Finding Purpose When Life Seems Evil

The evening news feels relentless—another shooting, another betrayal, another family shattered by violence or disease. We close our laptops and silence our phones, but we can’t silence the questions that echo in the darkness:

• Why do the innocent suffer?
• Why do evil people prosper?
• Is there any point in trying to live faithfully when the world feels so broken?

Solomon’s Honest Struggle

These aren’t new questions. Three thousand years ago, King Solomon—the wisest man who ever lived—stared at the same human wreckage and wrote words that still take our breath away:

“And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.” – Ecclesiastes 4:2-3

Solomon looked at a world where the powerful crush the weak, where injustice thrives, and where good people lose everything while wicked people gain everything. And for a moment, he wondered if it would be better never to have been born at all.

If you’ve ever felt that weight—if you’ve ever sat in a hospital waiting room, watched the news in horror, or received a phone call that changed everything—then you understand Solomon’s raw honesty. The reality of evil isn’t abstract; it’s personal. It reaches into our marriages through betrayal, into our bodies through sickness, into our children’s schools through violence.

As a counselor, I sit with people every week who feel crushed by life’s unfairness, who whisper Solomon’s thoughts in my office: Maybe the dead are better off than we are.

But Solomon doesn’t leave us in despair.

In the verses that follow, he maps out both the dead ends that will destroy us and the paths that can sustain us—even when evil feels overwhelming. His wisdom is hard-won and hope-filled, showing us not just how to survive in a broken world, but how to find genuine purpose in the midst of darkness.

Three Warnings About What Will Not Satisfy

1. Work as an Escape

“Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.” – Eccl. 4:4

Work is a gift from God, but when it becomes an escape from pain or a competition with others, it turns hollow. Many throw themselves into busyness after tragedy, hoping distraction will numb their grief. Others try to prove their worth through achievement, comparing themselves endlessly with neighbors and colleagues. Solomon saw that this endless striving, driven by envy, doesn’t heal the soul. Instead, it leaves us restless, chasing wind.

2. Withdrawal Into Isolation

“The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh.” – Eccl. 4:5

On the other end of the spectrum is withdrawal. When overwhelmed by evil, some give up entirely, folding their hands in despair. This kind of resignation leads to self-destruction, like “eating one’s own flesh.” Numbness, self-pity, or abandoning responsibility may feel like temporary relief, but it deepens despair. Withdrawal promises protection from further hurt, but it often leaves people lonelier and more vulnerable.

3. Wealth as the Ultimate Goal

“Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind… One person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches.” – Eccl. 4:6-8

Accumulating wealth can feel like a way to secure control in an uncontrollable world. Yet riches never satisfy. Solomon describes a lonely workaholic who has no relationships, only endless striving. Even if he amasses great wealth, he eventually asks, “For whom am I toiling?” Wealth cannot answer our deepest fears, and it cannot protect us from loss.

These false solutions promise relief but deliver emptiness. Solomon doesn’t leave us there though. He points toward three pursuits that actually sustain us through darkness.

Three Pursuits That Bring Meaning

1. Warm Relationships

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil… a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” – Eccl. 4:9-12

In contrast to isolation, Solomon praises companionship. When one falls, the other can lift him up. When one grows cold, the other provides warmth. Evil may tempt us to withdraw, but God designed us for community. Strong friendships, supportive families, and healthy church connections give us resilience. Even Jesus, facing the cross, brought His closest disciples to pray with Him in Gethsemane. When evil weighs heavy, lean into—not away from—relationships.

2. Wise Perspectives

“Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice.” – Eccl. 4:13

Wisdom often comes from unexpected places. Solomon saw that a poor youth willing to listen was better off than a wealthy ruler hardened in pride. When tragedy strikes, perspective matters. A wise counselor, a trusted mentor, or the humble voice of a younger believer can help us see clearly. We need people who remind us of God’s sovereignty, of eternity’s perspective, and of the fact that no earthly kingdom or leader can give ultimate security. Pursuing wisdom, not pride, equips us to navigate the darkness.

3. Walking with God

“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools.” – Eccl. 5:1

Above all, Solomon points us to God. When evil feels overwhelming, our greatest pursuit is a reverent walk with the Lord. He warns against rash words and empty rituals. Instead, we are called to draw near, to listen, and to remember that God is in heaven while we are on earth. Walking with God re-centers us. It anchors us in His holiness, His justice, and His promise that evil will not have the last word. The cross of Christ reminds us that God has entered into suffering Himself, and the resurrection assures us that evil will be defeated.

Conclusion

Evil is real, and its weight is crushing. Solomon didn’t deny that reality, and neither should we. But he also showed us that some responses—workaholism, withdrawal, or wealth—will never satisfy. Instead, we find meaning by pursuing warm relationships, wise perspectives, and most importantly, a faithful walk with God.

Take Action This Week

Don’t let this remain just good thoughts. Pick at least one action:

1. Lean Into Community

• Text someone you’ve been avoiding and ask to talk.
• Accept that invitation you’ve been declining.
• Ask for specific help with something you’re handling alone.
• Reach out to support someone else who might be struggling.

2. Seek Wisdom Humbly

• Read Ecclesiastes 4 slowly, asking which part applies to you.
• Schedule a conversation with a mentor, counselor, or wise friend.
• Join a small group or Bible study.
• Start journaling one thing you learned each day.

3. Walk Closely with the Lord

• Pray honestly for 15 minutes without your phone.
• Memorize one verse from this passage.
• Attend church this Sunday to listen, not perform.
• Confess to God how you’ve been trying to escape.

Bonus: The 5-Minute Test

Ask yourself: “What’s one thing I could do in the next 5 minutes?” Then do it before you close this article.

You don’t have to fix everything this week. Just take at least one step toward hope instead of despair, toward God instead of away from Him.