“So many ask, ‘How could God allow such bad things to happen to good people?’ But the truth is—we’re not the first to wonder that.

Even the disciples must’ve asked that very question as they watched Jesus—perfect, loving, sinless—suffer a brutal death on the cross. Even Jesus, in His humanity, prayed, ‘Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.’ But He didn’t stop there… He added, ‘Yet not My will, but Yours be done.’ (Matthew 26:39)

And the Father’s answer… was still no.

Not because He didn’t love Jesus. Not because He was distant. But because there was a greater purpose that no one could see at the time. The pain that seemed like the end was actually the beginning of redemption—for all of us.

Sometimes God allows the fire because He’s refining something within us. As 1 Peter 1:7 (CJB) says:

“Even gold is tested for genuineness by fire. The purpose of these troubles is so that your trust’s genuineness, which is far more valuable than perishable gold, will continue… This will bring you praise, glory, and honor when Yeshua the Messiah is revealed.”

It’s love—not wrath—that holds us through the trials. What feels like silence isn’t absence. What feels like denial may be divine preparation.

Whatever your cup looks like today—remember: He sees you. He loves you. And He’s walking you through it, even if you can’t see it yet.

Hold on, friend. The cross looked like the end, but it was only the beginning.

 

-Rev Carlos Figueroa