Nate holds a burning Bible while surrounded by images of suffering, natural disasters, and the question of why God allows pain.

God Killed My Faith? Why Suffering Makes People Reject God | Ask A Christian

What happens when a caller tells Nate that God killed her faith, and she’s not coming back? In this raw, unscripted live Q&A, the conversation dives into the problem of evil, the apparent contradiction between 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles, and why suffering drives so many people away from the faith. From a Satanic invocation in Iowa to David’s census and Zechariah’s prophecy, Nate fields tough questions on why God allows suffering and whether the Bible can be trusted when it seems to contradict itself. It’s a long one, but it’s the kind of episode you’ll want to share.

Why God Allows Suffering: The Biblical Bottom Line

The Bible never promises a pain-free life. Jesus Himself said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33), and He didn’t offer a philosophical escape hatch. The answer Scripture gives is rooted in the fall—Adam’s sin brought death, decay, and disaster into a world God originally called “very good.” As Nate explained, suffering is not a sign that God is absent or cruel; it’s the consequence of a broken creation groaning for redemption.

When someone asks, “How can an all-powerful, all-loving God allow this?”, the honest answer is that God permits suffering while remaining sovereign over it. He is the potter; we are the clay. This same tension appears in the census accounts. 2 Samuel 24:1 says the Lord incited David, while 1 Chronicles 21:1 says Satan did. These are not contradictions. God is the ultimate cause; Satan is the immediate agent. As Bible Hub explains, both truths stand together—God’s sovereign decree and the adversary’s willing malice.

For those wrestling with doubt, we have resources that go deeper. Explore our Christian catechism for adults, or read our statement of faith for more on God’s sovereignty and the problem of evil.

“God Killed My Faith”—And the Iowa Satanists Who Didn’t Help

The episode’s emotional center was a caller named Shay, who grew up in church but walked away after years of chronic pain. She told Nate that if God is real, He’s either not all-good or not all-powerful. Nate didn’t flinch. He pointed her to Job, to the apostles who were martyred, and to the reality that even Jesus—God in flesh—didn’t escape suffering. “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too.”

Meanwhile, in the background of the conversation, Nate had been watching clips of Iowa city council meetings where Satanists delivered invocations. Little old ladies stood with heads bowed as prayers were offered to “the dark one,” apparently too afraid of being called bigoted to object. Nate’s observation was simple: they have no idea what they’re participating in. It’s a bizarre cultural moment—tolerance run amok, where the only thing you’re not allowed to be intolerant of is evil itself.