Suffering is the one experience no human being escapes. It arrives uninvited — in the form of illness, loss, betrayal, grief, injustice, or the slow erosion of hope — and it raises the most urgent questions any person can ask: Where is God? Does he see? Does he care? Can anything good come from this? The Bible does not answer these questions with easy platitudes or tidy explanations. It answers them with something far more powerful: the testimony of a God who enters suffering, redeems it, and transforms those who walk through it.

From the anguished laments of the Psalms to Paul's theology of suffering in Romans and 2 Corinthians, from Job's raw confrontation with God to Jesus's cry of dereliction on the cross, Scripture engages suffering with unflinching honesty and radical hope. The Bible never promises that following God will exempt you from pain — it promises that no pain will be wasted, no tear will be forgotten, and no darkness will have the final word.

This collection presents the 40 most powerful Bible verses about affliction, suffering, and comfort, organized by theme, with deep commentary to help you understand not just what these verses say but what they mean for the person who is hurting right now.

Table of Contents

  1. God's Presence in Suffering — You Are Not Alone
  2. The God of All Comfort — 2 Corinthians 1 and Beyond
  3. The Purpose of Suffering — Trials That Produce Glory
  4. Honest Lament — Crying Out to God in Pain
  5. Hope Beyond Suffering — The Promise of Redemption
  6. Strength in Weakness — Grace for the Hardest Days
  7. Quick Reference: All 40 Verses at a Glance
  8. Frequently Asked Questions
Presence

God does not abandon those who suffer — he draws near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18; Isaiah 43:2).

Comfort

God is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in every affliction (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Purpose

Suffering produces endurance, character, and hope — and present pain is incomparable to coming glory (Romans 5:3-5; 8:18).

Hope

Every tear will be wiped away; mourning will give way to joy; the last word belongs to God, not to suffering (Revelation 21:4; Psalm 30:5).

01–08

God's Presence in Suffering — You Are Not Alone

The most devastating aspect of suffering is often not the pain itself but the loneliness — the sense that no one truly understands, that God has turned away, that you are facing the darkness alone. These verses speak directly to that fear with the consistent testimony of Scripture: God is nearest when the pain is greatest.
1
Psalm 34:18 — ESV
God's Nearness
Near to the Brokenhearted
"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
This verse does not promise that God will immediately remove the pain — it promises something more immediately needed: his presence. The Hebrew word for "brokenhearted" (nishbere-lev) describes a heart that has been shattered — not merely saddened but broken into pieces. And it is precisely to this person — not the strong, not the successful, not the spiritually triumphant — that God draws near. The word "near" (qarov) is the language of physical proximity, of someone who has moved close. God does not observe suffering from a distance; he moves toward it. The "crushed in spirit" — those whose inner life has been ground down by grief, loss, or despair — are the ones God saves. This is not a promise for the future; it is a declaration about the present: the Lord is near, right now, in the middle of the breaking.
2
Isaiah 43:2 — ESV
God's Presence
Through the Waters and Fire
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."
Notice what God does not promise: he does not promise that you will not pass through waters or walk through fire. The promise is not exemption from suffering but companionship within it. The word "when" — not "if" — acknowledges that trials are a certainty of human life. But the promise is equally certain: I will be with you. The imagery of water and fire covers the full spectrum of overwhelming experience — floods that threaten to drown, flames that threaten to consume. In both, God's presence is the guarantee that the trial will not have the final word. The waters will not overwhelm; the flame will not consume. Not because the danger is not real, but because the One who walks with you is greater than the danger.
3
Psalm 23:4 — ESV
God's Presence
The Valley of the Shadow
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
The "valley of the shadow of death" is one of the most evocative images in all of Scripture — a place of deep darkness, mortal danger, and the overwhelming sense of threat. The psalmist does not deny the reality of the valley; he walks through it. But the grammar of this verse is everything: the shift from "he" to "you" — from speaking about God to speaking to him — happens precisely at the moment of greatest danger. In the valley, the relationship becomes intimate and direct. The rod and staff — tools of the shepherd for guiding and protecting the flock — are instruments of comfort because they are evidence of the shepherd's active, attentive presence. You are not wandering alone; you are being guided.
4
Deuteronomy 31:8 — ESV
"It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."
5
Matthew 28:20 — ESV
"And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
6
Psalm 46:1 — ESV
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
7
Isaiah 41:10 — ESV
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
8
Hebrews 13:5 — ESV
"I will never leave you nor forsake you."
09–16

