Why Does God Allow Pain?

Added: 2026-05-11

[00:00:00]If God is truly good, then why do bad things happen?

[00:00:07]>> [music] [music] >> Hello there and welcome to Our Daily Bread Ministries Teens Podcast. I am your host, Nuhu Gana. Why is it that someone you love gets sick? Why did they get sick? Why did your family fall apart? Why did your prayers go unanswered or why do your prayers go unanswered? Why does life feel so terrible?

[00:00:38]Life hurts so much even when you try and give your best. And sometimes, the pain that we feel is living proof or just proof that God does not care. And a lot of people don't just walk away from their faith because they hate God or angry at him, but because they are hurting deeply. And so, it's important for for us to have this conversation.

[00:01:02]The Bible never hides pain. It tells the truth about suffering. That suffering is real and that God is good at the same time. So, let's walk through this slowly together. First of all, we need to understand that we live in a world that is broken. When God first made the world, everything in it was perfect.

[00:01:23]There was no pain, no death, no heartbreak, no betrayal of any sort. But you see, when sin entered into the world, everything changed and brokenness and pain and suffering became a part of the world. Romans chapter 8 tells us that the world is groaning like something inside of it is wounded and it's waiting to be healed and restored.

[00:01:47]So, when bad things happen, it's not because God stopped loving us. It's not because God doesn't like us anymore, but it's because the world in itself is damaged, very much damaged, and it's not the way that God intended it to be. And the crazy part is that when there is sickness or when there's cruelty or pain or loss, it hurts God more than it even hurts us because he never ever intended or designed for his children to go through pain because he loves us so much. But even with that, with the fact that there is pain currently, he promises to fix everything, to restore everything completely into a world where there will be no more death, no more pain, no more crying. Fact, Revelation 21 tells us that God himself will wipe away every tear from our eyes. But you see, we are not there yet. And this is one of the reasons why there is pain.

[00:02:45]The second thing is that God can use pain to build strength inside of us, to build perseverance. And that sounds very strange. No one just wakes up to pray and say, "Lord, please give me suffering today." But you see, the Bible tells us that there's something deep that happens to us when we go through suffering.

[00:03:03]Romans chapter 5:3-4 says that we rejoice in our sufferings because suffering produces perseverance and perseverance produces character and character produces hope. Now, this means that pain is is never wasted in God's hands. He turns it and makes it into something useful, something that can shape us, something that can cause us to grow, something that can help us to to to grow spiritually. It builds our spiritual strength and our spiritual um capacity. You see, there are things that we can never develop any other way except we go through pain and suffering.

[00:03:42]And sometimes, we grow more in the valley more than we grow on the mountaintop. Sometimes, tears are what we need so that we become deeply rooted.

[00:03:52]Sometimes, those difficult seasons in our lives are what teach us the most important truths about God. So, think about a tree, for example.

[00:04:00]A tree is actually strongest when it is facing a storm, especially when its roots go deep. The the tree becomes unshakable. Maybe without realizing it, God is making us unshakable, too, when we go through pain. Now, this is not to say it's pleasant, but it can be necessary. Third thing I want you to take note of of is that God feels your pain. This is one of the things that makes Christianity different from all of the beliefs. God doesn't just give us pain and and and sits there laughing at us. He feels it.

[00:04:38]He understands it it because he has gone through it. We don't have a God who watches human suffering and just enjoys it. No, we have a God who came into our world and experienced pain. Jesus cried. He was betrayed. He was rejected.

[00:05:00]He was bitten. He was killed. So, when you pray in pain, you are not talking to someone who has no clue what your pain is like. He understands. He feels it.

[00:05:11]When you feel lonely, you're talking to someone who was who's closest friends walked away from him when he needed them the most. When your heart is breaking and you share it, you talk about it to God, you're talking to someone who knows exactly what that is like because God does not just sit and enjoy our pain. He walks through it with us. Sometimes, when life hurts and you may not feel him, it's okay. But I want you to know that God is truly there. Pain is not proof that God has left. Sometimes, in fact, pain is where God is the most present in our lives. Like a parent who's sitting behind or beside us when we're hurting, saying nothing, but he is refusing to leave. So, what do we do with all of this pain that we experience? If you're hurting, talk to God honestly. Pray real prayers, even if they sound very raw or angry or confused or messy. Pray. The Bible is full of people who cried out to the Lord and he never pushed them away. If someone around you is hurting, sit with them.

[00:06:22]You don't need to have the right words.

[00:06:25]Sometimes, just being there, being present is louder than anything you can say. If you're walking through something that you don't understand, something that is difficult, I want you to hold on. You don't have to figure everything out. Some answers come slowly. Some healing takes time. Don't let pain convince you that God has left you or has departed you. He's right there with you. I want you to remember this, that pain hurts, but it does not last forever. And God is writing your story.

[00:06:55]And this chapter of pain or suffering is not the whole book itself. He sees you.

[00:07:01]He loves you.

[00:07:02]And he's working even when your feelings say otherwise. Again, sometimes, the valley you are in becomes the very place where you hear God the clearest. So, I want you to remember that you are not alone. That God is closer to you. David would say in the Psalms, it would say, "God is close to the brokenhearted. He's near to those who are brokenhearted." So, trust him.

[00:07:29]Remember that God is always with you even in your pain. And if this is the place that you're in currently, place of pain, I want you to know that God is not afraid of your pain. Talk to him about it. Tell him how you feel and ask for his help as you go through this particular situation. And also, ask him, "What is it that you want me to learn, Lord, in this difficult season?" And be attentive for what he'll say to you. And if this episode has really blessed you or touched you, I'd like you to share it with someone else. If you have a question about this, drop it in the comments and we'll be sure to respond to you. And if we would also love to know what you what stood out for you, so you can write it in the comments and we'll celebrate with you as well. Thank you so much and I'll see you in the next episode.