Suffering is real and evil. Facing suffering we feel that it is not right, it should not be like that.

I have been displaced for four years now, together with thousands others here in Croatia sharing their suffering. I can comment with all of them: "This is not right, This shou1d not be like that."

When the world was first created it was filled with the joy of life. God's power and personality are in and seen through the act of creation. The vastness of the universe, the wonderful colors of planet Earth, the complexities of our body give us a hint of God's greatness. The apostle Paul wrote: "Since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made." Man was created in God's own image, that refers to His character, and it was. given him to take care of all creation. (Gen.2:l5.) Man was also given personal relationship with God. As a real master he had the freedom to choose. The free will that God had given to man enabled him to respond to God�s love. Such an attitude would have resulted in harmonious living with all. This was God's will indeed.

All that has been said show that sufferings do not belong to the world created by God. Suffering was no part of God's creation. Suffering and calamities are the result of man's misuse of his God given liberty. Sin took place, the drama. of disobedience, Gen.3:11. Adam's disobedience placed all his descendants under the result of disobedience: suffering and hatred ending up in death.

Man's self-will has imposed suffering. The "No" said to God made man a Loser in every part, in every walk of Life. Man created to live in fellowship with God, became alienated from God in suffering and calamity.

Suffering. does not come upon us because God planned it for us. It is a part of Life's reality during our journeying in this world. Man can call upon God, ask for His guidance, then God can take over the initiative to bring out something positive from our suffering.

God's Word tells us that in suffering, that is often so great; we are not forsaken, we are not left to ourselves. God knows exactly where we are, what surrounds us. The apostle Paul told the Athenians: "The God who made the world...is not far from each one of us." (Acts 17:24,27.)

I should Like to emphasize by the following testimony that God never forsakes us, whatsoever the suffering may be.

On August 5, 1991, with three other residents we were heading home to our village, Tordinci. It was a day of the first horrors of war on Croatia. Everyone lived in fear and anxiety in those days Villages and town were shelled and to travel around was hazardous. In spite of all people had to go to work. On the said day with three others I was on my way home after a work-day. On the road to Tordinci there were several barricades; Serb extremists, so called chetniks" stopped, maltreated and robbed people, then disappeared somewhere. We managed. to cross every barricade and. left Ostrovo, a Serb village, behind. Two more kilometers and we should arrive to our village Tordinci. Here the road took us through maize fields. Unexpectedly three men came out of the maize-field onto the road. Waving their rifles and calling us by ugly names they ordered us to leave our car. Their weapons and insignia made it clear they were para-military, the so called "chetniks". Affronting us, without asking for our names or who we were, they ordered us: "Lie down in the ditch, all of you!" The ditch is more than a meter deep there. We were lying there with our hands extended and our face on the edge of the road. Then. we heard them reloading their rifles. In a split second I saw in my mind my family, all my friends and thought to myself: "Lord, is all this real'?" One of these barbarians went up to the man next to me and kicked him in his face. saying: "I will kill you. all!" The man on my left shouted out: "Pray!" My prayer had only three words: "Jesus, protect us!" My turn came. The same man was about to kick me when something happened. He stumbled and staggered back, as if someone had pushed him. 'Pulling himself together he shouted: "Who are you"?" I just told him I was a preacher of the Church of God. Then quite aloud I told him: "I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God." For a minute he was confused and then. he asked me: "Who is responsible for all these calamities?" My answer was that without any difference all those ware responsible who did not follow Jesus Christ. The man gave a serious thought to my answer and then told the others to stand up. We went back into our car and set off for Tordinci. This event was reported by the local paper.

Now I affirm, though then I was not fully aware, that God. stood by our side and. saved. us wonderfully. Thank God for this experience.

Certainly God does. not forsake us. He understands us in our suffering and can turn the situation to our benefit. The Gospel scene in John 11:35 is particularly meaningful for me. Jesus is facing the pain of His friends. At the grave of Lazarus He weeps. He shares the sorrow of those He loves at the same time calls them to believe God with whom nothing is impossible, for whom there are no hopeless situations. Man can and must be open. with faith to His guidance that God might turn the suffering and the evil situations to our benefit. In His own way He always brings us victory,

If suffering befalls us during our life men of faith can have the certainly that our Lord will strengthen us to face it. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews says He will never forsake us. It is particularly important to believe Heb 2:18, "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

Every step of faith is, even if we think it to be very' small, an important element of our life's journey by which God realizes the ultimate good for our life.

Lazar Kova�evi�

Vinkovci, June 8, 1995.