God does not waste pain, or why do good people suffer? This isn’t a question born out of curiosity. It’s asked from hospital rooms, gravesides, broken homes, and silent prayers that seem unanswered. It’s not philosophical; it’s personal.
We question it when life no longer follows our expectations, when effort no longer shields us, when obedience no longer keeps us safe, and when goodness no longer guarantees security.
We consider something bad because it goes against our expectations of fairness. It challenges our belief that virtue should be rewarded with peace. But scripture never guaranteed protection from suffering. It assured us of God’s presence.
Matthew 5:45, “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Rain doesn’t discriminate. Pain doesn’t check résumés. Suffering isn’t a judgment of character.
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains.” – C.S. Lewis.
Not because He enjoys our pain, but because pain is one of the few things powerful enough to break our illusion of control.
Called to Light
We are called to be light in a dark world. But light only becomes visible when darkness exists. If our lives were free of conflict, loss, or fear, our faith would be purely theoretical—polished and unrelatable.
No one looks to someone who has never suffered and asks, “How did you survive?” The credibility of hope is built in hardship. We become believable not because we avoided darkness, but because God met us there.
2 Corinthians 1:3–4, “Praise be to the God… who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble.”
Our wounds are not disqualifications; they serve as credentials.
Without challenges to face, we can’t demonstrate God’s power. You don’t grow strong by just sitting in a gym. You grow strong by pushing back against what resists you.
Strength isn’t given; it’s earned.
So, when we pray for strength and face difficulties, it doesn’t mean we are being ignored. We are being trained. When we pray for wisdom and encounter problems, it’s not punishment; it’s refinement. God is not creating a life of ease. He is shaping a soul that can endure.
James 1:2–4, “Consider it pure joy… whenever you face trials… because the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
Pain Teaches
Sometimes suffering is straightforward; sometimes it teaches us.
We all make poor choices. A world without consequences would lack growth. If fire didn’t burn, we wouldn’t learn where danger exists. God’s commands aren’t fences to restrict us; they’re guardrails to keep us alive.
Ecclesiastes 7:20, “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.”
Correction is not cruelty. It is mercy with sharp edges.
Affects of a Broken World
And sometimes, suffering isn’t caused by our actions at all. It happens because we live in a broken world.
We are not isolated beings. We belong to a fallen creation where sin spreads outward. People hurt because they hurt themselves. Systems fail because they are built by broken hands. Even nature groans beneath the weight of what has been lost.
Jesus did not stand apart from this reality. He entered it, endured it, and took it in.
John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Not to escape it, but to overcome it.
The Decision Point
Every hardship presents a decision point. Will this moment define us or refine us? Through our decision, will we become bitter or useful? Will we close ourselves off or become a refuge for others?
1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to humanity… God is faithful.”
God doesn’t promise that we will always feel capable. He guarantees that we will never be abandoned.
Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.”
Not if. When.
God does not waste pain. He repurposes it, transforming scars into testimony. He changes suffering into authority and brokenness into compassion.
Bad things don’t happen because God is absent; they occur where His presence becomes undeniable.
I see Paul as a role model for living. Not just because he’s passionate about sharing the gospel, but in how he lived his everyday life. It’s easy for me to depend on my past as a guide for my future. This way of thinking assumes there’s a fixed trait or unchanging characteristic in who I was that determines who I can become. It’s the old nature-versus-nurture debate. But look at Paul as an example.
When life turns up the heat and hardship defines our existence, do we see it as punishment or an opportunity to grow?
A Season of Gratitude
Have you ever felt like your plans were crushed, only to realize they weren’t broken but simply redirected for God’s purpose? Sometimes, God uses minor setbacks to teach us. This is a story of one such experience. Traveling internationally is always challenging. It’s not just about different languages and cultures; it’s also about everyday things like water and electricity. I was telling a friend the other day that I’ve never felt more entitled than when I stepped outside my environment into someone else’s.
Did God turn to Esther to finish what Joshua and Saul left undone? I love the story of Esther. Mordecai’s exhortation to Esther, “Who knows—perhaps it was for a time like this…” is one of my favorite verses. It reminds me to act even when the outcome is uncertain, as evidenced by his other statement, “Even if you now remain silent, relief and deliverance will come from another source.” I know I can either be a part of God’s plan for another, or God will choose someone else.
To my warrior princess, you know who you are. You have changed my life for the better and challenged me to be greater.
Where were you when My children were being murdered, raped, and starved? I gave you talents, resources, relationships, opportunities, and passion. I placed you in a world where you could flourish. As My chosen, I fed you, protected you, and surrounded you with abundance. And when My children cried out in need—where were you?
Troubles Are Inevitable
He saved you so you could do all these things. Mathew said it to Mary in an episode of The Chosen. He reminded her that, regardless of her iniquities, she mattered to God and others. It reminded me of a story from my own life. The idea that my voice could echo through eternity haunts me. I’m captivated by the thought that I might say something so meaningful that at least one person would pass it on. I don’t believe I possess that much wisdom; luckily for me, Christ does.