Suffering is often messy, disruptive, and painful to witness. So when we hear about someone else’s suffering, our natural response is to look the other way. But when we make the choice to enter into someone else’s suffering, we become vessels through which God pours out His comfort to the people who need it most.
Read MoreHow should we respond when we’re in pain? Job’s response to suffering was affirmed by God, which is surprising since his prayers were more rants against God than proclamations of faith. So why did God affirm them? Because they were prayers. Job teaches us that we can’t go wrong if we’re going to God with our pain.
Read MoreModern secular culture sees suffering as the ultimate evil — something to be avoided at all costs. But the early Christians took a different view: suffering was something to be embraced, not merely endured. How could they say that? Was this just macho chest-thumping? Or are the pointing us to something deeper — something essential that could transform our experience of suffering?
Read MoreIt can be deeply troubling when bad things happen to good people. Not only does it serve as an uncomfortable reminder that life is uncertain, it also exposes the false idea that “If I’m a good person, then God will reward me.” But while the Bible never promises a life without suffering, it does present a God who suffered on our behalf so that suffering wouldn’t have the last word.
Read More