This is a profound and common question that touches upon the problem of evil and suffering, which often challenges our understanding of God’s nature.
Here is an explanation of why the Make-A-Wish Foundation exists, viewed through the lens of God’s attributes and Biblical truth.
The Necessity of Compassion in a Fallen World
The existence of organizations like Make-A-Wish is not a refutation of God’s love or knowledge, but rather a powerful demonstration of humanity’s response to suffering—a response that is, in fact, God-ordained and Biblically mandated.
1. The Reality of the Curse
- God is All-Knowing (Omniscient): God knows all things, including the suffering that exists. He knows the pain of every child who needs a wish fulfilled.
- God is All-Loving (Agape): God’s love is perfectly expressed in the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, who entered a broken world to redeem it (John 3:16). His love does not promise a life free from trouble in this earthly existence.
- The Bible’s Explanation: The Bible teaches that sickness, suffering, and death entered the world not by God’s initial design, but through the Fall of Man (Genesis 3). We live in a world that is “groaning” under the curse of sin (Romans 8:22).
- Conclusion: The necessity of Make-A-Wish points not to a deficient God, but to a defiled creation. It is a temporary foundation in a temporary, broken world.
2. The Command to Minister to the Suffering
The Bible is not silent on how believers should react to the suffering of others. The existence of Make-A-Wish, which seeks to alleviate suffering, can be seen as an expression of the Costly Grace and Physical Obedience that the Bible demands of us.
- The Example of Christ and the Final Judgment: Jesus spent His ministry healing the sick and comforting the afflicted, setting the standard for His followers. He commands us to minister to the least of these, making it a critical factor in the judgment.“Then shall the King say unto them on their right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me… Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:34–36, 40, KJV)
- The Law of Love in Action: The very core of Christian action is love for one’s neighbor, especially those in distress. True faith must be active and visible.“But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:17–18, KJV)
3. God Works Through Human Agency
The concept that God should instantaneously remove all suffering often overlooks the fact that God has chosen to work through His creation, particularly through the compassionate actions of people.
- The Gift of Free Will and Responsibility: God has given mankind the responsibility to care for one another. A world where God instantly removed every consequence of sickness and sin would eliminate the opportunity for human compassion, charity, and sacrificial love—qualities essential to His likeness.
- The Role of the Foundation: Make-A-Wish is a tangible expression of human stewardship and mercy. Its existence is a testament to the imago Dei (Image of God) in man, driving us to alleviate the burdens of the afflicted.
In summary: Make-A-Wish exists because we live in a post-Fall world where suffering is real. It is an organization driven by a Biblical mandate for charity and compassion, demonstrating the love of God through human agency, rather than an indictment against the nature of God.