Can Suffering Make Me Closer to God? What Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Say

Judaism doesn't romanticize pain, but it does take seriously the idea that hardship can reorient a person toward God. The Psalms are the clearest evidence: the psalmist doesn't suppress anguish but brings it directly before God, treating that very act of crying out as a form of closeness Psalms 119:169. Psalm 73 is especially striking — after a long, agonized wrestling with why the wicked prosper, the writer arrives at a simple conclusion: nearness to God is good, and that nearness is the real answer to suffering Psalms 73:28.

The book of Job complicates this further. Job 22:21 offers the counsel to "be close to God and wholehearted" as the path through affliction Job 22:21, though scholars like Moshe Greenberg (20th century) have noted that Job's friends who offer such advice are ultimately rebuked — suggesting Judaism resists easy formulas. The Nehemiah 9 prayer is also instructive: the community explicitly asks God not to treat lightly the suffering they've endured across generations Nehemiah 9:32, implying that suffering is something brought to God in covenant relationship, not explained away.

Rabbinic tradition, particularly in the Talmud (tractate Berakhot), developed the concept of yissurin shel ahavah — "afflictions of love" — the idea that God sometimes allows suffering precisely to deepen a person's spiritual character. It's a contested idea, but it shows the tradition has long grappled with this question honestly.

Christianity's answer is shaped decisively by the cross. The suffering of Jesus isn't incidental to Christian theology — it's central. That means suffering, for Christians, is never simply meaningless: it can be a participation in something redemptive. The apostle Peter, writing to communities facing real persecution, tells believers not to be ashamed if they suffer as Christians, but instead to glorify God in it 1 Peter 4:16. That's a striking reframe — suffering becomes an occasion for worship rather than despair.

Paul's letters (Romans 5:3-5, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10) develop this further, arguing that suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope. Theologians like C.S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain (1940) and more recently N.T. Wright have argued that suffering strips away false securities and can make a person genuinely more dependent on — and therefore closer to — God. Lewis famously called pain "God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

That said, Christianity doesn't demand cheerfulness about suffering. The Psalms of lament are part of the Christian canon too, and theologians like Walter Brueggemann have argued that suppressing honest grief is actually a spiritual mistake. The tradition holds both: suffering can draw you closer, but only if you bring it honestly to God rather than performing false peace.

Islam teaches that seeking nearness (qurb) to God is among the highest spiritual goals, and that trials are one of the primary means by which that nearness is tested and deepened. Quran 17:57 describes the righteous as those who are themselves seeking the way of approach to their Lord — hoping for His mercy and fearing His judgment Quran 17:57. The verse implies that closeness to God isn't automatic; it's pursued, especially under pressure.

The Quran 83:21 references those "brought near unto their Lord" as a mark of spiritual distinction Quran 83:21, and classical scholars like Al-Ghazali (d. 1111 CE) in his Ihya Ulum al-Din wrote extensively on how sabr (patient endurance in hardship) is itself a form of worship that elevates the soul toward God. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported in hadith (Sahih Muslim) to have said that even a thorn that pricks a believer is an expiation — suggesting no suffering is spiritually neutral.

There's genuine scholarly disagreement, though, about whether suffering is always spiritually beneficial or whether it can also harden the heart if met with bitterness rather than trust. The Quranic emphasis is consistently on the response to suffering — gratitude, patience, and turning toward God — rather than on suffering as inherently transformative Quran 17:57.

Jewish Scripture calls nearness to God inherently good: “As for me, nearness to God is good,” affirming that drawing close is desirable in every season. Psalms 73:28

Job counsels, “Be close to [God] and wholehearted; Good things will come to you thereby,” suggesting that proximity to God is itself a blessing, especially when life is hard. Job 22:21

The Psalms give words for distress that seeks nearness: “Let my cry come near before Thee, O LORD,” turning suffering into prayerful approach. Psalms 119:169

Communal memory doesn’t paper over pain: Nehemiah asks the faithful, covenant-keeping God not to treat lightly “all the suffering that has overtaken us,” showing that Israel names suffering honestly while still appealing to God’s steadfastness. Nehemiah 9:32

The New Testament directly links suffering and honoring God: “If any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf,” framing faithful endurance as a path that magnifies God. 1 Peter 4:16

The Psalms—received in the Christian Bible—also teach that it is good to draw near to God and to trust Him, so that one can declare His works even amid trials. Psalms 73:28

In this light, suffering can become a context for courageous witness and deeper reliance on God’s presence, not because pain is good in itself, but because turning to God in it draws one near. 1 Peter 4:16

The Qur’an emphasizes seeking “the way of approach” (wasīlah) to the Lord, hoping for His mercy and fearing His judgment, which frames nearness to God as an intentional pursuit in all conditions. Quran 17:57

It also speaks of those “who are brought near (unto their Lord),” showing that nearness is a recognized spiritual station in Islamic scripture. Quran 83:21

Together, these verses situate hardship within a larger call to seek closeness to God through turning toward Him with hope and reverent awe. Quran 17:57