Part V – Trusting God in the Storm
If you have been following along in this series, you will know that in April 2023 my wife and I lost our 27-year-old daughter to a preventable illness. We were left devastated by this, questioning God and looking for the “why”. The last 18 months has not dulled the pain – we still hurt over her death. We still suffer – by why? Why did God bring this storm upon our lives?
As it turns out – Suffering is one of the greatest obstacles to faith in Christianity. It is one of the primary reasons people reject the notion of a loving, all-powerful God. When tragedy strikes, whether through personal loss, illness, or injustice, many ask, If God is truly good, why does He allow this?
This question is not new. For centuries, philosophers, theologians, and skeptics alike have wrestled with the problem of suffering. Some, like Harold Kushner, have attempted to reconcile suffering with the idea of a loving God by redefining His power. In his book “When Bad Things Happen to Good People”, Kushner concludes that God is not truly sovereign. He desires to prevent suffering in the world but lacks the power to do so. Others take a more atheistic position, arguing that the very presence of suffering proves there is no God at all.
our struggle with suffering arises because we misunderstand what God’s “goodness” truly means
observed by C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis took a different approach in his book “The Problem of Pain”. He did not attempt to lessen God’s power or deny His goodness but instead sought to explain how pain could exist in a world ruled by an all-powerful, all-loving Creator. Lewis observed that much of our struggle with suffering arises because we misunderstand what God’s “goodness” truly means. We want God to indulge us, to grant us a painless existence, but a truly loving God is one who is more concerned with shaping us for eternity than with sparing us from temporary discomfort. Herein is the surprising revelation of God’s heart; He is concerned with eternity.
Modern secular thought often embraces ideas like Kushner’s, believing that if suffering exists, either God is not truly good, or He is not truly in control, or that He does not exist at all. This thinking is rooted in a flawed assumption: That this life should be fair, that good people should be rewarded and bad people punished in this life. That a loving God would shield His creation from all pain. But is this what the Bible teaches? Does suffering disprove God’s goodness? Or is there a deeper purpose behind the hardships we endure?
Misconceptions About Suffering
Many people hold to the belief that a “good” God would not allow suffering. They reason that if God were truly loving, He would prevent pain and injustice. Others take a fatalistic approach, concluding that life is meaningless, therefore suffering is just part of an indifferent universe.
Another common error is the belief that suffering is the result of personal sin. This was the thinking of Job’s friends. They wrongly assumed that Job must have committed some great wrongdoing to deserve his suffering. It was also the assumption of Jesus’ disciples in John 9:1-12 when they encountered a man born blind. They asked, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2). They believed suffering is a direct punishment from God.
Jesus corrected this misunderstanding: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3). This passage reveals a fundamental truth; suffering is not always a punishment – sometimes, it exists to fulfill a greater purpose.
The Reality of Suffering: Why God Allows It
The Bible presents multiple reasons why God permits suffering. While we may not always fully understand His purposes, Scripture offers insight into why a loving and sovereign God allows pain in this world.
1. The Consequences of a Fallen World
The world we live in is broken because of sin. When Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God in the Garden of Eden, sin entered the world, and with it came suffering, disease, and death (Genesis 3:16-19, Romans 5:12). This was not God’s original design, but a consequence of humanity’s decision to turn away from Him.
While Romans 8:22 states that “the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time,” Paul’s point is not merely that the world is broken, but that it eagerly awaits Christ’s final return when all things will be restored. Creation’s groaning is not just lamenting over suffering but longing for redemption.
2. Free Will and Its Consequences
God created human beings with free will; endowed with the ability to choose between good and evil. True love and genuine faith require the freedom to choose, but with that freedom comes the possibility of sin and suffering. Our first exercise of this free will was to turn from God and eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Much of the world’s suffering is caused by human choices. Wars, oppression, violence, and betrayal are the results of sinful actions. If God were to eliminate all suffering, He would have to remove human free will, effectively turning us into mindless beings incapable of love, worship, or moral choice.
3. Suffering as a Means of Growth and Refinement
C.S. Lewis insightfully wrote in The Problem of Pain, “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
For the Christian difficulties should draw us closer to God and shape our character. Just as gold is refined by fire, our faith is strengthened through trials (1 Peter 1:6-7). While suffering is painful, it is not purposeless—it is often how God deepens our faith and reliance on Him.
