Why Does God Allow Suffering?
When I was a child, I asked “why” about everything. Why does God not show Himself to us? Why did He create certain animals the way He did? These were simple yet profound questions, reflecting a childlike curiosity about the world.
As I grew older, my questions shifted. They became more complex, touching on the deep struggles of human existence. Why does God allow suffering? Why do natural disasters devastate lives? Why do bad things happen to good people?
It just didn’t seem fair. I looked around and saw the immense suffering in the world. Where was God? Why didn’t He intervene? I had always heard that God is all-powerful and in control of everything. If that’s true, then why doesn’t He stop these tragedies?
Wrestling with the Hard Questions in Scripture
Turning to the pages of Scripture, I found even more questions. One story that has always shaken me is the account of Jesus’ birth. We often focus on the joy surrounding His arrival—the shepherds worshiping, the wise men traveling from afar to present gifts. But not everyone experienced that night as a time of celebration.
In the town of Bethlehem and its vicinity, families with children two years old or younger would soon experience unspeakable tragedy. In an attempt to eliminate the prophesied Messiah, King Herod ordered the slaughter of all infant boys in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16-18). Can you imagine the horror? The wailing of grieving mothers filled the air as their children were torn from them and killed.
If we truly sit with this story, we can’t help but ask, “Why?” Why did God allow this? Why didn’t He strike Herod down before he could command such evil? Surely, He could have sent a lightning bolt to stop him. And yet, He didn’t. Why?
The Mystery of Suffering and God’s Sovereignty
These situations are not confined to the pages of Scripture; they are woven into our daily lives. We witness suffering, loss, and injustice all around us. We try to craft theological answers—some of them helpful, some of them overly simplistic. But the truth is, we don’t always know or see why these things happen.
However, we are not alone in our questions. The Bible itself is full of people who wrestled with suffering:
• Job lost everything—his wealth, his health, and his children—yet when God finally responded, He did not give Job a direct explanation but instead emphasized His sovereignty and wisdom (Job 38-41).
• The Psalmists cried out in anguish, asking why God seemed distant in their suffering (Psalm 22:1, Psalm 42:9).
• Even Jesus, in His moment of deepest agony, cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).
What Can We Do?
In the face of suffering, here is the only thing I know to do: to trust that God is good, even when I don’t understand.
Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Though we may not always grasp His reasons, we can trust His character. Romans 8:28 reminds us that 'in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.' God is not indifferent to our pain. We see in Jesus a God who weeps (John 11:35), who is moved with compassion (Matthew 9:36), and who ultimately entered into our suffering to redeem it.
Suffering remains a mystery, but in Christ, we see that God does not leave us alone in it. He walks with us, mourns with us, and promises that one day, every tear will be wiped away (Revelation 21:4). Until then, we trust, we hope, and we rest in the truth that He is always good.
