Why God allows pain and suffering in our lives: Ravi Zacharias answers questions from the John Hopkin's student body

All too often, it seems, that man's questions about God's existence enters the thought process when pain and suffering enter their lives. It is as though we expect God to be this celestial Santa Clause showering us with gifts of gratitude every day of our lives, but when we enter that disparately forlorn place of suffering we automatically toss God out because, after all, if he were real I wouldn't feel the way I do. Suffering, it seems, propels some to leave their faith and pursue a godless world view.

Then I am reminded of these words from Paul in the book of Ephesians. Paul, once a hater of Christians and a vowed pursuer of their deaths, had his encounter with God when suddenly blinded on the road to Damascus.  He  gain his sight when another follower of Christ named Ananias of Damascus received word to go to Paul  after three days when his sight was restored by and Paul began to preach that Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God.

Paul penned these words in the book of Ephesians: "I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called,"

And in the book of acts Paul writes in Chapter 16:25-34:

25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
King James Version (KJV)

Paul could have thrown in the towel once he found himself sitting in the prison cell chained and bound, but he didn't. Instead, he sang praises to God and God used his current predicament to bring salvation to the jailer.

Years later my son said to me and I paraphrase "When I saw in your life that you were not going to be a quitter after Maria died, I knew I wasn't going to be one either." In the days following our loss I found great solace reading about the sufferings of God's people in the bible because I saw in their suffering God's redeeming grace. Instead of losing hope, I clung to the original commitment I made to my Savior, Jesus Christ, that early spring day in 1974 when Christ became my cornerstone where the rest of my life laid.

In this video clip  Apologetic Ravi Zacharias answers questions from the John Hopkins student body on the very question on pain and suffering. He presents valid arguments that will strengthen your faith in the face of suffering.

You may want to view this clip in short installments because of it's length, but do view it as it will help you understand why we suffer.