(Read Isaiah 43)
I asked my daughter for her thoughts on this. As a believer who has walked through her own season of suffering, I had a hunch she would have a perspective that went beyond just “theory.”
In her own words…
There is no denying that people are suffering in our world. In fact, it is probably safe to say that every person has experienced suffering at some point in their life. We all encounter different forms of loss, illness, disappointment, and hardship that lead us to ask difficult questions.
One of the most common questions people ask is this: If God is good, loving, and powerful, why do pain, tragedy, and evil exist? The Bible never ignores this universal reality of suffering—it addresses it directly.
Let’s start from the beginning. When God created the world, His creation was perfect and good. Evil and suffering were not part of the original design. Everything God made reflected His goodness. Yet in our world today, we see many contrasts—light and darkness, day and night, joy and sorrow. These contrasts remind us that we often understand goodness more deeply when we have experienced its opposite. Just as we appreciate light because darkness exists, we sometimes recognize God’s goodness more clearly during difficult seasons.
However, suffering ultimately entered the world because of human sin, not because God desired pain for His creation. Even so, God can use suffering to remind us that this world is not our final home.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
In these verses, we are encouraged not to lose heart because our “light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Earthly struggles are temporary, but God is preparing something eternal and far greater for us.
Hardship often shifts our focus from temporary comfort to eternal hope. When life is easy, we tend to rely on ourselves. But when life becomes difficult, we often find ourselves turning to God for strength. In this way, suffering can refocus our hearts on what truly matters.
God also promises to be with us in the middle of our suffering.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
Isaiah 43:2
God says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you… when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.” Notice that God does not promise we will avoid hardship, but He does promise that we will not face it alone.
I experienced this truth personally during a difficult moment in my life. A friend of mine was involved in a serious climbing accident while we were in a remote alpine area with very limited cell service. It was an extremely dangerous situation where my friend could have lost his life. In the moment, everything felt uncertain and frightening.
Looking back now, I can clearly see the ways God showed up during that crisis. At critical moments, we were able to get a single bar of cell service when we desperately needed it. A helicopter made one last flight down the valley and eventually found us. What felt like a coincidence at the time now feels like God’s quiet provision.
Even after the immediate crisis passed, God continued to show His presence throughout the healing process. He provided determination and patience for my friend through his healing. He provided the support system I needed through friends, community, and encouragement. He also gave me the strength and resources I needed to grow stronger through the experience.
Through that season, I learned that suffering can often become the place where we experience God most closely.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Revelation 21:3–4
The Bible reminds us that suffering will not last forever. We are given a powerful promise about the future God is preparing: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” One day God will remove suffering completely. Pain, death, and sorrow will no longer exist.
This promise gives believers hope that suffering is not the final chapter of our story.
Even when we do not fully understand why suffering happens, we can still trust the character of God. The same God who allows hardship is also the God who walks with us through it, strengthens us within it, and promises a future where suffering will be no more.
In the “Meaning of Life” seminar from the Redeemer Presbyterian Church Questioning series, Tim Keller addressed the weight of evil and suffering, stating, “It is unjust. It is real. It is painful.
I don’t know what the reason is that God allows evil and suffering… but I know what the reason isn’t.
It can’t be that He doesn’t love us
It can’t be that He doesn’t love us.
It can’t be that He is indifferent.
It can’t be that He is powerless.
God is not distant from suffering — He experienced betrayal, injustice, torture, and death.”
Life Application: Even when God doesn’t provide an immediate ‘why’ for your suffering, He always provides a hand, a shoulder, and a promise. Trust in that.