Plane crashes. Car wrecks. Murder. Rape. Cancer. Horrible things happen daily all around us (and sometimes to us and to those we love).
It's pretty hard to fit some of the events and circumstances of our lives into an overall scheme of the goodness of God. The Bible says, that God is both all-powerful and all-good. That may seem to contradict reality. The argument goes like this: An all-powerful God could prevent suffering, and an all-good God would prevent suffering.
The Reality of Suffering
There is suffering in the world. That's something we can't get away from. The basic question then becomes: Who's in charge? Does God send suffering? Or does all suffering come from Satan, and God just isn't quite powerful enough to stop him.
The best answer is that God allows or permits suffering. Satan is the originator of all suffering and evil. But God allows him only to go so far. He is, so to speak, on a divine tether or chain (see Job 1:12; 2:6). God's control is the ultimate factor, not Satan's ability to produce suffering.
God has never guaranteed that suffering will not be a part of our lives as believers. He only guarantees that we will not suffer alone.
The Reality of God's Goodness
God's goodness is very real. The fact that we suffer in no way makes God any less good.
Paul suffered more than most. You can read his list of sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11:16-33. But in his suffering he was overwhelmed by the reality of God's love and nearness (2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
The evil and suffering in our world are confusing and depressing. There are no easy answers, and sometimes we just plain don't know why we suffer. But God is in control, and he can and will bring good out of the suffering in our lives. Just think: The best example that good can come from evil is the death of Christ. From an unjust Roman crucifixion came salvation for the world.
And remember. All these circumstances are only temporary. Our God will one day defeat all forms of evil (Revelation 20-22). In the end, God's goodness and power will conquer - and there will be no more suffering.
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