Christians are often accused of not living in the real world, but the truth is that the Bible recognises that there are plenty of problems that cause people suffering, which in many cases we inflict upon each other. God’s big answer to all this is that he came and dwelt amongst us, so that he knows exactly what life is like for us (Hebrews 4:15, for one example). Jesus shared our humanity - and still does. In his resurrection, he demonstrates that a future without suffering and pain is possible, and promises to draw us into it (Revelation 21:1-6).

That might sound like just ‘pie-in-the-sky-when-you-die’, but there’s also a sense in which God is not just working for our good in the future, but also the present. Romans 8:28 tells us that ‘in all things God works for the good of those who love him’, and while often we cannot see any purpose in our pain, sometimes in retrospect it is possible to see the good reason for what we’ve been through. However, even if we still cannot make sense of it, we can be reassured by knowing that God works good from the greatest evil (Genesis 50:20) - he has done so in Jesus’ death on the cross, and he does so in our daily lives as well.