Suffering
Suffering in Scripture is not explained away but inhabited — by Job, by the psalms of lament, by the prophets, by the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, and finally by Christ on the cross. The Bible holds suffering together with the character of God without simplifying either. Every mature biblical response teaches the sufferer to speak honestly and to wait.
Key verses (12)
- Job 1:21The LORD gave, the LORD hath taken away
“And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and...”
- Psalms 22:1My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words o...”
- Psalms 34:19Many are the afflictions of the righteous
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.”
- Romans 5:3Tribulation worketh patience
“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;”
- Romans 5:4Patience, experience; experience, hope
“And patience, experience; and experience, hope:”
- Romans 8:18Sufferings not worthy to be compared with glory
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory w...”
- 2 Corinthians 4:17Light affliction, eternal weight of glory
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal...”
- 2 Corinthians 12:9My grace is sufficient for thee
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. M...”
- Philippians 3:10The fellowship of his sufferings
“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being ...”
- Hebrews 12:2Looking unto Jesus — endurance
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him end...”
- James 1:2Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations
“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;”
- 1 Peter 4:12Think it not strange — fiery trial
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange...”
Relevant characters (5)
Job
Lost possessions, children, and health
Paul
Thorn in the flesh; beatings, shipwrecks (2 Corinthians 11-12)
Joseph
Sold by brothers, imprisoned falsely (Genesis 37-41)
Jeremiah
Called the "weeping prophet"; stocks, cistern, exile
Jesus Christ
Acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3); the cross
Further reading
- C. S. Lewis — The Problem of Pain, Geoffrey Bles (1940)
- Joni Eareckson Tada & Steven Estes — When God Weeps, Zondervan (1997)
- Philip Yancey — Where Is God When It Hurts?, Zondervan (1977)
Pastoral commentary
[founder: write here]