If there is a good and loving God out there who knows us and loves us, why is there so much pain and suffering in the world? Why doesn’t He do something about it?

We live in an age of what appears to be a never-ending barrage of bad news and unprecedented events. I don’t know about you, but I would love to live through some “good ol’ times.” But alas, we live in an age where news travels fast and we hear about drama more quickly and with greater detail than ever before.

This constant deluge of the worst in the world being poured into our daily lives leads to some important questions. Why pain and why doesn’t God do something about it? While I can’t promise to give a perfectly satisfying answer to everyone wrestling with this, I want to offer you some thoughts that have helped me.

the problem of evil

Evil in this world is a big and messy problem. It’s easy to point fingers at everyone else for causing issues, yet forget that we aren’t perfect either. While we don’t all commit the same horrible things we see others do, we all have the propensity to do things that perpetuate the problems in our world. This stems from two things: our freedom to choose and our broken human condition.

Let’s start with our freedom to choose. All human beings have been given the freedom of choice, and it was a deliberate gift from God when we were designed. This seems to be the way Jesus saw humanity when He declared, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own” (John 7:16, 17). He invited people to choose for themselves how they wanted to live. But with great power comes great responsibility. Small, selfish choices may seem insignificant, but when multiplied by a population of roughly 8 billion, they can have catastrophic effects. This leads us to our second issue.

what went wrong?

We weren’t always like this. We were created to be “very good” and designed to be a blessing to the world around us. If you read through Genesis 1 and 2, the Bible’s story of our origin begins really positively! Then, chapter 3 takes a sharp, sad turn when humanity is deceived, and a destructive presence called sin enters the world. Without going down the rabbit hole, I would describe sin as the propensity to do bad things—from the smallest act to the biggest atrocity. Not only has sin broken humanity—it has broken the world itself.

So, what could God do about this? How could He get rid of evil without taking away our freedom of choice? Rescinding the power of choice would be problematic because it would turn us into mindless drones—preprogrammed beings with no capacity to choose. This would negate our freedom of choice, a definite no-go for God. So, no good.

The other option was for God to just eradicate all those who sin, but that would be even more problematic. In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul reminded them that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). So, that would mean none of us meet God’s requirements. That doesn’t really sound like good news either.

the solution

But God has a solution.

First, He sent Jesus to die for us so that we can all have the opportunity to be saved if we choose to accept it. Jesus promised that one day He will return and take care of the problem of evil once and for all.

After Jesus’ death, He was resurrected by the power of God and ascended to heaven. When He returns, as promised, it will be huge—something that no one can ignore. In this second coming, God assures us that all those who have accepted His free gift of life will be saved and the earth will be cleansed of sin forever. The good news is that if you have accepted Jesus, He accepts you. Wow!

In a picture of what this will look like, the book of Revelation describes it like this: “ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

That is a day I can’t wait for.

So what about evil in the here and now? Jesus has something intriguing to say about it. In Matthew 24, He is in deep conversation with His followers about the end of time. He tells them that they (and us) will see things like wars, nation rising against nation, famines, and earthquakes. He describes these things as the “beginning of birth pains.” While I’m not an expert on the subject, I know that the beginning of birth pains—as well as birth itself—can take longer than we think. And these things are signs that the end of the world is on its way.

When sin is finally banished from the universe, the earth will be re-created, and peace will reign forevermore. It’s a truly happy ending.

in the meantime

When we see the pain that plagues our world, it is natural to have compassion for those who suffer. God calls us to serve those around us and seek justice for all. The chaos of this world is temporary, and our God will surely do something about it. I don’t exactly know when He will act, and I don’t need to know. It is enough to focus on His promise and trust in His timing. He has never let us down.

So back to my original question: If there is a good and loving God who knows us and loves us, why doesn’t He do something about the pain and suffering in the world?

The answer is that He has done something. He paid the ultimate price when He died on Calvary, and soon He will end all pain and suffering. Step forward today in that hope.

Freedom and the Problem of Evil by Josh Stothers	From the February 2026 Signs