4. Suffering as a Means of Displaying God’s Glory
The story of the man born blind in John 9 (mentioned above) reveals another reason for suffering—it provides an opportunity for God’s power and glory to be revealed. In this case, Jesus healed the man, demonstrating His divine authority.
Not all suffering results in immediate healing or restoration, but all suffering has the potential to bring glory to God. Paul, who endured great suffering, declared of God: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). When we trust God in our suffering, our faith becomes a testimony to His sustaining power. He brings glory to His name through the refining fire.
5. Suffering Reminds Us That This World Is Not Our Home
One of the greatest dangers we face is becoming too comfortable in this fallen world. Suffering reminds us that we were made for something more: eternal life with God.
Romans 8:18 offers this perspective: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” For the believer, suffering is temporary, but the hope we have in Christ is eternal.
6. God’s Suffering in Christ: The Ultimate Answer
The most powerful response to the question of suffering is not an abstract philosophical argument but a person; specifically Jesus Christ. God did not remain distant from human suffering; He entered into it. The cross of Christ is the ultimate demonstration that God does not abandon us in suffering; He suffers with us and for us.
But why would God allow His own Son to endure such agony? Why would He abandon Him, as Jesus cried out in anguish, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)? The answer is at the very heart of the gospel.
God sent His Son into the world to accomplish what no human could. The salvation of Man from sin and the ultimate defeat of suffering, sin and death. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). The suffering of Christ was not random or meaningless; it was purposeful. Jesus bore the full weight of sin, experienced separation from the Father, and endured the punishment we deserved so that we could be redeemed.
And yet, Christ endured the cross “for the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2). What was that joy? It was not only the triumph over sin and death but also the reality that His suffering would bring many sons and daughters into God’s family. His victory secured a place for all who trust in Him, making them heirs of eternal life.
Because of Christ’s suffering, we are not left to endure pain without hope. We are invited into the very family of God, given an eternal inheritance that cannot be taken away. Our suffering in this world is temporary, but through faith in Christ, we have a “reservation in heaven” (1 Peter 1:3-4). This eternal perspective changes everything. It means that no matter what trials we face, they are not the final chapter of our story. Christ has already written the ending, and it is one of victory, restoration, and joy.
Trusting God Through the Pain
Understanding why God allows suffering does not make the pain disappear, but it does provide hope. We may not always see the purpose in our suffering, but we can trust that God is good, wise, and sovereign. And we can know that He has not left us alone in it; He has walked through it Himself.
Romans 8:28 assures us: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” This does not mean that everything that happens is good, but that God is able to bring good from even the darkest circumstances. What greater proof do we have than the cross itself? What seemed like the greatest defeat in history, the death of the Son of God, became the greatest victory. If God could turn the suffering of His Son into the redemption of the world, He can certainly redeem our suffering as well.
God allows suffering not because He is indifferent, but because He is accomplishing something far greater than we can see
This eternal perspective transforms the way we endure trials. Paul reminds us, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17). We are not meant to fix our eyes on the pain of the present, but on the promise of eternity.
When suffering comes, we face a choice: Will we allow it to drive us away from God, or will we let it draw us closer to Him? Will we embrace the false idea that suffering disproves God’s love, or will we cling to the truth that He is working even in the pain?
Jesus promised that in this world we will have trouble, but He also gave us this assurance: “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). Suffering is real, but it is not the end of the story. The day is coming when God will wipe away every tear, and pain will be no more (Revelation 21:4).
Until then, we trust in the One who suffered for us, knowing that even during our pain, we are never abandoned. Our suffering is temporary, but our inheritance is eternal. And because of Christ, we know that our faith is not in vain. He is working, He is present, and He is worthy of our trust.
So Why Does God Permit Suffering in This World?
In the end, God allows suffering not because He is indifferent, but because He is accomplishing something far greater than we can see. Pain, loss, and hardship are not signs of His absence but opportunities for His character, glory, and purpose to be revealed. In a fallen world, suffering reminds us that sin is real, that this life is temporary, and that we were made for eternity. Through trials, God refines our faith, draws us closer to Himself, and shapes us into the likeness of Christ.
As we search for the why behind our personal trials and afflictions, we must recognize the goodness of God even in the heartache. He knows our pain; He has lived it too. But more importantly, He knows exactly what He is doing in our lives to bring about the good through the trial. It isn’t easy to walk through that middle ground between pain and purpose. I assure you; I am there. Yet even there, God’s goodness, love, and mercy sustain us, guiding our steps, comforting our hearts, and shining light on the final good that He has promised.
