I am curious: Why does God allow severe suffering?

I watch a documentary film and news yesterday. I saw people begging for food suffering from hunger, crimes, wars and environmental disasters. Here in the Philippines people keep on protesting and asking the president to resign because according to them they are suffering from government failure to rebuild the economy and restore peace and security in the country. Recently, in China a lot of people died cause by unknown pestilences and other dangerous epidemic.

In Western Europe and other country around the world, people died and some are still suffering because floods destroyed there homes and livelihood. I feel pity for these people but I can’t do anything for them. Because of the things happening around the world, I can’t stop my self asking why? What’s happening? Is there a God who really cares? If there is God why did he allow such rampant anguish, pain and suffering? Where is God? Is this his will?

If I will ask all these questions to you can you explain to me why and give a good an answer? I am sure you can’t right? If so, aren’t you curious also as I am? Or have you tried asking same questions by your self and found unsatisfying answers? I know your wondering also why such things happening.

People who ask question like this often seek the real reason like me! My curiosity provokes me to search the answers. It’s difficult though because I don’t know where to start and where to go but my determination push me to find the answer. And I want to share what I have found.

I read in the Bible that “God” is “love “ and this is recorded in the Bible book of John, (1 John 4:8). And James 1:13 states; “when under trial, let no one say: I am being tried by God for evil things God can’t be tried nor does he himself try anyone.” So if you have suffered evil, rest assured that God isn’t the cause.

Try to think about the real meaning of the said Bible text and you will come up with one thing, “God can’t do evil thing”. The Bible doesn’t teach that God is behind all the severe suffering of people today. Instead mankind has made such disasters worse by damaging the natural environment and by building in areas prone to earthquakes, floods and extreme weather. Then who is behind the wars, famines, natural disasters, sickness, and death that plaque mankind causing futility pain and suffering? None other than human itself with the guidance of the ruler of this world Satan the Devil.

1 John 5:19 states that “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one, the wick one who is mentioned in the above paragraph is Satan the Devil. We humans are suffering today because Satan is the ruler of this world not God and we are also leaving in what the Bible calls the “last days”.