Brad Alles

Questions enter our mind when we suffer.  “Is God punishing me?”  “Is God even there?”  Remember what James 1:5 says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” It’s okay to ask God questions;  just ask the right ones.

The second question to ask when suffering is, “Does God owe me anything?” The answer to that is, “Yes.”  Because of our sin and rebellion against God, we have earned damnation.  The only thing God deserves to give us is hell.  Paul states that clearly in Romans 6:23 a when he writes, “For the wages of sin is death…”

Wages are what we earn.  We deserve punishment.  But hear the Good News, the Gospel, in the next part of the verse: “…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).

Does God owe us anything?  When suffering, we often feel that God hates us and is unfair.  Remember that He owes us nothing, but in mercy forgives us through Jesus’ life and death.

Next, we’ll look at a third question to ask.