Why Does God Allow Hard Things and/or Suffering?
Pain -> Kindness -> Purpose of Repentance
Everywhere we look, people are asking the same question:
“Why is this happening? Why does God allow things that hurt the vulnerable, saved or unsaved?”
It’s an honest question, and Scripture doesn’t hide from it. In fact, God gives us a clear answer: His ultimate purpose is ALWAYS to bring people back to Him—-not to destroy, but to save.
This truth stands on three pillars of Scripture:
1. God sometimes allows pain to turn us back to Him
2. God shows kindness to lead us to repentance
3. God desires no one to die in their sins
Let’s walk through each one.
1. God Sometimes Allows Pain to Wake Us Up
Pain is never random in God’s hands. He uses affliction not to crush us, but to call us home.
Hosea 6:1
- “Come, let us return to the Lord; for He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has struck us down, and He will bind us up.”
The tearing was temporary.
The healing was the goal.
Psalm 119:67
- “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your word.”
Affliction became the turning point. Pain served a purpose.
Job 36:15
- “He delivers the afflicted by their affliction; He opens their ear by adversity.”
Sometimes God whispers through blessing—
And shouts through pain.
It is not cruelty.
It is mercy.
2. God’s Kindness Is Also a Call to Repentance
Not all wake-up calls come in storms. Some come in sunshine.
Romans 2:4
- “…God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.”
This means:
- Every breath
- Every blessing
- Every moment of patience
…is God’s kindness pleading, “Come home before it’s too late.”
God uses both sides:
- Affliction to wake the wandering
- Kindness to melt the proud
Either way, His goal is the same: Repentance and salvation.
3. God’s Heart: He Does Not Want Anyone to Die in Their Sins
These concerns are valid. Many ask: “If God is good, why allow pain, especially for the vulnerable?”
The answer is found in God’s own heart, spoken plainly:
Ezekiel 18:23
- “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?… Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?”
Ezekiel 18:32
- “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God. Repent and live!”
2 Peter 3:9
- The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
God does not enjoy judgment.
He does not delight in suffering.
He is not neutral or distant.
His heart is mercy, even when He allows difficulty.
His desire is simple and urgent:
“I want you to live — not die in your sins.”
So Why Do Hard Things Happen to the Vulnerable?
Here is the biblical truth:
⭐ We live in a broken world where suffering touches everyone, but God bends even pain toward redemption.
For the saved, hardship refines their faith.
For the unsaved, hardship can awaken the soul.
For all, hardship reminds us of our greatest need — God Himself.
- Nothing God allows is wasted.
- Nothing is without purpose.
- Nothing is outside His hands.
TRUTH OVER TREND?
Trend:
“Pain means God doesn’t care.”
Truth:
Pain can be part of God’s mercy: a call to return before it’s too late.
Trend:
“God only reaches people through blessings.”
Truth:
God uses both kindness and calamity to draw people to repentance.
Trend:
“God wants to punish people.”
Truth:
God takes no pleasure in judgment. His heart is always: ‘Repent and live.’
Final Word:
Whether through blessing or hardship, God is working to rescue people from eternal separation.
- His purpose Is love.
- His desire is repentance.
- His heart is salvation.
The next time someone asks, “Why is this happening?” you can answer confidently:
“Because God is calling all of us — saved and unsaved — to draw near, repent, and live. His heart is for our salvation, not our destruction.”
Truth Over Trend continues…
