Why does God allow natural disasters to happen?

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Overview

Sometimes evil happens as a result of people exercising the free will that God lovingly bestowed on them. The September 11 attacks are one example of human-caused suffering. It’s still hard to comprehend why God allowed it to happen, but at least we know that it’s the terrorists—and not God—who devised the attacks. But what about natural disasters? How do we explain them? CHRISTIANITY TODAY editors say in a recent editorial that any traditional explanation of suffering is bound to sound shallow, incomplete, and clichéd, if it’s offered as a sound bite. How do we put these traditional Christian responses to suffering in context?

Table of Contents

SCRIPTURE: Mark 15:33–34; Romans 8:17–25; Psalm 33:5, 36:5, 63:3, 119:76–77; 1 John 3:16–20; Job 38:1–41, 42:1–6; Psalm 115:3, 135:6; Daniel 2:20–22; Romans 9:18; Proverbs 31:8–9

LEADER'S GUIDE

    • Identify the Current Issue

    • Discover the Eternal Principles

—Teaching point one: In any discussion of evil, remember that Christ willingly submitted to its torments and then triumphed over it.

—Teaching point two: We may not understand why God allows evil, but we can trust him because we know he loves us.

—Teaching point three: Because we believe God loves us, we can rest in knowing he is always with us.

—Teaching point four: In spite of the seeming chaos, God is in control.

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