How a Loving God Can Allow His Children to Hurt

John 11:6

When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

Jesus had just received a message that Lazarus was sick. Likely, the messengers told Him that Lazarus was deathly ill, but Jesus said that the sickness was not unto death. The very next verse then says about Jesus, Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. You read this statement and would think that Jesus would quickly leave to go heal Lazarus. However, we see Jesus abode two days still in the same place, and because He did not go immediately, Lazarus died.

Once Jesus knew that Lazarus died, He told His disciples that Lazarus had died and that He needed to go to see the family. What grabs my attention is that Martha met Jesus on his trip to see them, and she said, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. The grief and pain that Martha was experiencing was great, and it seemed that Jesus was the cause of it. When Jesus met Mary, He again heard the same statement, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

How could a loving Saviour allow this pain to happen to people whom the Scriptures say that He loved? Let’s face it, we all have been asked the question how a loving God can allow people to hurt so deeply. The question certainly ought to be answered, but the answer is often not what we want. Let me share a couple thoughts about how God’s love allows His people to hurt.

First, God’s love for us is not dependent on our life circumstances, but on His character to love us. We often think God loves us when times are good, but if God loves us when times are good and He never changes, then He still loves us when times are bad. God’s love for you never changes because of life’s adverse circumstances. God loves you in the good and bad times.

Second, God cannot show His compassionate side to us if He does not allow us to go through hard times. One of the great verses in the Scriptures is John 11:35, Jesus wept. Jesus wept when He saw how deeply grieved Mary and Martha were. You cannot know the depths of God’s love without going through the depths of life to see His loving care and compassion in those times. God loves you enough to let you see another side of Him in those times of grief.

Third, God’s love allowed Lazarus to die so He would not have to endure the pain of the sickness until He came. It was not bad for Lazarus to die and not go through the hurt of the sickness for four days. Instead, he got to experience Heaven for four days.

Fourth, God’s love sees what He will do through your grief. Mary and Martha did not know that Jesus purposely allowed Lazarus to die so that He could show His power to raise the dead. What you can't see is what God has planned for your heartache. God has a way to turn your heartache into the miraculous. God cannot do the miraculous through our lives without sending the impossible situations and times of hurt in our lives.

My friend, the answer to the question of how a loving God allows His people to hurt so deeply is that you must trust Him. Trust God that He can comfort you. Trust God that He has something miraculous He will do if we will trust that He will do what is best for eternity’s sake.