Many people ask this question following a recent national tragedy: “How could God allow that to happen?” Others ask it out of deep personal hurt and struggle with suffering. Still others think that this is the great question that overturns the truth of the Bible.

To answer the question, we need to first think about the question itself. The question assumes a number of things that actually point us back to the Bible:

Suffering and death are not good

It might seem obvious to say that suffering and death are not good things, but apart from the Bible, we have no foundation for saying that. In the atheistic worldview, suffering is simply the brain chemistry firing in the biological computers of sentient beings, and nothing more. Suffering is neither good nor bad; it just is. Furthermore, evolution teaches that suffering is the means by which many species have advanced through a process of survival of the fittest.

… we have a sense deep down inside that it’s not meant to be this way. And that’s exactly what the Bible teaches.

However, the Bible says that suffering was not part of God’s original design for the world. The world God made was good (Genesis 1:31). Adam and Eve were without death and suffering in the beginning, and they lived in perfect relationship with God in the garden of Eden. However, suffering and death entered when man rebelled against God. As a consequence of Adam’s sin, God cursed the world, and suffering and death entered.

It’s because of this that as a humanity, we desire to reduce suffering. We develop painkillers and drugs that can treat diseases. We invent water sanitation systems that save countless lives. We take care of loved ones in times of mental and physical sickness. We do that because we have a sense deep down inside that it’s not meant to be this way. And that’s exactly what the Bible teaches.

God has the power to stop it

The question also assumes that God could stop all the suffering if he wanted to. That is a true assumption according to the Bible. God is all-powerful. Jesus taught us that “with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27) So why doesn’t God stop suffering? To answer that, we have to realise that God has purposes in suffering. That is actually good news. Suffering is not random, it is not karma, and it is not pointless. God has a purpose in all of it. But what is that purpose?

The trials we face in this life should lead us to the one who is able to save us and deal with our great need

God is speaking to us

In our pain, God is speaking to us. God is telling us that the world is not right, and we have a great problem. Pain that makes us visit the doctor to get a diagnosis is actually a good thing. It enables us to get to the source of the pain so the problem can be treated. The pain and suffering in the world shows us that the world is in a mess, and God tells in the Bible that our sin is the cause of that problem. The trials we face in this life should lead us to the one who is able to save us and deal with our great need.

Jesus suffered for us

The good news of the Bible is that God has done something to deal with the cause of the suffering in the world. He sent his only Son Jesus Christ to come into the world as a man and suffer like no person suffered in the history of the world. Jesus suffered the curse of God in our place on the cross of Calvary. By dying for us, Jesus paid for the sins of all those who believe in Him. This means that those who believe can have the root problem dealt with. Death and the curse are defeated by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you trust in Him, Jesus doesn’t promise a life free from suffering, but He promises that one day you will be raised up to everlasting life, free from sin, suffering, and death. “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life” (John 3:36).