Of all the questions that trouble the people of God, none is greater than the problem of human suffering. Why do bad things happen to good people? Or why do the wicked prosper while the righteous take it on the chin? Eventually these questions become very personal. Why did my husband leave me after 15 years? Why did God allow my daughter to die in a car wreck? If God is good, how could he let my closest friend suddenly die from a heart attack?

Several years ago George Barna did a survey on this topic: “If you could ask God one question, what would it be?” The number one response was, “Why is there pain and suffering in the world?” I am not surprised, because this is one of the oldest questions in the world. One writer called it “the question mark that turns like a fishhook in the human heart.”

This short video (not quite three minutes long) helps us frame the issue biblically. For a longer answer, check out the sermon called Why is There So Much Suffering in the World?