The God of All Comfort — 2 Corinthians 1 and Beyond

The Bible's most concentrated theology of comfort is found in 2 Corinthians 1:3–7, where Paul — writing from his own experience of severe suffering — describes God as the "Father of mercies and God of all comfort." These verses explore what divine comfort looks like, how it is received, and how it flows through those who have been comforted to those who are still suffering.
9
2 Corinthians 1:3–4 — ESV
Divine Comfort
Father of Mercies
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
This is the foundational text on divine comfort in the New Testament. Paul begins with a doxology — a burst of praise — which is remarkable given that he is writing in the context of severe personal suffering (2 Corinthians 1:8–9). The title "Father of mercies" (patēr oiktirmōn) describes God as the source and origin of all compassion — mercy is not something God occasionally dispenses; it is part of his essential character as Father. "God of all comfort" (theos pasēs paraklēseōs) — the word paraklēsis means comfort, encouragement, and consolation; it is related to the word for the Holy Spirit as Paraclete (Comforter). The scope is total: "all comfort" — there is no form of suffering for which God's comfort is insufficient. The purpose clause is stunning: God comforts us so that we may comfort others. Suffering, received in faith, becomes the credential for ministry. The person who has been comforted by God in their darkest hour carries a comfort that no one who has only known ease can offer.
Person with arms open in a field at sunrise representing the freedom and comfort found in God's presence during suffering
God's comfort is not the removal of pain but the transformation of it — the presence of One who has entered suffering himself and redeemed it from the inside.
10
Lamentations 3:22–23 — ESV
Divine Comfort
New Every Morning
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
These words were written in the aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction — one of the most catastrophic events in Israel's history. The city had fallen, the temple had been burned, the people had been taken into exile. And from within that devastation, the writer of Lamentations makes one of the most defiant declarations of faith in all of Scripture. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases" — the Hebrew word hesed describes a covenant loyalty that cannot be broken by human failure or historical catastrophe. "His mercies never come to an end" — the word for "mercies" (rahamim) is related to the word for "womb" — a tender, maternal compassion. "They are new every morning" — this is the day-by-day reality of recovery and survival: each morning brings a fresh supply of divine mercy, regardless of what yesterday held. Great is your faithfulness — not great is your power, not great is your plan, but great is your faithfulness. In the ruins, the one thing that cannot be destroyed is the faithfulness of God.
11
2 Corinthians 1:5 — ESV
"For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too."
12
Psalm 119:50 — ESV
"This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life."
13
Isaiah 66:13 — ESV
"As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem."
14
Psalm 94:19 — ESV
"When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul."
15
John 14:16–17 — ESV
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth."
16
Matthew 5:4 — ESV
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."

— Psalm 34:18
17–24

The Purpose of Suffering — Trials That Produce Glory

One of the most difficult aspects of suffering is its apparent meaninglessness — the sense that pain is random, purposeless, and wasteful. The Bible consistently challenges this perception, not by offering easy explanations but by revealing that God is at work within suffering, producing things that could not be produced any other way.
17
Romans 8:18 — ESV
Future Glory
Present Suffering vs. Coming Glory
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."
Paul's word "consider" (logizomai) is a deliberate, reasoned calculation — not wishful thinking but a sober assessment of the comparative weight of present suffering and future glory. The suffering is real — Paul does not minimize it. But the glory is so vastly greater that the comparison itself breaks down. The Greek construction suggests that the sufferings of this present time are not even in the same category as the coming glory — they cannot be placed on the same scale. This verse does not explain why we suffer; it reframes the suffering within a larger story. The present chapter, however painful, is not the whole book. The glory that is coming is not merely a reward for enduring suffering — it is a revelation of what God has been doing all along.
18
Romans 5:3–5 — ESV
Spiritual Formation
Suffering Produces Character
"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
Paul's chain of causation is one of the most important passages on the purpose of suffering in the New Testament. The progression is not automatic — it requires the active engagement of faith. Suffering, received in faith, produces endurance (hypomonē — not passive resignation but active, steadfast perseverance under pressure). Endurance produces character (dokimē — the quality of metal that has been tested and proven genuine). Character produces hope — not optimism, but the confident expectation of what God has promised. And this hope does not disappoint, because it is grounded not in circumstances but in the love of God poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The chain ends not in achievement but in love — the assurance that the God who allows the suffering is the same God whose love is being poured into us through it.
19
James 1:2–4 — ESV
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
20
1 Peter 1:6–7 — ESV
"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
21
2 Corinthians 4:17 — ESV
"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison."
22
Hebrews 12:11 — ESV
"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
23
Romans 8:28 — ESV
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
24
Job 23:10 — ESV
"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold."

