I recently asked a pastor friend of mine how things were going in his church. He paused and said something I’ll never forget:
“Jordan, we are experiencing an avalanche of sorrow right now.”
At every level of church life, there was pain. A leader had fallen into sin. A staff member walked through miscarriage and infertility. A college student took their own life. Marriages were unraveling. And in the midst of it all, my friend had a family member who received a stage-four cancer diagnosis.
An avalanche of sorrow, indeed.
If you’ve lived long enough, you know exactly what that feels like. Suffering rarely comes one piece at a time. Sorrows can stack, and pain is complex—wounds, weakness, sin, loss, doubt, spiritual warfare—all at once.
As we talked, I asked him what God was teaching him in this season. His answer stopped me cold:
“I’m learning that we’ve failed to disciple people in sorrow. Our people don’t know what to do with suffering.”
That question has stayed with me. Are we preparing Christians not only to believe, but to endure? Do we have a theology of suffering that can hold weight in real storms? Are we making disciples of resilient faith and gospel-grit?
Suffering Is Not an Exception in the Christian Life
When you read the New Testament, suffering isn’t presented as an unfortunate anomaly — it’s part of discipleship.
Paul tells young believers that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). He writes that suffering, like faith itself, is something God grants to his people (Phil. 1:29). James goes so far as to say trials are instruments God uses to form us into something whole and mature (James 1:2–4).
This doesn’t mean suffering is good in itself. It means God is not absent from it.
The Bible consistently shows us that God takes the broken realities of a fallen world and uses them to deepen our faith, refine our hope, and anchor us in his love. Even Job, after unimaginable loss, could say, “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you” (Job 42:5).
The Good News of Jesus in Our Suffering
Here’s what we must be certain of: Jesus is God’s answer to the total brokenness of this world.
Not only our sin, but also our sorrow.
Jesus did not remain distant from human pain. He stepped into it. He took on weakness. He endured injustice. He absorbed suffering. At the cross, he stood beneath the full avalanche — of sin, pain, affliction, grief, and loss — for us. Although he was God, he took human form. He never sinned but bore God’s wrath for sinners. Perfect in every way, he was lashed, mocked, and mistreated for us. Wounded, he experienced weakness and death for the weak. He endured Satan’s attacks and overcame his schemes. He did this to be the payment for our sins and the proof of God’s love in our every suffering.
Because of him, Christians do not suffer alone. We suffer with a risen Savior, a living healer, and a reigning King. Our suffering is not the final word.
How Do We Live Faithfully in Suffering?
So, what does it look like to allow the gospel to make us into people of resilient faith and enduring hope?
1. We Must Stay Sober-Minded in Suffering
The first battle in suffering is almost always a battle of the mind.
In seasons of pain, distorted thoughts about God can creep in. The Puritan John Owen called these “hard thoughts” about God. He isn’t referring to honest questions that arise during hardships; he is talking about distorted thoughts: God is angry, God is cruel, God is uncaring and distant. Thoughts that push us away from God rather than toward him. Thoughts that propel us into isolation and despair rather than into the care of God’s people.
Scripture repeatedly calls believers to be sober-minded in suffering — to think clearly, truthfully, and faithfully.
What we believe about God, ourselves, and the world will shape how we respond when trials come.
- Who is God? Is he a cosmic vending machine — or a present Redeemer?
- Who are we? Are we owed comfort — or recipients of grace?
- What is this life? Is it our playground — or is it fallen, awaiting redemption?
Right thinking doesn’t eliminate pain, but it anchors us in reality when emotions threaten to overwhelm us.
2. We Must Acknowledge Emotions and Form Right Habits
Emotions are not enemies of faith. They are indicators.
Sadness, fear, anxiety, grief—these are not sins. They are part of being human in a broken world. As one author, Zach Eswine, put it, “In this fallen world, sadness is an act of sanity.”
The question is not whether we feel, but what we do with what we feel. Our habits in suffering can either draw us toward God or quietly pull us away.
Here are four simple practices that help turn our hearts toward God during suffering:
- Feel your feelings.
Scripture never calls us to emotional numbness. God’s people rejoice and weep. They lament and celebrate. Honest emotion is not a failure of faith — it’s often the doorway to deeper trust.
- Tell the truth.
God welcomes unfiltered prayers. Fear, anger, disappointment, confusion — bring them all. The Bible contains an entire book of lament. Honest prayer is real worship.
- Give it to God.
Renew your trust daily. Scripture memory becomes especially powerful in dark seasons, reminding us of what is true when our hearts feel unsteady.
- Phone a friend.
Suffering was never meant to be carried alone. The church is a gift. Lean into the body of Christ, it is of God’s primary means of grace in hard seasons.
A Final Word of Hope
Jesus never promised an easy road. He promised salvation. He promised his presence. He promised resurrection. He promised a new creation. In our discipleship to Jesus, we follow the One who carried our grief up Calvary’s hill.
No matter what life brings your way, it can never separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
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