A Young Man’s Testimony to Suffering and the Sovereignty of God

You can find this article at The Works of God blog.

Christianity Today Interviews Steven Curtis Chapman

Rising from the Valley of Death
Steven Curtis Chapman opens up about losing his daughter, their family's arduous journey, and a new album of songs chronicling the path of pain and hope.

For the Christian, death is not the end of adventure but a doorway to a world where dreams and adventures forever expand. No matter how bad the present, an eternity with Christ in Heaven will be incomparably better. So if God thinks the whole thing is worth it—and we know it will be worth it to us once we reach Heaven—then why not affirm by faith, even in the midst of suffering, that it’s worth it now?

--Randy Alcorn via Facebook

The key to this for me is "by faith". In the middle of the worst of it, I just want out. Hope for heaven isn't really any comfort. But I just have to believe that it really will have been worth it even though I can't fathom it right now.

Romans 8:18

The Suffering God

The fact that the second member of the triune God suffered unimaginable torture on the cross should explode any notion that God lacks feelings. In the suffering of Jesus, God himself suffered. No one who grasps this truth can say, “God doesn’t unders...tand my suffering.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in a Nazi prison camp, “Only the suffering God can help.”

--Randy Alcorn via Facebook

Randy Alcorn Quote on Suffering and Eternity

Shouldn’t we suppose that many of our most painful ordeals will look quite different a million years from now, as we recall them on the New Earth? What if one day we discover that God has wasted nothing in our life on Earth? What if we see that every agony was part of giving birth to an eternal joy?

--Randy Alcorn via Facebook

Romans 8:18

Book Review: Deserted by God?

Book Review: Deserted by God? by Sinclair Ferguson

Whether you struggle with guilt over sins in your past, feelings of abandonment and betrayal, physical illness or affliction, bereavement, unfulfilled dreams, or any other similar problem, you will probably find a chapter that speaks directly to you.

Anti-Depressants Can Be Gift From God

With all the talk of how much anti-depressants are over-prescribed, I would imagine that a lot of Christians who are taking them may feel some guilt. Read what John Piper has to say:
What's Your Take on Christians Using Antidepressants?

God's Purposes In Our Troubles

J.I. Packer on God’s Purposes in Our Troubles

Bibliography of books on suffering and evil

I mentioned the book If God is Good in a previous post.

Here is a Partial Annotated Bibliography from the book. The comments on each book are very helpful.

How an illness can be a blessing

Why I’m Blessed with Gout

Long List of Scripture For Dealing With Stress

Bible Verses for Faith in Times of Stress

Trust in the Sovereignty of God

Affirming Divine Sovereignty by R.C. Sproul

Randy Alcorn on Suffering and Evil

Interview with Randy Alcorn on Suffering and Evil

Does God Love You If You Stray Because Of Suffering?

Does God Still Love the Wayward Christian?

New Book: Counsel from the Cross

Counsel from the Cross

How others benefit from your suffering

Your Suffering Does Not Just Belong to You - Challies.com

Discount Personal Feelings

Tim Challies offers us a quote from Jim Andrew’s Polishing God’s Monuments.

New Book

Does Grace Grow Best in Winter? by Ligon Duncan

Suffering and What's Important

Suffering has a way of reminding us which things in life really matter, forcing us to depend radically on God, and thus purifying our obedience to God's will.

--Craig Keener, The NIV Application Commentary: Revelation

Blog for chronic pain sufferers

Shauna's Life In Pain And Other Fun Things