Why Does God Allow Suffering? A Personal and Honest Reflection

Oh boy—this is the thorny one. Perhaps the most asked question in the history of humanity. I do not pretend to have the full answer, and I am not sure anyone truly does. But I will do my best to offer a sincere and thoughtful response.

People often turn to the book of Job to explain suffering. In that story, God allows suffering for a specific purpose (Job 1–2). Others point to Paul, who wrote about enduring hardship with divine purpose (2 Cor 12:7–10). And of course, Jesus suffered intensely, not because He deserved it, but to fulfill a greater mission (Isaiah 53:3–5; Luke 22:42).

But these were specific contexts. What about the day-to-day suffering we all go through—job loss, illness, grief, and disappointment? That is the kind of suffering I am talking about here.

First, I think the question itself needs to be reconsidered. When we ask, Why does God allow suffering?, it implies that God sits back and permits pain for sport. That is not the God of the Bible. If God actively allowed suffering, then atheists—who do not believe in God—should never suffer. But they do. I think you get the point.

Suffering is part of living in a world where free will, natural processes, and brokenness exist. Life happens. People lose jobs, fall ill, and go through hardships. God is not handing out diseases or deciding who gets cancer. These are not acts of divine cruelty—they are consequences of a fragile world.

What God offers, from a Christian point of view, is not the removal of all suffering but the strength to endure it. The Bible consistently shows that God does not promise a life free from hardship, but He does promise His presence in the midst of it. Paul writes, "God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear" (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

Isaiah reminds us, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you" (Isaiah 43:2). Suffering is not a sign of abandonment. It is a place where God's sustaining grace becomes real.

In times of suffering, the best we can do is follow the example of Jesus. At the height of His agony, when the pain was so intense that His sweat became like drops of blood (Luke 22:44), He still prayed, "Not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). That moment, as many say, changed the course of history. 

Faith does not deny the reality of suffering. It faces it with the assurance that God is near and that His strength will carry believers through. 

That is the best explanation I can offer. In the next post, I will reflect on the problem of evil.