How Could a Loving God Allow So Much Suffering?

For many skeptics of the Christian faith, the question of suffering and evil is seen as a trump card disproving the existence of God. If God is good, and God is all powerful, how can this God allow so much purposeless suffering and evil in the world? Of course, those raising this question come at it from two different perspectives. Some ask the question philosophically, seeking to discredit the idea of God. Others though, ask the question experientially, as sufferers who have gone through horrific and painful life events. While the skeptic may believe they have the ultimate defeating argument, the truth is that this question poses more challenges to the secular worldview than it does for those who believe in the God revealed in Scripture. Yet, the "why" question lingers. The book of Job examines this question philosophically, yet also from the perspective of a person whose suffering is catastrophic. While his journey is painful, Job helps us realize that God is both purposeful and redemptive in suffering. And while we, like Job, might ask God, "Why?," often God does not answer with information. Rather, in the midst of suffering, God gives those who trust Him something better... Himself.