If God Knows the Future, Can He Save You from Harm?

Marilyn (age 10) recently asked,

“So if God can tell the future, can he save you from any harm?”

The Bible tells us God knows all things, including the future.

I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, “My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose.” (Isaiah 46:9–10)

The Bible also teaches that “nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37) and gives many examples of God miraculously saving his people from harm, such as Daniel in the lions’ den, the three men in the fiery furnace, or Peter being led from prison by an angel. No human is too powerful to stop God from saving his people.

But the Bible also records God’s faithful servants, such as Stephen, being stoned to death, or the Apostle James and John the Baptist being arrested and later beheaded. Why did God save Peter but not James? Why save Daniel and not John? If God is good and all-powerful, why do his people sometimes suffer and even die?

Well, God doesn’t always give us his reasons for allowing suffering. But there are five things we know from God’s Word that help us understand suffering, including our own.

1. It wasn’t supposed to be this way! God’s original creation was “very good”—no death, no suffering, no sadness. But when Adam and Eve sinned, creation was broken, and now this world is filled with pain, death, and sadness.
2. God still cares for us. Even in a broken world, God still cares! No matter how hard life is, God is always with us, and he never stops working for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).
3. God is always working his plan. It’s been said God can do “all his holy will.” Yes, God can do anything, but what he does do is his good and perfect will. On this side of eternity, we often don’t understand what God is doing, but he sees the end from the beginning, and through our suffering in a fallen world, he is accomplishing his eternal plan.
4. Sadness isn’t our biggest problem. We might feel like it is, but our sin is actually our biggest problem. It’s why there’s suffering in this world and it’s what separates us from God. But God solved our biggest problem by sending his Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life and then suffer and die on the cross for our sin. He then rose from the grave, and he offers us forgiveness from our sin if we trust in him.
5. It won’t always be like this! Jesus is coming again, and he’ll make a new heavens and a new earth where death, sadness, and pain will be gone forever. That will be amazing!

Until then, life is often really hard, but even in the sadness and pain caused by a fallen world, we know God loves us, he’s with us, he will never leave us, and he’s working his good plan.

Do you have a question about the Bible? Ask your parents to help you submit your question today. We’d love to hear from you!