you allow evil to exist,” and “Can you stop evil?” Although there isn’t a precise answer to either of these questions, clues in Scripture provide some clarity. Guest speaker Patrick Meisen shares the insights he gained while examining these questions to God. Christian Apologetics, a branch of theology focused on defending and explaining Christian faith, phrases the question of evil another way: If God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good, then why is there so much suffering in the world? The relationship between evil and suffering exists, because evil can lead to suffering. Evil is classified as moral or natural. Humans are responsible for moral evil, and natural evil is the result of natural disasters or disease. The Bible includes examples of each. In the Book of Job, an innocent and upright man demands an explanation from God after a storm kills his children. And in the Book of Habakkuk, a prophet complains to God about persistent injustice in Judah and God’s seeming inaction.

When God responds in these stories, we learn that human knowledge is too limited to understand the full context of these events. Furthermore, we discover that it’s okay to question and lament while holding onto faith in God. When we suffer, God is there with us. God constantly works to prevent evil. God sent the Old Testament prophets to warn about evil and the Holy Spirit to guide us. Occasionally, God prevents evil through miracles. Most of the time, however, God heads off evil through us. When you see evil and it makes you angry, God is calling you to prevent it. Because God gave humans free will, it’s up to us to choose whether to do good.

God makes room when lives depend on it. Matthew's Gospel tells story of three magi who follow the Christmas star to find the stable where Jesus was born. King Herod, the story's villian is threatend by the birth of Jesus, so he tries to trick the Magi into revealing the baby's location. But God intervenes. In one dream, God advises Joseph to flee to Egypt with Mary and Baby Jesus. And in another, God tells the Magi to travel home via a different route. Then the nightmare begins. When Herod realizes he's been tricked, he's so angry he orders the killing of all boys ages two and under. The slaughter of those little ones is known as the Massacres of the Innocents.

Rulers have historically used their power to hurt the innocent. Today, supression by the powerful continues, even in the United States. The 2017 and 2018 family separation policy allowed taking small children, including infants, from their parents and housing them for weeks in poor conditions. Last year, swarms of masked agents started arresting people with out due process during immigration raids at workplaces and in neighborhoods. Both of those directives have been difficult to witness, and now we're left to wonder what will happen after this weekend's events in Venezuela.

The description of Herod and the Innocents is difficult to take in, especially during the Christmas season. So why include such a sad story in the Gospels? Two reasons: iIt's honest and it shows the power of God's joy. The happiness of finding Jesus doesn't depend on life's circumstances, because no darkness if too much for the light of Christ. In frightening times, God's presence in our hearts can provide refuge.