Why Do Good People Suffer?
When you leave the house each day, step onto the streets, and see people everywhere, have you ever paused to wonder what’s going on in their minds?
Life is such a mystery.
We live in a world where everyone is either going through something similar or facing completely different challenges.
There’s the young man desperately searching for a job, moving from one company to another, hoping someone will give him a chance.
There’s the exhausted mother, overwhelmed by life, silently asking if things will ever get better at home.
A young woman who’s done everything right, stayed pure, and kept her hopes alive, yet can’t seem to find the right person to marry.
There’s the father carrying the weight of his family on his shoulders. He can’t afford to break down—he has to stay strong.
All of us, in some way, are playing life’s unpredictable game.
And sometimes, it feels even more confusing when it’s the good people, those who strive to do right, who are hit the hardest.
When this happens, we often find ourselves asking, “Why do good people suffer?”
We wonder, “Why did God let this happen to me and my family? Couldn’t He have stopped it? Why didn’t He help me keep my job?”
Watching good people suffer is painful.
And it becomes even harder when those who do wrong seem to have it easy.
To begin understanding why good people suffer, we must first ask: What does it really mean to be “good”?
So Who Is Good and What Determines It?
As humans, we often judge who’s “good” based on actions, using our personal experiences and standards to measure others.
But what does the Bible actually say?
Romans 3:23 reminds us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
This includes even those we see as good.
Life isn’t perfect, because people aren’t perfect.
James 2:10 takes it a step further: breaking just one of God’s laws is like breaking them all.
That means we’re all flawed in some way.
So, we really can’t compare ourselves to others. And truthfully, we can’t live right on our own.
We need the Holy Spirit to help us choose what’s right in our hearts, words, and actions.
It’s only through Jesus that we’re made good in God’s eyes.
Through Him, we become new.
And we’re being renewed to become more like Christ—people marked by compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love, peace, and thankfulness.
Our old, sinful nature deserved God’s judgment. But Jesus carried that burden on the cross.
He paid the price for our sins and satisfied God’s justice once and for all.
Because of that, we now have the grace and opportunity to live in true goodness and be the kind of people God calls good.
In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you.
Colossians 3:10
But Why Do the Good Suffer?
As we walk through life, we all face temptations, sorrow, pain, and suffering.
But here’s something to remember: while some trials are allowed by God, others come from our own choices.
And sometimes, we may never fully understand why certain people suffer the way they do.
Still, the Bible prepares us for hard times. So when the road gets tough, it shouldn’t catch us off guard.
In John 16:33, Jesus clearly said we would face trouble in this world. But He also told us to take heart, because He has overcome the world.
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
That truth gives us hope. Even in our struggles, we can trust that God is still good.
And in His bigger plan, the pain we face might actually be working out something greater for us.
Take Joseph, for example. He lived a righteous life but faced one trial after another—betrayed by his brothers, sold as a slave, falsely accused, and thrown into prison.
Yet through it all, God was working behind the scenes. In the end, Joseph said to his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).
His story reminds us that difficult seasons can shape us into who we’re meant to become.
Think also of Job. He was known for his uprightness, yet he lost nearly everything—his family, health, and possessions.
God allowed Satan to test him, but not destroy him.
And even in the middle of his pain, Job declared, “Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him” (Job 13:15).
Job didn’t understand why he was suffering, but he still chose to trust God.
And then there’s Jesus—perfect, sinless, and full of love, yet He suffered more than anyone else.
People saw His death as a tragedy, but God used it to bring salvation to the world.
Through His suffering on the cross, Jesus made a way for us to be forgiven and reconnected with the Father.
So yes, suffering can be painful and confusing. But the Bible doesn’t leave us alone in it.
It points us to a God who sees, who cares, and who can use even our hardest moments for something good.
We may not understand everything, but we can trust that nothing happens without purpose in God’s hands.
God Is With Us
Sometimes, God allows hard things not to abandon us, but to remind us that He’s always with us.
As a child of God, you carry His Spirit within you.
The Holy Spirit comforts, strengthens, and walks with you, even in your loneliest and most painful moments.
Jesus Himself promised:
And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:20b
When life feels overwhelming and you don’t understand what’s happening, it can be hard to believe God is near.
But our feelings aren’t always the truth.
God’s presence doesn’t disappear when life gets tough.
Even in confusion, we can hold tightly to this truth: God is good, just, loving, and God is merciful.
So when good people suffer, maybe it’s God gently calling, ‘Draw closer to Me.’ The question is—will you?
Remember: we walk by faith, not by sight.
No matter what happens, keep living like Christ on earth, believing that His goodness goes before you and His presence will never leave you.
Maranatha!
