SUFFERING
IS PERSONAL

Topics: Adversity; Burdens; Despair; Help from God; Jesus Christ; Misery; Overcoming; Pain; Problems; Providence; Questions; Security in God; Struggles; Trials; Trust

References: Matthew 11:28–30; Romans 5:3–5; 8:17; 2 Corinthians 4:11; Hebrews 4:15; James 1:2–4; 1 Peter 1:6–7; 2:24; 5:10

The answer to suffering cannot just be an abstract idea, because this isn’t an abstract issue; it’s a personal issue. It requires a personal response. It’s not a bunch of words, it’s the Word. It’s not a tightly woven philosophical argument; it’s a person. The person. The answer must be someone, not just something, because the issue involves someone—“God, where are you?”

—Lee Strobel, The Case for Faith (Zondervan, 2000)