The Paradox of "Rejoicing in Suffering"

When Paul says "we rejoice in our sufferings" (Romans 5:3) and James says "count it all joy" (James 1:2), they are not commanding emotional denial or the pretense that pain doesn't hurt. The Greek word for "rejoice" (kauchōmetha) means to boast or exult — to find a ground for confidence. The joy is not in the suffering itself but in what God is doing through it. This is a faith-based orientation toward suffering, not a psychological technique for suppressing pain.

25–30

Honest Lament — Crying Out to God in Pain

One of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the Bible's approach to suffering is its permission — even encouragement — to lament. The Psalms are filled with raw, unfiltered cries of pain directed at God. These verses give voice to the experience of suffering without rushing to resolution, modeling what it looks like to bring the full weight of pain into God's presence.
25
Psalm 22:1–2 — ESV
Lament
The Cry of Dereliction
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest."
This is the most anguished lament in the Psalter — and it is the psalm Jesus quoted from the cross (Matthew 27:46). The opening cry — "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" — is not a statement of theological fact but a cry of felt experience. The psalmist does not feel God's presence; he feels abandoned. And yet — crucially — he still addresses God. He does not turn away from God in his pain; he turns toward God with his pain. This is the model of biblical lament: bringing the full, unedited reality of suffering into God's presence, refusing to pretend, refusing to perform, but also refusing to abandon the relationship. The fact that Jesus prayed this psalm from the cross means that no experience of felt abandonment is beyond the reach of God's understanding.
26
Psalm 56:8 — ESV
"You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?"
27
Psalm 88:1–2 — ESV
"O Lord, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before you. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry!"
28
Lamentations 3:1–3 — ESV
"I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long."
29
Job 3:3 — ESV
"Let the day perish on which I was born, and the night that said, 'A man is conceived.'"
30
Psalm 142:1–2 — ESV
"With my voice I cry out to the Lord; with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord. I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him."

Why Lament Matters

The Psalms of lament — which make up roughly one-third of the entire Psalter — are one of the most neglected resources in the church's response to suffering. They model a spirituality that is honest rather than performative, that brings the full weight of pain into God's presence rather than suppressing it in the name of faith. Lament is not the opposite of faith; it is one of faith's most authentic expressions. The person who cries out to God in pain is still in relationship with God — still believing that God hears, still expecting that God can respond.

Hands open in prayer representing honest lament and surrender to God in the midst of suffering
Biblical lament is not the absence of faith — it is faith's most honest expression, bringing the full weight of pain into God's presence without pretense.
31–36

Hope Beyond Suffering — The Promise of Redemption

The Bible's ultimate answer to suffering is not an explanation but a promise — the promise that suffering will not have the final word, that every tear will be wiped away, that the story God is telling through human history ends not in tragedy but in redemption. These verses point to the horizon beyond the present pain.
31
Revelation 21:4 — ESV
Final Redemption
Every Tear Wiped Away
"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."
This is the eschatological horizon toward which all of Scripture moves — the final, definitive answer to the problem of suffering. The image of God wiping away every tear is one of the most tender in all of Scripture: it is the gesture of a parent comforting a child, of a lover consoling the beloved. The list that follows is comprehensive: death, mourning, crying, pain — the entire vocabulary of human suffering — will be abolished. Not merely reduced, not merely managed, but eliminated. "The former things have passed away" — the present age of suffering, with all its weight and darkness, will be so thoroughly superseded by the new creation that it will be categorized as "former things." This is not escapism; it is the ultimate ground of hope for those who suffer now.
32
Psalm 30:5 — ESV
"For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning."
33
Romans 8:38–39 — ESV
"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
34
Isaiah 61:3 — ESV
"To grant to those who mourn in Zion — to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit."
35
Jeremiah 29:11 — ESV
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
36
Psalm 126:5–6 — ESV
"Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him."
37–40

