I frequently meet people who have rejected God because of evil in the world. Usually, it’s more an emotional response to personal pain and suffering than an intellectual, rational position chosen because it makes more sense. Rather, the existence of God and the non-existence of God are both steps of faith, not reason. Satan’s attack on Job was intended to bring him to personally “curse God” to his face. There are many facets of the idea of “cursing,” but one of them would be to deny God’s existence. The New Testament teaches us that it’s by faith that we please God. Faith is not merely believing that God exists but that He rewards those who seek him. God exists, and His intentions towards us are always good. To curse God would be to deny one or both of these aspects of faith. There cannot be a good God with all the suffering in the world. If there is a God at all, in light of all the suffering in the world, he cannot be a good God.
Job’s pain and suffering caused much consternation as he attempted to reconcile his suffering with his Faith in God and God’s goodness. He did not deny them. Job was puzzled over how the God he knew existed and was a good God could allow such catastrophe in his life for no apparent reason. It’s the same struggle we all have. The challenge for us, like Job, is whether we will continue to have faith and affirm His existence and His goodness when we pass through the trials of life. Satan seeks to destroy that faith. Many of Job’s comments to God are affirmations of his faith in God and God’s goodness in spite of his suffering. He says, “Your hands fashioned and made me…Remember that you have made me like clay…You clothed me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit.”
Paul informs us in Romans that there isn’t anything that can separate us from God’s everlasting love. Beginning in Romans 8:35, Paul indicates that such experiences as tribulations, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, and death are not indications that God has quit loving us, as some might interpret them. “Paul assures his readers that God’s love is steadfast. So, we are protected by such truths in the midst of persecution. Having faith means believing God—trusting Him to tell the truth to keep His promises. It is this faith that protects us from falling away from Him.”[1] Our prayer in a similar vein might be, “Father, though I am suffering right now, I know you are there. I know you are good. I know you made me and that you will never desert me because you love me with your everlasting love. You preserve me in bad times as well as the good times. I praise your name.”
[1] Baker, William R., and Paul K. Carrier. 1990. James-Jude: Unlocking the Scriptures for You. Standard Bible Studies. Cincinnati, OH: Standard.