Why does God allow suffering if He is good?

Almost everyone asks this question eventually.

Sometimes it comes after watching the news.
Sometimes after sitting in a hospital room.
Sometimes after praying for something that never changed.

And the question feels unavoidable:

If God is good, why does life hurt so much?

We Usually Start with the Wrong Expectation

Many of us assume that a good God would create a world where nothing painful ever happens.

But the Bible tells a different story about the world we live in.

In Genesis, God created a world that was “very good.” There was no death, fear, or sorrow. Humanity lived in harmony with God. But that goodness was damaged when humans chose independence from God instead of trust in Him (Genesis 3).

From that moment forward, suffering was not God’s design — it was the result of a fractured world.

The Bible doesn’t describe suffering as proof God is absent.
It describes suffering as evidence that this life is flawed.

We don’t live in the world as God originally made it.
We live in the world as humanity chose it. 

The flawed nature creates a longing for something better, something eternal.

God Does Not Stand Far Away from Pain

Here is where Christianity becomes different from every other explanation.

God does not watch suffering from a distance. He steps into it. Jesus did not come into a painless life. He experienced rejection, betrayal, injustice, physical agony, and death itself. Scripture says He was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3).

The cross answers the question we often ask. God is not indifferent to suffering — He willingly suffered. The question is no longer, “Does God care?” The cross declares that He does.

Suffering Is Not the End of the Story

The resurrection shows that suffering and death do not get the final word. God’s promise is not that believers avoid hardship now, but that He is working toward restoration, a day when mourning, pain, and death will be removed entirely (Revelation 21:4). Christian hope is built on redemption and the eternal life that is to come.

What This Means for Us

Suffering can make us feel abandoned, but Scripture tells us something surprising: God often meets people most deeply in their pain.

The question suffering presses on us is not only “Why?” but also “Where will I turn?” The Bible invites us to bring our grief honestly to God. He wants to hear from us and provide support. The God who allows suffering is the same God who entered it, carried it, and promises to overcome it for us.