Our world is a broken place—you don’t have to look very far to see heartbreaking examples of pain, suffering, and death. As just one example out of many in the last few weeks, we’ve been horrified by the ever-climbing death toll and devastation of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Over 50,000 are dead (about 48,000 in Turkey and 6,000 in Syria), and nearly a quarter million buildings are significantly damaged or destroyed. Where’s God in all this tragedy, pain, and suffering?

Well, this is a big question and one that Christians through the ages have wrestled with. But God hasn’t left us without answers. While we may never know the specific reason why a specific person suffers or dies tragically, God has given us “big picture” truths we can apply to any situation, whether it’s in our own lives and families or in a country far, far away.

Here are four principles we must understand and apply in tragedy:

1. This world is not how it should be! This world of pain, suffering, tragedy, natural disasters, and death is not the world that God originally made. God created a perfect world (Genesis 1:31) in which there was no death or suffering. Our sin in Adam and our continued sin—not our loving heavenly Father—are responsible for the broken, groaning world we now live in. Because of sin, death is inevitable, and suffering almost certain in this world.
2. God is sovereign, and he is good. The Bible teaches that God is sovereign over everything . . . and also that he is perfectly good. While we might not be able to make sense of tragedy with our finite, limited, earthly perspectives, we can trust that the God of all wisdom, all goodness, all justice, and all kindness is sovereignly ruling and reigning in all things for his glory and the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). To see this truth dramatically illustrated in the midst of human suffering, agonizing, and questioning, I encourage you to read the book of Job. God knew we’d struggle with this in a sin-cursed world, and so he wrote an entire book of the Bible dedicated to this question! (I also encourage you to dive deeper into what God is doing about suffering in this world in this brand-new article from Liz Abrams, “What Is God Doing About Bad Things?”)
3. Repent—today is the day of salvation, and tomorrow is not guaranteed. There’s an interesting perspective on tragedy tucked away in Luke 13:1–5:

Luke 13:1–5 KJV – “There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

When Jesus was asked about seemingly unfair tragedy, he didn’t explain why exactly God chose that day to call those Galileans or those in Siloam before his judgment seat. Jesus is God—he knew why God sovereignly allowed those two tragedies to happen—but he didn’t explain it to his audience. Instead, he called them to repent, or they likewise would perish! In other words, make sure you are ready for your time.

Scripture says that today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2)—we’re never promised our next breath, let alone tomorrow. Repent today and trust in Christ for salvation.

4. Suffering isn’t your biggest problem! Living in a sin-cursed and broken world can be excruciating, but no matter your suffering, it’s not your biggest problem. Your biggest problem is the insurmountable sin debt that separates you from a holy God.

On your own, you are headed to a Christless eternity in hell as the just punishment of your sin against a holy God. But God solved our biggest problem by sending his Son to this earth to live a perfect life, die on the cross in our place, and rise again, victorious over sin and death.

John 3:16 KJV – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

When you trust in Christ, you are forgiven and given the gift of eternal life with Christ!

Revelation 21:4 KJV – “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

In my own life I have experienced suffering (my brother died of a horrible brain disease in 2002). As a family, we have had to wrestle with the question of suffering and turn to God’s Word for the “big picture” answers and the comfort only God can give.