This is one of the hardest questions to answer. This is partly because it is often asked by someone who is going through deep emotional pain. It is also hard to answer because we don’t fully know the answer. There are some things that are not revealed to us. However, the Bible does provide us with some things that we can say in response.
Sometimes suffering is caused directly through our sinful actions. For example, a drunk driver might cause an accident and the suffering that results is because of his or her irresponsibility. However, the Bible also makes it clear that other suffering is not the result of a particular person’s sin (see, for example, John 9:1-3 and Luke 13:1-5). The general suffering that we experience can be traced back to the fact that our world is not in the same condition as it was originally. We live in a creation that is fallen due to humanity’s rebellion against God and all of us suffer the results in one way or other.
A uniquely Christian response to this question is the fact that the Bible tells us that in Jesus God has himself suffered. He has lived life this side of heaven just as we do. The Christian God does not exist in some ivory tower, removed and immune from the experiences we go through. Rather, he has suffered – and most particularly in his death on the cross in order to deal with the root problem of sin that has borne the fruit of suffering in the first place.
The Bible also holds out to us the promise of a place where there will be no more suffering. This is called the new creation and the Bible assures us that it is a place where there “will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4). By trusting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour we can be sure of just such a future.
If you are struggling personally with the question of suffering at this time, you may find reading the book of Psalms in the Bible helpful. Many of the Psalms were written by people during a time of personal suffering.
See also “The Problem of Pain”