Short answer

The Bible does not give a neat formula, but it tells us three things: the world is broken because of sin, God has not stood back from our pain but entered it in Jesus, and He has promised a day when suffering will end for ever. In the meantime He is with us in it.

A broken world

God made the world good. Suffering, sickness and death came in when humanity turned away from Him (Genesis 3:17-19). We now live in a creation that is out of joint; Paul says the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now (Romans 8:22). Much suffering comes from human cruelty and selfishness; some comes simply from living in a fallen world. God is not the author of evil, but He has allowed a world in which our choices are real and their consequences are real.

A God who entered it

Christianity does not offer a God who watches from a distance. In Jesus, God was born in poverty, wept at a friend’s grave (John 11:35), was betrayed, tortured and executed. Isaiah called Him a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3). Whatever you are going through, He knows it from the inside.

And His suffering was not pointless. Through the cross God took the worst thing that ever happened and turned it into the best. That gives us hope that He can bring good even out of our pain: For those who love God all things work together for good (Romans 8:28).

A promised end

Suffering is not the last word. God has promised a new creation where he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore (Revelation 21:4). Jesus’ resurrection is the down payment on that promise.

Until then, God does not ask us to pretend. The Psalms are full of honest complaint. Bring your questions to Him; He is big enough for them, and He is close to the broken-hearted (Psalm 34:18).

How this connects across the Bible

The Bible is one story. Here is how this theme runs from the Old Testament to Jesus:

  • Suffering enters through the fall (Genesis 3:16-19); Paul traces death back to that one act and forgiveness to Christ’s one act (Romans 5:12-19).
  • Job asks why the righteous suffer and meets God rather than an answer (Job 42:5); Jesus says one man’s blindness was not a punishment but an occasion for God’s work (John 9:3).
  • Joseph tells his brothers that what they meant for evil God meant for good (Genesis 50:20); Peter says the same about the cross (Acts 2:23-24).
  • The suffering servant carries our griefs (Isaiah 53:4); Matthew sees this fulfilled in Jesus’ healing ministry (Matthew 8:17).
  • The prophets promised death swallowed up and every tear wiped away (Isaiah 25:8); Revelation shows that promise kept (Revelation 21:4).

What we believe at Spring Valley

We believe in the fall of man, who was created pure and upright but fell by voluntary transgression, and in the bodily return of Jesus Christ as the blessed hope of all believers. Our mission includes demonstrating Christ’s compassion to those facing hardship, whatever their background.

Our full Statement of Faith

Your next step

If you are suffering right now, please do not carry it alone. Send us a prayer request, or come and let us pray with you on a Sunday. Read Does God still heal today? next.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Read the Bible free in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, English and many more languages at bible.com.