The God Edition | Where is God when we suffer? – The Mail & Guardian

The train station in Seversk, Ukraine, after a Russian missile strike. This war and other disruptions are rippling through the world. (Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP)

Political and economic instability, climate crisis , war, social division. These fracture our world and cause terrible suffering.

From civilians killed and women raped in armed conflict and starving children living in hopeless poverty to the disabled war veteran living in his car on the streets of Los Angeles and the mother mourning her toddler murdered in the war-torn Gaza Strip, the evidence of a broken world lies bare.

Atheists point to the evil and suffering in the world as an argument proving there is no God; if He existed surely He would intervene.

Where is God in our suffering? If God is love, why does he allow such pain?

Many Christians can’t answer these honest questions.

But for Christian Universalists who believe God’s redemptive love extends to all people, these concerns do not point to the absence of God, but to His presence working toward restoration, even in the midst of suffering.

God is a very present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1) and has never been absent from human struggle.

Christ’s incarnation is the ultimate example of God partaking in the suffering of humanity. He came into a world of occupation, oppression, poverty and injustice.

The first of several violent attempts made on his life was as a little child. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Herod, the king of Judea, slaughtered the male children of Bethlehem in an attempt to kill the infant Jesus, who he feared would eventually seize his kingdom.

Jesus walked among the poor, the sick, and the outcasts of his day — the greedy tax collectors, drinkers and sinners — and challenged the powerful religious leaders of his time. He was the incarnation of God’s love for everyone, including those rejected by society.

God’s focus is redemption not exclusion. As Universalists we believe in a God who seeks to reconcile all things (Colossians 1:20), that He is present in every war-torn nation, every political conflict and every broken society.

He is not aloof. He actively woos humanity to seek justice, reconciliation and peace.

The tumult in the world today is not God’s design. It’s a symptom of our fallen human nature, our brokenness. 

We thirst for power and control. Our mire of lust, covetousness and jealousy propels us to chase a mirage to war. We fail to extend love and mercy to one another as God wants us to.

Humans cause war, corruption, exploitation and division. It’s not God’s fault. But if He is a God of love, why doesn’t He intervene?

Humans have free will, and with this freedom comes responsibility. The suffering in the world is proof of our rejection of divine love and justice. If we instead exercised our free will to follow our conscience and walk in love, the world would be a far better place.

Still, even though we choose to hate, God is not absent. He calls us to repentance; never to condemn, but to transform.

Christian Universalism teaches that God’s love never gives up on us. No matter how far we stray, He draws us back to Himself.

Some Christian traditions focus on a God who punishes those who reject Him, but Universalism, which was the dominant view in the early church from the time of the Apostles until the fourth century, emphasises a God who never gives up on humanity.

If we believe God’s love will ultimately redeem creation, then we must accept that even in our suffering, He is moving us toward redemption.

In today’s political climate, nations are polarised into an “us” and “them”, and even in Christianity, deep theological rifts exist.

Religion is wielded to justify political positions. Scriptures are weaponised to brainwash the populace, support nationalism, exclusion and violence. This is not the way of Christ.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not aligned with any political ideology. His Kingdom simply is not of this world (John 18:36).

Christ calls us to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us and to seek justice for the poor and oppressed. His love transcends politics, nationalism and human systems.

Universalists believe every human has been created in the image of God and is destined for reconciliation with Him. Every act of hatred and exclusion and systems that perpetuate suffering are against His will.

As followers of Christ we are called to resist the propaganda of fear, hatred and division and instead pursue love, peace and justice. We must live as peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) and build bridges rather than walls.

Christian Universalism’s greatest hope is, after all, the belief that in the end, love wins.

God’s plan for creation is restoration, not destruction. Revelation 21:4 says one day, God will wipe away every tear, and there will be no more death, mourning or pain.

Darkness may seem to pervade the world in our present turmoil. But the light of God’s love still shines in acts of kindness, movements for justice, by those who care for the vulnerable, and in every heart that refuses to hate.

In these times of global chaos and uncertainty, it’s so easy to become discouraged and depressed.

But God is not distant from our suffering. He is present in us, working through us, to shine His love in the world.

If we believe God’s love is universal we must live as ambassadors of his love, reflecting his mercy, justice and compassion in everything we do.

Where is God in our suffering?

He is here. In the heart of every person seeking peace and love and speaking truth, in the humanitarian housing refugees, in the homeless war veteran and the street outreach worker, in the mourning mother and the peacemaker working to heal divisions in spite of the hatred.

God is here. He is drawing us to himself to one day make all things new.

If we take a quiet moment amid this world’s crazy turmoil we will hear his voice encouraging us: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 36:10).