Kirby Kelly: Why God Allows Suffering & Finding Hope in Pain | The Jesus People Podcast Episode 69
4/21/202647 min
What you focus on shapes your life.
Choose gratitude, change everything. Reset your mindset with gratitude:
The Gratitude Reset
https://books.thejesuspeoplemovement.com/
Your pain isn’t wasted. God is already turning it into purpose. Get Kirby Kelly’s new book:
The Fabric of Hope: How God Brings Redemption into Every Season
In this deeply honest episode, Kirby Kelly opens up about grief, trauma, and the hardest question many believers face: Why does a good God allow suffering?
From losing both parents to addiction, to walking through pain, redemption, and now stepping into motherhood, Kirby shares a powerful lived theology of suffering. This conversation goes beyond theory and into real-life faith tested in the fire.
Together, we wrestle with the problem of evil, God’s sovereignty, human free will, and the tension between pain and hope—revealing how God weaves redemption even in life’s darkest moments.
If you are in a season of grief, confusion, or questioning God’s goodness, this episode will meet you there and point you back to hope in Jesus.
Key Highlights:
- The problem of evil: why does God allow suffering?
- Grieving with hope vs grieving without God
- How trauma shapes faith and intimacy with God
- Free will, brokenness, and a fallen world explained
- Biblical perspective on suffering through Joseph and Jesus
- Why suffering can deepen your relationship with God
- The power of lament and honest prayer
- Choosing joy and faith in the middle of pain
- Redemption: how God turns wounds into purpose
- Living with eternal perspective in a broken world
If you feel stuck in pain, questioning God, or battling internal struggles, you do not have to walk through it alone.
For Christian life coaching rooted in identity in Christ
https://www.sharethestruggle.org/coaching-rm
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#KirbyKelly #Suffering #FaithInHardTimes #ProblemOfEvil #ChristianPodcast
#JesusPeoplePodcast #HopeInChrist #GriefAndHealing #TrustGod #Redemption
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsRyan Miller· Host0:00
I still do not theologically understand how evil comes from a good God. I literally don't I lost my father when I was 10, lived my whole life in a way with my mom struggling with her addiction, yet God can still be good Like, why would God allow that to happen? I just, I literally cannot to this day wrap my head around the concept. You understand the theology, but you've lived it, too.
Kirby Kelly· Guest0:24
I know for a fact that what came out of that season for me, of all my suffering, I wouldn't trade that for the world. The intimacy that I have with God, the knowledge that I have of God, head and heart.
Ryan Miller· Host0:36
Mm-hmm.
Kirby Kelly· Guest0:36
It's just, it is worth so much more to me having gone through the pressing Because you can go one of two directions.
Ryan Miller· Host0:43
You can get really jaded- Yeah ... or you can get joyful in the middle of your suffering.
Kirby Kelly· Guest0:49
But to still have hope that He's gonna do something, and if He is good, He's gonna do something good.
Ryan Miller· Host0:55
Guys, welcome to the Jesus People podcast. We got round two- Yeah ... with Kirby Kelly.
Kirby Kelly· Guest1:04
I'm pumped.
Ryan Miller· Host1:04
What, w- we were just saying, like, she, you called it my Harry Potter room upstairs.
Kirby Kelly· Guest1:08
But then I realized it's upstairs and Harry Potter lived under the stairs.
Ryan Miller· Host1:11
It was, yeah, right up there.
Kirby Kelly· Guest1:12
Yeah.
Ryan Miller· Host1:12
You, you guys can't see, but above on the second story.
Kirby Kelly· Guest1:16
Mm-hmm.
Ryan Miller· Host1:16
My little office. It's my little nook now.
Kirby Kelly· Guest1:17
I know, and now, like, look at your podcast. It's, I was actually on TikTok the other day and someone was like, "I'm a new Christian. I'm looking for podcast recommendations." And I was looking through the comments section, and there were so many people who recommended your podcast.
Ryan Miller· Host1:28
Let's go.
Kirby Kelly· Guest1:28
I was like, that's so cool.