There are some questions that almost everyone asks at some point in life, and this is one of them: Why do bad things happen to good people?
Maybe you've asked it while walking through something painful. Maybe it was after losing someone you loved, maybe it was seeing someone who didn't deserve suffering experience incredible hardship, or maybe you have looked at the world around you and wondered: "God, where are You?"
This question has been asked for thousands of years. It is not a new question, and asking it does not mean you lack faith.
In fact, Scripture is full of people who loved God deeply but still wrestled with pain and confusion. Job asked questions, David cried out to God, even the disciples struggled to understand.
The difference between faith and unbelief is not whether we have questions. The difference is where we take those questions. And God is not afraid of our questions.
To answer this question, we need to go back to the beginning. When God created the world, everything was exactly as it should be. Genesis tells us that God looked at His creation and called it "very good."
But when sin entered the world, and everything changed. Brokenness became part of the human experience. Pain, suffering, disease, and death now became a part of life.
The suffering we experience is not because God enjoys seeing us hurt. It is because we live in a world that has been affected by sin.
In Romans chapter 8, Paul describes creation as "groaning" and waiting for the day when God restores all things. The brokenness we see around us reminds us that this world is not our final home.
One of the hardest things about suffering is that we often feel like God is far away. But Scripture paints a different picture. God is not distant from our pain. He is near.
When Lazarus died, Jesus knew what He was about to do. He knew Lazarus would rise again. But when He saw the grief of those around Him, Jesus wept.
Jesus didn't rush past their pain. He entered into it. That tells us something important about God: He is not a God who watches our suffering from a distance. He is a God who steps into our suffering.
One of the hardest parts about suffering is not just the pain itself. It's the questions that come with it. Questions like: why did this happen? Why now? Why this person? Why me?
Sometimes God gives us answers, and sometimes He doesn't. But throughout Scripture, we see that God can be trusted even when we don't understand.
Joseph's life is a powerful example. His brothers betrayed him, he was sold into slavery, he was falsely accused, and he spent years in prison.
Looking at Joseph's story in the moment, it would have been easy to believe God had forgotten him. But later, in Genesis chapter 50, Joseph was able to say: "You intended evil against me, but God intended it for good."
Joseph didn't pretend the pain wasn't real, he didn't say what happened was okay. He recognized that God was able to bring purpose out of something painful.
The greatest evidence that God cares about our suffering is Jesus. God did not stay distant from a broken world. He came into it.
Jesus experienced rejection, he experienced betrayal, he experienced injustice, he experienced suffering. The cross reminds us that God is not unfamiliar with pain, He understands. And because of the resurrection, we know that suffering does not get the final word. Jesus does.
Reflection Questions
-
What is a situation where you have struggled to understand why God allowed something to happen?
-
Have you ever felt like God was distant during a painful season? What helped you remember that He was near?
-
How does knowing Jesus experienced suffering change the way you view your own struggles?
-
What would trusting God look like in an area of your life where you don't have all the answers?