Q&A: If God is real, why is there so much suffering?

If God is real, then why is there so much suffering and hardship and persecution that we see going on around us? 

This question I get asked alot and its an important question. The first thing we have to establish is that God created us with free will. This is known in Genesis when Adam and Eve are in the garden. God gave them everything in the garden to eat except for the Tree Of The Knowledge Of Good And Evil. Eve was tempted by the serpent (Satan in disguise) to eat from that tree, but that was ultimately her choice. Likewise after, Adam let down his guard and also ate the fruit. These two acts of sin led to the hardships and suffering of today (death, pain during child birth, etc.)

The response I just gave can also have a followup question of , “Why didnt God just destroy humans and start over after they didnt do what he asked?”. The truth is He kinda did during the time of Noah when He flooded the earth. God was so upset at the sinful culture that was developed that He wanted to wipe us out except for Noah’s family who was different from the rest of the world and was saved in the Ark. 

As you read through the Bible you may notice that the story of Noah reflects our personal journey through life. We are called to be different from the world, put our trust in God, and He will save us from eternal destruction. God is seeking a real church filled with people who genuinely love him, we cannot have that genuine love without our free will.