Strength in Weakness — Grace for the Hardest Days

The final cluster of verses addresses the practical question of how to keep going when suffering has depleted every human resource. The Bible's answer is consistently the same: divine strength is made available precisely in human weakness, and the grace of God is sufficient for every day, however hard.
37
2 Corinthians 12:9–10 — ESV
Strength in Weakness
Power Made Perfect in Weakness
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Paul's "thorn in the flesh" — whatever it was — had brought him to the end of his own resources. He prayed three times for its removal. God's answer was not removal but revelation: My grace is sufficient for you. The word "sufficient" (arkeō) means to be enough, to be adequate — not barely enough, but genuinely, completely enough. The reason is given: "my power is made perfect in weakness." The Greek word for "made perfect" (teleioutai) means to be brought to its full expression, to reach its intended goal. God's power does not merely tolerate human weakness; it finds its fullest expression there. This is why Paul can "boast" in his weaknesses — not because weakness is pleasant, but because weakness is the condition in which God's power is most fully displayed. The paradox of the Christian life: when I am weak, then I am strong.
38
Isaiah 40:31 — ESV
"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
39
Philippians 4:13 — ESV
"I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
40
Psalm 73:26 — ESV
"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Quick Reference: All 40 Verses at a Glance

# Reference Key Truth Theme
1Psalm 34:18The Lord is near to the brokenheartedPresence
2Isaiah 43:2Through waters and fire — I will be with youPresence
3Psalm 23:4Through the valley — you are with mePresence
4Deuteronomy 31:8He will not leave you or forsake youPresence
5Matthew 28:20I am with you always, to the end of the agePresence
6Psalm 46:1God is a very present help in troublePresence
7Isaiah 41:10Fear not — I will strengthen and help youPresence
8Hebrews 13:5I will never leave you nor forsake youPresence
92 Corinthians 1:3–4God of all comfort — comforts us in all afflictionComfort
10Lamentations 3:22–23Mercies new every morning; great is your faithfulnessComfort
112 Corinthians 1:5As we share in Christ's sufferings, so we share in comfortComfort
12Psalm 119:50Your promise gives me life in my afflictionComfort
13Isaiah 66:13As a mother comforts, so I will comfort youComfort
14Psalm 94:19Your consolations cheer my soulComfort
15John 14:16–17The Spirit — another Helper — to be with you foreverComfort
16Matthew 5:4Those who mourn shall be comfortedComfort
17Romans 8:18Present suffering incomparable to coming gloryPurpose
18Romans 5:3–5Suffering produces endurance, character, hopePurpose
19James 1:2–4Testing of faith produces steadfastnessPurpose
201 Peter 1:6–7Trials test faith — more precious than goldPurpose
212 Corinthians 4:17Light momentary affliction prepares eternal gloryPurpose
22Hebrews 12:11Discipline yields peaceful fruit of righteousnessPurpose
23Romans 8:28All things work together for goodPurpose
24Job 23:10When he has tried me, I shall come out as goldPurpose
25Psalm 22:1–2My God, why have you forsaken me?Lament
26Psalm 56:8God keeps count of our tearsLament
27Psalm 88:1–2I cry out day and night before youLament
28Lamentations 3:1–3I am the man who has seen afflictionLament
29Job 3:3Let the day perish on which I was bornLament
30Psalm 142:1–2I pour out my complaint before himLament
31Revelation 21:4Every tear wiped away; no more death or painHope
32Psalm 30:5Weeping for the night; joy comes with the morningHope
33Romans 8:38–39Nothing can separate us from God's loveHope
34Isaiah 61:3Beauty for ashes; oil of gladness for mourningHope
35Jeremiah 29:11Plans for welfare — a future and a hopeHope
36Psalm 126:5–6Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyHope
372 Corinthians 12:9–10My grace is sufficient; power made perfect in weaknessStrength
38Isaiah 40:31Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strengthStrength
39Philippians 4:13I can do all things through him who strengthens meStrength
40Psalm 73:26God is the strength of my heart and my portion foreverStrength
Biblical Studies Editorial Team

