Lately, I have seen so many who suffer. Some because of sickness, some with grief over the loss of a loved one, rebellious children, and marriages that are on the brink of breaking up. These situations are as common as a drink of water. So many feel God has abandoned them, or they are being punished. Others sit in silence wondering why it happened to them. When trials, grief, and unexpected hardships strike, one of the most common and deeply human questions many ask is, “Why?” They seek peace in the midst of the storm, but most aren’t sure where to look. They are overwhelmed by pain and the injustice that lurks around the corner. Unfortunately, God doesn’t give us an answer that satisfies us or a checklist to figure it out, but in His word He offers profound truths that can anchor our faith and give us hope.
One fact that we cannot change is that we live in a fallen world. When Adam and Eve rebelled, suffering began. In Genesis chapter 3, we see the consequences of their decision to sin against their Creator. In verse 15, God placed enmity, hatred, or hostility, between the serpent and the woman. In verse 16, we see sorrow and pain in childbearing, the husband becoming the head of the house, and the woman becoming submissive. In verse 17, God tells Adam he will be responsible for feeding his family through physical labor. Before they sinned, they had a garden where all they had to do was pick and eat. Adam would now have to work the soil to grow his food; it would have thorns and thistles. Sin changed things drastically for all mankind. This also was the beginning of death for the human race.
Genesis 3:14-19 “And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it was thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
In Romans 8:22 we are reminded that “the whole creation groaned and travailed in pain together until now.” The pain we experience starkly reminds us that this fallen world is not our ultimate home. In this we find our hope for our future. The suffering will not last forever for the Christian.
Suffering is never wanted or enjoyed, but it can bring everlasting benefits if we face it with an eternal perspective. Suffering can refine and strengthen our faith. In Malachi, the prophet describes the Lord’s coming “like a refiner’s fire,” where He will purify us as fire refines silver. The fire removes the dross and impurities. As it melts the silver, the impurities rise to the top where they are skimmed off, leaving only the precious metal. Refining strips away our pride, self-reliance, and any other sin that keeps us from being as close to Him as He wants us to be.
In I Peter 1:6-7 Peter frames hardship as a way to test and prove that our faith is genuine. “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”
In James 1:2-3 he encourages believers: “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” God uses seasons of testing to build spiritual endurance, deep character, and a resilient trust that tragedy or uncomfortable circumstances cannot shake.
We don’t have to look far into Scripture to find suffering. Job experienced immense suffering, losing his wealth, his health, and his children. Yet, in the end, God reminded Job of His infinite wisdom and sovereignty. To read his story, go to Job 38–42. It will do us all good to read it again and again. God never tells Job the reason for his suffering, even though Job begs for an explanation. God’s response shows that His infinite wisdom and sovereignty are beyond human understanding. This humbles Job, and in chapter 42 he repents, choosing to trust God without receiving a direct answer. The Reality: We may never understand the “why” behind every specific hardship this side of heaven, but we can trust God’s character.
I believe the Bible’s most comforting truth is that God is not distant or indifferent to our pain. He suffers with us. Isaiah 53:3 teaches us that in Jesus God entered into our suffering. What humbles me is that He chose to suffer because He loved me. In Hebrews 4:15, our Savior truly sympathizes with us. “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” He not only weeps with us; He also promises in Hebrews 13:5, “He will never leave us or forsake us.”
Isaiah 53:3 “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
While God is not the author of evil, He is sovereign enough to use even our deepest trials for ultimate good and His glory. Bad things happen because we live in a broken world tainted by sin. Yet, for the Christian, our suffering is never wasted. We can find peace in our storm knowing God is with us. He suffered for us, and one day we will spend eternity with Him, in a perfect Heaven. In Revelation 21:4, it says, “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain”
Today you can choose to release the need to know the why of your situation, or you can become bitter and feel wronged by God. Let me assure you that will not go well. May we all lean entirely on God’s unchanging goodness and presence. Trust that whatever is happening, He is for us and will be with us. This is where you will find peace in your storm.
