God Really Cares​—How We Know

IT IS an old but important question, one that people have pondered for millenniums: If God loves us, why is there so much suffering? You probably agree that if you love someone, you do not want that person to suffer, and if he or she were in trouble, you would try to help. Accordingly, many feel that since there is so much suffering in the world, God cannot possibly care for us. It is important, therefore, that we first consider the evidence that God really does love us, that God cares.

Creation Testifies to God’s Love

Jehovah God is “the One who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them.” (Acts 4:24) As we contemplate what Jehovah has produced, we surely must conclude that he cares for us. Think, for example, about the things that give you delight and pleasure. Do you like good food? Jehovah could have provided just one kind of food to sustain our life. Instead, he created an endless variety of foods to delight our  palate. Likewise, Jehovah has adorned the earth with a marvelous array of trees, flowers, and landscapes to make life enjoyable and interesting for us.

Consider also the way we are made. Our sense of humor, our ability to enjoy music, and our capacity for appreciating beauty are not necessary to sustain life​—all are gifts from God that enrich our life. And think about your relationship with others. Who does not enjoy the warm companionship of good friends or the embrace of someone for whom we have deep affection? Why, the ability to love is itself a gift from a God who loves! Since God created in humans the ability to love, that quality must be a part of God’s personality.

The Bible Assures Us of God’s Love

The Bible tells us that God is love. (1 John 4:8) Not only is his love manifest in creation but it is also evident in his Word, the Bible. For example, the Bible gives guidelines that contribute to good health, encourages moderation in all things, and warns against drunkenness and gluttony.​—1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.

The Bible also gives wise counsel about human relations, urging us to love one another and to treat others with respect, dignity, and kindness. (Matthew 7:12) It condemns practices and attitudes that bring suffering​—greed, gossip, envy, adultery, and murder. If everyone tried to live by the fine counsel found in the Scriptures, there would surely be much less suffering worldwide.

The greatest manifestation of God’s love, however, was the giving of his Son, Jesus, to ransom mankind. John 3:16 states: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.” Thus Jehovah has already arranged to bring a permanent end to death and every form of suffering.​—1 John 3:8.

Clearly, there is abundant proof that Jehovah loves us. It follows, then, that it gives him no pleasure to see us suffer. He will act to end suffering. We do not have to speculate on the matter​—the Bible tells us exactly how God will eliminate suffering.

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The ability to love is a gift from a God who loves