Foreword
A Barna poll once asked, “If you could ask God one question, and you knew that He would give you an answer, what would you ask?” The most common response was, “Why is there pain and suffering in the world?”
If you share the Gospel with someone who does not yet know the Lord, it won’t be long before they ask, “How could a God of love allow tragedy, pain, and suffering?” In fact, C.S. Lewis said that “the problem of pain is atheism's most potent weapon against the Christian faith.”
Perhaps you, or someone you know, have recently faced tragedy or received some really bad news and you are wondering, “Why?” When a tsunami or earthquake hits and thousands die, we wonder, “Why?” A child is born with a disability and we wonder, “Why?” A Christian friend gets cancer and we wonder, “Why?”
A young man is killed in an automobile accident and we wonder, “Why?” Our family had to face this very tragedy with the early departure to heaven of our oldest son Christopher in 2008
Even Christians ask, “Why?” That is why I am so glad that my good friend James MacDonald has tackled this vital and gnawing subject in his new book When Life Is Hard.
Know this—James is not offering pious platitudes from an ivory tower of mere theory. Rather, he is writing from the place of pain, as James himself was recently diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, his treatments have been successful, but James has certainly suffered and is qualified to speak on this topic, not only as a powerful teacher of God’s Word but also as a fellow traveler on the road of pain.
While he was getting medical attention for his cancer in Southern California, James asked if he could preach a series of sermons at our church that could be taped and shown to his home congregation at Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago. Of course, I agreed. As I listened to these messages, which were very well-received, I told him, “You must put these in a book!” And you are now holding this result.
I am delighted to now encourage you to read what James has learned from both Scripture and life on the topic of pain and suffering, and find much needed hope.
Greg Laurie
Riverside, California
2009