08/16/2026 Asking For A Friend | Why does God allow good people to suffer?
John 9:1-3
When suffering doesn’t make sense, can I still trust the goodness of God?
We suffer because we live in a broken world. None of us gets through life without suffering. God is good, God is near. Suffering is not the end.
John 9 - The Man Born Blind - what we need to understand about suffering.
1. Suffering is part of a broken world. Not all suffering is punishment. Not all suffering is caused by sin, but all suffering exists because we live in a world broken by sin.
2. God can bring good out of what is broken. (See Rom 8:28) God doesn’t have to call something good in order to bring good from it.
3. God entered our suffering. (See John 1: 1-4a & 1 Peter 3:18a)
4. Suffering will not have the final word. (See Rev 21:4). Can I trust God when I don’t understand why He allows me to suffer?
In the face of pain and suffering:
1. Be honest about your pain
2. Look to the Cross. The Cross does not explain everything God allows, but it settles whether God loves us.
3. Trust God with what you don’t understand.
I don’t know why it happened, but I do trust the One who allows it to happen.
