By Louis T. Talbot, D.D.
A woman of Bethlehem. At Shepherds’ Fields outside of Bethlehem Dr. Talbot preached in English to the crowd gathered there on Christ mas Eve 1949. T HE question we are asking today is not a new one; it has been the cry of the human heart throughout the centuries: Why does God permit His children to suffer? Why the tears and heartaches? Why the sorrow and pain? Since He is able to do all things, why does He not spare His children these trials? We can understand why the wicked reap what they sow, for sin leaves its impress, and brings forth a harvest of grief and sorrow. But we are not consid ering here the suffering of the unconvert ed. We are not even dealing with the sor rows of the Christian who is living out of the will of God. We are thinking only of the godly man or woman who is seek ing to do His will and to bring glory to Him. Why does He permit so faithful a follower to suffer? It may be that many people reading this article have long been on beds of
He said: “ He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: for I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake (Acts 9:15, 16). Read the book of Acts to see what Paul suffered. Read his own summary of trials endured for Christ’s sake, as re corded in II Cor. 11:23-33. Read of the sufferings of the heroes and heroines of faith as found in Heb. 11:32-38. Read the history of the early church, and you will find that the Chris tians of the first three centuries suffered- unspeakable torture at the hand of pagan emperors. They were thrown into the arena to be devoured by wild beasts. They were dragged naked through the streets. They were subjected to gross in dignities and horrible physical torture. Why? Why did God permit these early Christians to become martyrs of the Cross? It is said of Charles Haddon Spur geon, the great winner of souls, that to ward the close of his ministry he never knew a day without physical pain. On the vestry of his church in London there was a couch, where he lay during the preliminary services, praying for strength and power from on high to preach the Gospel. Then having given out the message, back to the couch he went. Why did God permit His useful servant to suffer physical pain? This is the question we want to answer from the pages of Holy Writ. And in the answer lies a veritable gold mine of spiritual knowledge and comfort for the people of God. Two False Arguments Before we consider why God allows His children to suffer, let us look briefly at two false arguments often presented in answer to this question. Some say, as
pain. It may be that some are going through deep shadows. You do not ques tion God’s power to remove the trial. You do not question His love in permitting it. But why? Why does He not remove it? Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was “ a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 6:5). There was no ques tion as to His relationship to God. He “did great wonders and miracles among the people” (Acts 6:8). And when he was falsely accused because of his wit ness to the Lord Jesus, “ all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). Yet the angry mob hurled stones at him, and he be came the first martyr of Jesus. Why did God permit it? Surely the world needed the ministry of such a man as Stephen. When the Lord told Ananias to go to Saul of Tarsus and minister unto him,
Kockefeller Museum, Jerusalem, Palestine. This photograph and others of the Holy Land on these two pages are used by courtesy of the Biblical Research Society. Page Six
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