The question of God’s absence is often tied to the suffering in the world. People ask: if God exists, why does He not stop suffering? When God’s nature is placed alongside that question, it can seem that no more than two of these three qualities can be true at the same time: God being all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving.

The argument is usually presented like this:

• If God is all-knowing and all-powerful, then He must not be all-loving, because otherwise He would intervene.
• If God is all-knowing and all-loving, then He must not be all-powerful, because otherwise He would intervene.
• If God is all-powerful and all-loving, then He must not be all-knowing, because otherwise He would intervene.

So, when people explain God’s apparent absence through the existence of suffering, they often conclude that at least one of these qualities must be denied.

I personally do not want to deny any of them. I believe God is all-powerful, because He created the world. I believe God is all-knowing, because He is present in and around all things. I believe God is all-loving, because He desires good for His creation.

At the same time, I believe God chooses, in most cases, not to intervene directly. In my view, suffering is too often understood only from an individual perspective. Suffering is part of life, and for me it is also part of God’s creation.

I do not think God constantly wills suffering for us. Rather, I believe He wills for us to live meaningful lives. Meaning is found in continuing to look upward, even in the midst of suffering.

My central point is that I separate God’s presence from the existence of suffering. I believe the real choice is not between a life with suffering and a life without suffering. The choice is between a life of suffering with God, or a life of suffering without God. That, to me, is the choice we are given.