I have struggled with this question my whole life. Why did God allow my dad to mess with me sexually as a child? I didn't do anything to deserve that. I didn't sin in any way to deserve that. Children certainly don't sin in the way that adults do. But suffering is not always a direct result of a person's sin. We live in a fallen world. The Bible says Satan is the ruler of this world, and so things will not always be perfect. God could stop suffering and childhood sexual or physical abuse, but he doesn't. Why?
God says, "I let children suffer to make them stronger. I let people of all ages suffer to make them stronger. The after life won't be a total picnic. There will still be wars and evil entities to overcome. The more you suffer in this life, the more you will be able to endure wars and struggles in the after life, if I should require you to. Sometimes, you have to prove your endurance level. The race goes to the fastest. The Christian's salvation goes to the strongest. If you are qualified, you will make it to the end. You qualify yourself by being strong and faithful to me. Every person goes through a series of tests to prove their worthiness to be one of my disciples. I need strong soldiers in the after life, not wimpy cop outs."
There is a verse in Revelation that says the cowardly will go to hell. Most wouldn't think that being a coward is a sin, but apparently it is. When you are a coward, it shows that you don't have any faith. People who have faith aren't afraid of anything. When the Pentecost happened and the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, the evidence was not just tongues but their boldness. Any time when the church prayed in Acts they prayed for boldness. Any time throughout the Bible when someone was filled with the Holy Spirit, it caused them to act courageously, fearless, strong, like they could do anything. People who have true faith are not afraid of anything. Think of Daniel still praying with the threat of being thrown into the den of lions. He wasn't afraid. He knew God could rescue him, and God did. Daniel had faith that God would rescue him and so he did. His faith made him as bold as a lion and fearless. That is how God wants all of us to be.
The more suffering and trials you go through in life, the stronger you become. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? Yes, it does. The strongest people I have known went through a lot of trials and hard times. The weakest people I know never had to suffer at all. Or they did suffer, but they didn't know how to use that to make them stronger. They let it make them more weak.
May you use any suffering God allowed you to go through to make you much stronger, like an ox. Be a person of faith. Learn to not be afraid of anything.
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