One of the most popular questions that I have been asked over the years is the question: “Why does God…?”. We can fill in the blank with several words or phrases like; allow tragic deaths of loved ones, or allow natural disasters, or permit so much sin to continue in this world? There are many more you could fill in, but these three seem to be common questions asked by so many. The answer to these questions is basically the same for each one asked and here are two components of the answer for us to consider.
The first part of this answer is simply to realize that we are humans and the exact reason God allows these things is simply above our pay grade and perhaps even above our ability as humans to understand. We are trapped in time and in fleshly form so fully understanding eternal things that are in the spiritual realm are difficult. We need to accept by faith that our loving and merciful Father knows what is best and is doing what is best for all people and throughout all time.
The second part of the answer is to acknowledge that God created us with free will. God did not want a planet covered in mindless robots, rather he created beings that are able to demonstrate love for Him through their choices. These choices can honor God and be helpful to mankind, OR they can honor self and bring consequences of pain, suffering and destruction. Yes, the pain and suffering in this life is caused by the poor sinful choices of mankind and the consequences that naturally follow. We may suffer consequences from our own choices or the choices of others. Some consequences even going back to the time of Adam, Eve, Cain, and Noah.
We may never fully understand why, but we can keep the main thing the main thing and put our trust in our Faithful Creator.