Biblical Studies Editorial Team

Scripture Insight · Pastoral Theology & Biblical Suffering

Our team of biblical scholars and pastoral theologians specializes in the theology of suffering, lament, and divine comfort. All commentary is grounded in careful exegesis of the original Hebrew and Greek texts and engagement with the best of contemporary scholarship on theodicy and pastoral care.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Bible say about suffering and affliction?▼

The Bible teaches that suffering is a universal human experience that God neither ignores nor wastes. Scripture affirms that God is present in suffering (Psalm 34:18; Isaiah 43:2), that trials produce spiritual growth (James 1:2–4; Romans 5:3–5), that God works all things together for good for those who love him (Romans 8:28), and that present suffering is incomparable to the glory that awaits (Romans 8:18). The Bible also gives extensive permission for honest lament — crying out to God in pain without pretense (Psalms 22, 88, 142). The Bible never minimizes pain but consistently points to God's redemptive purposes within it and his faithful presence through it.

What is the most comforting Bible verse for someone suffering?▼

Many find 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 — "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction" — to be the most comprehensive comfort verse. Psalm 34:18 ("The Lord is near to the brokenhearted") speaks directly to the loneliness of suffering. Romans 8:28 ("All things work together for good") addresses the question of meaning. Isaiah 43:2 ("When you pass through the waters, I will be with you") speaks to the fear of being overwhelmed. The most helpful verse will often depend on the specific nature of the suffering and what the person most needs to hear.

Why does God allow suffering according to the Bible?▼

The Bible does not offer a single, comprehensive explanation for why God allows suffering — and this is itself significant. The book of Job, which is the Bible's most sustained engagement with the problem of suffering, ends not with an explanation but with an encounter with God. The Bible does, however, offer several partial answers: suffering can produce spiritual growth and character (Romans 5:3–5; James 1:2–4); it can be used by God to accomplish his purposes (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28); it can deepen our dependence on God (2 Corinthians 1:9); it can equip us to comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:4); and it is incomparable to the glory that awaits (Romans 8:18). The Bible's primary response to suffering is not explanation but presence — the promise that God is with us in it.

What does the Bible say about God's comfort in times of grief?▼

The Bible presents God as the primary source of comfort in grief. He is described as "the Father of mercies and God of all comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3), who comforts "as one whom his mother comforts" (Isaiah 66:13) — with tender, maternal compassion. He is "near to the brokenhearted" (Psalm 34:18) and keeps count of every tear (Psalm 56:8). Jesus declared that "those who mourn shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:4) and promised the Holy Spirit as a Comforter (John 14:16–17). The Bible also presents the community of believers as a channel of divine comfort — those who have been comforted by God are equipped to comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:4). Grief is not a sign of weak faith; it is a human response to loss that God honors and meets with his presence.

Is it okay to lament and cry out to God in pain?▼

Not only is it okay — it is modeled throughout Scripture. Approximately one-third of the Psalms are laments — raw, unfiltered cries of pain, confusion, and even protest directed at God. Job cried out in anguish (Job 3; 7; 10). Jeremiah lamented his birth (Jeremiah 20:14–18). Jesus himself prayed Psalm 22 from the cross — "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). Biblical lament is not the absence of faith; it is one of faith's most authentic expressions. It is the act of bringing the full, unedited reality of suffering into God's presence — refusing to pretend, refusing to perform, but also refusing to abandon the relationship. God can handle our honest pain; what he cannot be reached by is our pretense.

What does Romans 8:28 mean — "all things work together for good"?▼

Romans 8:28 — "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" — is one of the most frequently cited and most frequently misunderstood verses in the Bible. It does not promise that all things are good, or that suffering will feel good, or that God will prevent bad things from happening. It promises that God is at work within all things — including the painful, the unjust, and the inexplicable — to bring about good for those who love him. The "good" in view is defined by the next verse (Romans 8:29): being "conformed to the image of his Son." The ultimate good God is working toward is not our comfort or success but our transformation into the likeness of Christ. This is a promise that requires faith to hold, especially in the darkest seasons.

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