Years ago, I had a kidney stone. The pain was so sharp, I couldn't think about anything else. It made me forget everything - my college, my exam the day after, deadlines, my other silly worries, even my own name became irrelevant. All I could do was lie on the bed sweating and praying. "God, help me."
Why do we instinctively call out to God in moments of deep pain? In a world that often pushes towards a godless narrative, many might dismiss this cry as merely a product of our biological impulses. They might say this is just our brain trying to cope, we hear this a lot: "When we suffer we invent stories to feel better." But what if it's the opposite? What if pain doesn't create God for us, but reveals Him? Like dusting off an invisible mirror, suffering uncovers something that was always there - a deep, intrinsic need for something greater than ourselves.
"Pain doesn't invent God but unveils him"
Think of hunger. When we feel it, we don't debate the existence of food - we know it's real because our need for it is real. Pain works similarly. It's a sign that we are wired not just for physical survival, but for meaning. When life hurts, we don't just face it - we ask, "Why?" And that very question points us to something beyond the physical, to God. Suffering isn't a punishment; it's a reminder. A reminder of our fragility, of our limitations, and of our need for someone who knows the whole story even when we can't see it ourselves.
Atheists often ask, "If God exists, why does He allow suffering?" But perhaps the better question is:
Why does suffering make us more compassionate? Why does it make us more empathetic? Why does it make us pray?
Why is that, when confronted with tragedy, we instinctively ask "Why me?" as if we expect life to be fair? If life is just random chaos, why do we hold on to the idea of fairness at all? Why do people who deny God's existence still speak of hope, of a better tomorrow, as if some greater purpose is guiding it all?
Pain doesn't drive us away from God. It pulls us closer. While pleasure can distract us - immersing us in wealth, entertainment, and fleeting desires - suffering brings life to a halt. It makes us look inside and utter the reality, "I can't do this alone".
That night with the kidney stone, I didn't find answers. I sensed the truth: So when someone says to me, "You are just imagining God to feel better," I say: "But why does my heart sense Him so clearly when I am broken? Why does yours?
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Sorry, Its too looong to read!
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