Editor's Note: The following is a report on the practical applications of Matt Rogers' new book, When Answers Aren’t Enough: Experiencing God as Good When Life Isn’t, (Zondervan, 2008).

When tragedy strikes your life, even the best theological answers don’t help. You know intellectually that God is good, and that He’s with you in the midst of this fallen world. But knowing that doesn’t take away the pain you feel.

The answers to life’s hardest questions become personal only when you experience God’s goodness for yourself. Here’s how you can experience God as good when life isn’t:

Make sure your expectations are accurate. Don’t be surprised when you encounter tragedies and challenges in life; expect some hard times because you live in a world that’s been tainted by sin. Remember that Jesus said you will have trouble in this world, but you can be encouraged by the fact that He has overcome the world.  Call out to God in the midst of even the worst circumstances, and expect Him to answer you.

Give and receive kindness. Comfort other people who are hurting, and allow them to comfort you when you’re hurting. Through this exchange of kindness, you’ll see God’s love flow between you and others.

Be honest with God. You’ll discover that God cares about what you’re going through when you express your true thoughts and feelings to Him. Don’t be afraid to open up to God about your struggles; He already knows about them, anyway, and He still loves you. Remember that God Himself experiences both joy and pain. He will listen to all of your prayers and give you the peace you need.

Focus on the spiritual more than just the physical. Since the spiritual part of you will last for eternity, while the physical part of you is temporary, spiritual protection in our fallen world is more valuable than physical protection. Look beyond a concern with just physical safety to pursue spiritual safety, which is a much higher priority to God. Although you’ll never be guaranteed physical safety in this fallen world, you can always count on God’s help to deliver you from evil.

Embrace mystery. You’ll experience freedom when you accept the fact that you can’t know right now why God allows certain bad things to happen. You’re free to be human and don’t have to be God, with all His responsibilities. Stop the futile effort of trying to understand God’s ways from a limited human perspective. Instead, choose to trust His promise that, ultimately, everything will work out fine and accomplish good purposes.