An Open Letter to the Weary Pastor
The gospel gives hope and encouragement to weary pastors—hope and encouragement that cannot be found anywhere else.
Articles on Trials and Suffering
288 results found
5 Lessons from Shakespeare's Hamlet
Leland Ryken compels us to focus on both the content and the form of Shakespeare's Hamlet.
How to Face the Death of Someone You Love
We’ve all experienced the desolation of being left in one way or another.
10 Things You Should Know about Persecution
After telling his followers about his forthcoming death and resurrection, Jesus told them that they were to follow him by taking up their cross.
The Reason We Don't Feel the Weight of Our Sin
Just as we can hardly fathom the divine ferocity awaiting those out of Christ, it is equally true that we can hardly fathom the divine tenderness already resting now on those in Christ.
Suffering and Hope in the Time of COVID-19
In these circumstances, we may find ourselves wondering, Where is God? How can these things be happening if God is perfectly good and all-powerful? Can’t he stop them? Doesn’t he want to?
Did Jesus Ever Complain to God?
Many Christians don't have a category for complaint—what it means to humbly and biblically take our sorrows to the Lord.
Can a Christian Have Mental Illness?
Some Christians believe that Christians cannot have mental illness. If a professing Christian is depressed, anxious, or bipolar, they think it’s because they are not a real Christian, or it's because of unrepented sin.
4 Prayers to Pray through Spiritual Darkness
Turn to the Lord in prayer and in his word during times of despair and discouragement. He is near and read to defend, protect, and preserve those he loves.
James calls on Christians to reckon any situation, however difficult, as an occasion of intense joy. Not every element of suffering is joy. But, however severe one’s suffering, every trial is a time for intense joy.
A Christian Doctor Answers Questions about COVID-19
Read answers to common questions related to COVID-19 from a Christian physician.
15 Things Seminary Couldn’t Teach Me
Real pastors get honest about the joys and challenges of the first five years of pastoral ministry—and how they bridged the gap between seminary training and life in a local church.
The Day My Worst Nightmare Came True
Four years ago, Cameron Cole came face-to-face with his worst nightmare. The one thing that he hoped and prayed would never happen, did happen.
10 Things You Should Know about Grieving People
People who are grieving don’t expect that you are going to say something that will make everything okay.
Is It Possible to Suffer Well?
It takes discipline to carry pain with you while not letting it asphyxiate you. It will not crush you if you believe Christ is in it.
How to Pray for a Loved One Struggling with Mental Illness
When God gives us the right spirit in prayer—the spirit of hope, patience, and love—that will usually result in the right petitions.
An Open Letter to the Parent Who Has Lost a Child
As a parent whose child died four and a half years ago, I want to offer you two hopeful words about that wound in your heart that never will fully heal on this side of eternity.
Suffering with a Christian Worldview
The question we must always ask of suffering is this: What could possibly be worth it? Jesus’s flabbergasting claim is that he is.
Why It's Destructive to Deny God's Sovereignty in Suffering
To deny God's control over suffering actually severs the root of our comfort when facing tragedy.
Is God Far Away When He Feels Far Away?
Scripture captures both the subjective experience of being internally broken and the external experience of having something objectively hard circumstances.
5 Questions about Mental Illness
Mental illness is an old problem; as old as the fall. Although God made everything very good, when sin entered, humanity—together with the rest of the creation—came under the divine curse.
How to Pray When You’re Tempted by Anger
Here are five things you might focus on in your prayers as you seek to do the heart work necessary in your own circumstances.
10 Things You Should Know about Infertility
Infertility is a more common experience than some realize affecting 7–10% of couples.
Paul Miller’s Story of Learning to Love
Paul Miller shares his story of learning to love by discovering the pattern of Jesus’s life.
Waiting on the Lord Is Not a Waste
You’re not doing anything, but God is. Waiting is one of the greatest applications of the Christian faith.
Why Do We Sometimes Feel Empty?
Perhaps you have come to see your emptiness as your biggest problem. That’s not how God sees it.
An Open Letter to Those Who Feel Unqualified to Offer Counsel
The Lord specializes in using people who feel weak in themselves, and your sense of inadequacy will probably protect you.
Is the Story of Job Historical? (Job 1)
Was there really a man named Job? Did he live in a land called Uz? Was he perfectly righteous with a perfectly blessed life? Put simply, did the author of Job create the whole drama?
Jesus Is Not Ashamed of Those Who Are Hurting and Hopeless
Be amazed at the power of Christ to transform a helpless man; but also, marvel at the love of Christ that claims rebels like this as his own.
4 Questions about Our Suffering
Why are we to rejoice in our suffering? Why do we suffer in the ways that we do, and why do some suffer much more than others? Why doesn’t God usually answer our prayers for him to end our suffering?