when life hurts: where Is god?
If you’ve ever wondered why a good God allows pain, you’re not alone. People have been asking that question since the earliest pages of Scripture. It’s not a sign of weak faith - it’s a sign of honest faith.
The world feels full of pain. We remember the pandemic and wonder what’s next. We see conflict in the Middle East and unrest in our own cities. We feel division in our homes and heartbreak in our relationships. We look up and ask: “God, where are You?”
The Bible’s answer might surprise you. God doesn’t stay far away from our pain—He enters it.
god sees
“The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth… and His heart was deeply troubled.” (Genesis 6:5-6)
Before the flood, God didn’t turn a blind eye. He saw the brokenness and felt it. The word “troubled” here is emotional - it shows that God feels sorrow over the state of the world. He isn’t indifferent to evil or suffering. He grieves it too.
god hears
Centuries later, when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt, we read: “I have indeed seen the misery of my people… I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.” (Exodus 3:7)
God doesn’t ignore the cries of His people. He listens, He cares, and He acts. That same compassion is still His character today.
god rescues
Psalm 106 summarizes Israel’s history with an honest confession:
“Many times He delivered them… yet He took note of their distress; He heard their cry; for their sake He remembered His covenant, and out of His great love He relented.” (Psalm 106:43-45)
The pattern repeats - people struggle, cry out, and God rescues. Not because they deserve it, but because He’s faithful.
god steps in himself
All of those stories point to the greatest rescue of all. When God sent Jesus, He didn’t just fix the problem from afar - He entered into human pain Himself. He suffered betrayal, loss, and death. In doing so, He broke the power of evil and made a way for life beyond it.
Jesus shows us that God’s answer to suffering isn’t explanation - it’s presence.
a god who still moves toward us
We may not see the whole picture now, but the Bible gives us confidence that God is not absent in the chaos. He’s the same God who came to Adam and Eve in their shame, who heard Israel’s cries, who sent His Son to redeem the world, and who promises to make all things new.
Our pain is not the end of the story. It’s part of the story God is still writing - one that ends in restoration.
take this with you
“the lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” — psalm 34:18
Even when you can’t feel Him, God is closer than you think.
questions for reflection
What pain in your life feels hardest to understand right now?
What might it mean for you to believe that God sees and cares about that pain?
How can you remind yourself this week that you are not walking through it alone?
Paige Peacock Vanosky brings a deeply personal and communal approach to biblical teaching, influenced by her formative years under the mentorship of Dr. Buckner Fanning at Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio.
Her foundational principle - drawing circles instead of lines - has shaped her ministry and led to the creation of a Bible study that embraces diverse religious perspectives. This study laid the groundwork for The 30-Minute Bible, designed to provide an objective and approachable exploration of the Bible's narratives, making the text accessible to seekers and believers from all walks of life.