Why do children die of cancer?

 This is a difficult question, but I do believe there are a number of answers from a Christian worldview perspective:

I respond below as a Christian answering a skeptic. Also, notice how answering this question can be transitioned into an evangelistic encounter...

1. As a Christian, I believe much of the suffering experienced today, such as a child dying of cancer, is the result of the broken world we live in. Our rebellion against God has tarnished this place and this life, which is why God has provided the ultimate Remedy for this entire world in His Son, Jesus Christ. We are only visiting this place. This is true for those who live eight months, eight years, or eighty years. In the context of eternity, all of these numbers are small. The suffering is real and horrible for those who die of cancer, as well as for the families who witness this reality up close. This is why I look forward to Heaven. God promises to those who have put their faith in Him that, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will not longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain…” (Revelation 21:4). I would love to share with you more about the Life beyond this life, if you’ll permit me…

2. As a Christian, I do believe God brings about a greater good for any and all suffering. I don’t believe God wastes any suffering we endure. This is difficult to understand when comprehending a child dying of cancer, and I won’t pretend to be able to explain the “greater good” of any particular young child’s death. Please know that I am not trying to “deflect” the issue here. I merely recognize my limitations as a finite being with a finite mind. This is why I have put my faith in the infinite God with the infinite mind, who is perfectly good in both His motives and His actions. That being said, one greater good, at least for these children who die so young, is that they will immediately go to be with the Lord. There is Biblical precedent for believing this as a Christian. When King David's child became sick, he fasted and pleaded with God to spare his son, but the child died. After hearing this, David began eating again, which confused his attendants. They said, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!” David answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me (2 Samuel 12:21-22).”

3. The primary purpose of this life is not a happy and healthy existence. I own two dogs, and I literally believe my primary purpose for them, as their owner (or “master”), is to limit their pain, maximize their comfort, and treat them in the best way I can for their relatively short lives. Many people believe this is how God must view His creation too (or how He should view us). But we are not God’s pets! As a Christian, I do not believe God’s purpose for your life or mine is to limit our pain and maximize our comfort. His purposes are much bigger than this. The Christian view is that we exist to grow in deeper knowledge of God. It is a truth of life that innocent human suffering, such as child dying of cancer, can potentially greatly increase our dependence on Him. I wish this wasn’t true, but those times in my life in which I have relied on God the most, have tended to be those difficult times in the “valley” and not when I’ve been riding on “cloud nine.” Furthermore, suffering often turns people to God. There is an interesting passage in the New Testament where Jesus mentions some Galileans who suffered under Pilate and he also mentions the collapsing of a tower, which killed eighteen people. He asks out loud if these people suffered in this way because they were “greater sinners” than everyone else who lived. He answers his own question by twice stating the phrase, “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Jesus is implicitly claiming that these horrible events should be an incentive to repentance. Clay Jones has noted, “It is as if he is saying that God uses disaster as a megaphone to call attention to our guilt and destination…” The most important thing to remember is that God’s purposes are not contained in this life alone. This truth is wonderful news for every single person whose life will be cut short by cancer (or for any other reason). Paul, who knew suffering well, even stated, “we do not lose heart…for this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:16-17). Eternity will overwhelm the suffering we have endured in this life – for those who have put their faith in Him.