He has made everything beautiful in its time.

— Ecclesiastes 3:11a

“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and were created.”

— Revelation 4:11

There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile;

— Romans 2:9

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.

— Romans 5:12

1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.

2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

— John 9:1-3

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, salvation and joy from Jesus Christ to you.

God created His world in magnificent perfection. Sins’s entrance and humanity’s fall with Adam and Eve introduced suffering and death into God’s perfect world. So the simple answer to the question “Why do people suffer?” is sin. War, family conflicts, and personal struggles are rooted in sin. When we realize much suffering results from living in a fallen world, it makes no sense to blame God. Though while the general cause of suffering remains clear, not all suffering directly results from specific sin. One time when Jesus healed a man born blind, He explained his blindness did not result from anyone’s sin, but God intended to display His power through his healing. God can accomplish His good purposes in all He does and all He allows.

Like all humanity, God people suffer. Believers should not be surprised when God allows harsh and troubling times into our lives. The suffering of Christians is part of the fabric of life on earth. Believers and unbelievers alike suffer. To expect that following Christ promises a comfortable and easy life does not align with Scripture or personal experience. The abundant life Jesus promised is not a life free of trouble but rather a life in which God is glorified. Believers find His strength and even joy in the midst of suffering. Christians’ spiritual lives often flourish through difficulty, in which God is glorified through them.