Why Does God Allow Suffering?

The Christian question I never wanted to ask out loud

North Koreans aren’t cartoons. They aren’t headlines, or dark joke material, or characters in a dystopian movie we’ll never be part of. They’re people. And recently, I sat down and read more than I probably should have. First-hand escapee accounts. Starvation. Indoctrination. Families torn. Generations raised to fear, not dream.

It wrecked me.

And not in a neat, “wow I’m so grateful for what I have” kind of way. More like, I wanted to slam my laptop shut and shout at heaven.

Why does God allow suffering? Why does He let this happen?

And if you're reading this, you’ve probably asked it too. Maybe not about North Korea. Maybe about cancer. About that car crash. About something that still haunts you every night, while the rest of the world scrolls past and forgets.

I used to feel so guilty even wondering about this. Like it made me less Christian. Less faithful. Less trusting. But I think that’s a lie. I think the real question isn’t if we’ll ask, but when.

And more importantly: what will we do when we don’t get the answer we want?

When “Everything Happens for a Reason” Stops Making Sense

You’ve heard it. I’ve heard it. Probably said it once or twice too. Everything happens for a reason.
It sounds sweet in a Pinterest font, but let me be honest, try saying that to someone who just watched their child die of starvation in a prison camp.

It doesn’t hold up. And it shouldn’t.

Because that’s not what the Bible says. Not exactly, anyway. It says God works all things together for good, not that all things are good.

There’s a difference.
The cross is proof.

The most horrific event in history, the execution of an innocent man, somehow became the greatest act of love ever shown. It didn’t feel redemptive in the moment. There was blood. Screaming. Betrayal. Silence from heaven.

And yet…
That Friday didn’t get the last word.

God Is Not Distant, Even If He Feels Silent

Here’s what I’m learning the hard way: God’s silence isn’t the same as His absence.

That line probably belongs in a Christian coffee table book, but I don’t mean it as a warm fuzzy. I mean it as someone who’s wept in frustration, furious that prayers seem to vanish into the void.

Where are You, God, when the wicked win?
Where are You when kids are trafficked?
Where are You when a family has to choose which child eats tonight?

I used to think if God really loved us, He’d put a stop to it all. Snap His fingers. Fix it.

But maybe love doesn’t always look like interruption.
Maybe sometimes love means entering into the horror, not waving a wand above it.

Jesus didn’t stay out of our mess. He stepped into it.
He got His hands dirty. He bled.
He was tortured. Mocked.
He screamed, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?”
And if He can say that… maybe we can too.

A World at War with Its Maker

Here's the part no one puts in their Instagram captions: we live in a broken world. A fractured one. And we helped break it.

Not just Adam and Eve in the garden with their fruit drama. Us too.
We lie. We gossip. We cheat. We ignore. We consume more than we give. We vote for comfort over compassion. We scroll past the pain.

I’m not saying the North Korean regime is your fault or mine.
But I am saying this world is not how it was meant to be.
And when you turn away from the Creator of life, things die.

Suffering wasn’t God’s original design.
It’s the side effect of a world that told Him to take a hike.

And yet…
He still came for us. He still comes for us.

What If This Isn’t the End of the Story?

You ever read a book halfway through and throw it across the room?
That’s what we’re doing when we judge God’s character based on what we see now.

Yes, the suffering is real. But so is the promise: He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, mourning, crying or pain.

That’s not poetry. That’s prophecy.

Jesus didn’t just die. He rose.
And He didn’t just rise, He promised to return.
When He does, every injustice will face justice. Every oppressor will face truth. Every wound will be healed.

But we’re not there yet.
We’re in the waiting.
The in-between.

And it hurts.

North Korea and My Small Life

When I read about North Korea, I wanted to shut off the internet and never look again. But I also wanted to do something.

So I started praying. Not the vague kind.
Prayers for escape. Prayers for protection.
Prayers for underground churches.
For smuggled Bibles. For miracles.

And I started questioning my own comfort.

Do I care more about aesthetics or action?
Do I grieve the lost, or scroll past them with one thumb?
Do I treat faith like a lifestyle, or a lifeline?

These questions wreck me. But they’re good.

Because suffering shouldn’t make us numb.
It should make us seek.
It should drive us to listen, lament, act.

So… Why Does God Allow Suffering?

Here’s the most honest, disappointing, hopeful answer I can give:
I don’t fully know. But I know He came close.
I know He hasn’t abandoned us.
I know He weeps with us.
And I know He’s not done writing the story.

If you’re hurting right now, I won’t throw verses at you like band-aids.

But I’ll say this: your tears are seen. Counted. Stored.

And the God who allowed suffering once, allowed it to fall on Himself.
So that one day, it won’t fall on us anymore.

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FAQ

Q: What does God say about your feelings?

A: God doesn’t shame your emotions. In fact, Scripture is full of people pouring their guts out to Him. From David’s wailing in the Psalms to Jesus sweating blood in the garden, the Bible gives us full permission to feel deeply and bring those feelings to the One who made them.

But feelings aren’t the boss. They’re real, but not always true. God invites us to process them with Him, not suppress them, not explode from them, but to submit them. That’s not control-freak behavior. That’s trust. The kind that says, “Even when I don’t understand, I’ll let You lead.”

Q: What does the Bible say about making decisions based on emotions?

A: The Bible warns us not to be led by our hearts alone. Jeremiah 17:9 says the heart is “deceitful above all things.” That doesn’t mean emotions are evil, it means they’re flawed guides. Like using a broken compass in a storm.

Instead, we’re called to walk by the Spirit. That means checking our emotions through the lens of truth, not the other way around. God gave us emotions to feel, not to follow blindly. His Word helps anchor us when our feelings are shouting one thing but His way whispers another.

Q: How should Christians handle emotions?

A: Christians aren’t called to emotional numbness. Jesus felt deeply. He wept. He raged. He rejoiced. So should we. The difference is how we handle them. We bring our emotions to God: raw, unfiltered, and real.

Then we listen. We ask the Holy Spirit to help us discern what's true, what's twisted, and what needs healing. Emotional maturity in Christ isn’t about shutting down. It’s about letting God shape our inner life so we’re not ruled by every wave that crashes.

Q: Is letting your emotions control you a sin?

A: Letting emotions take the steering wheel of your life can lead to sin, not because emotions themselves are sinful, but because they can tempt us to act out of fear, pride, lust, or despair. Think Peter chopping off that guard’s ear. Passionate, but totally off-course.

Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit for a reason. God doesn’t call us to ignore our feelings, but to submit them. When we let emotions dictate our behavior without checking in with God, we risk walking into disobedience instead of discernment.

Relevant Reads:

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Do you struggle with this too?
Has something in your life or the news shaken your faith in God’s goodness?

You don’t have to answer it perfectly. Just tell me where it hurts.
I read every message. And I’m wrestling with you.

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