Suffer Well: How Scripture Teaches Us to Respond in SufferingSample

Prayer: Lord, help me to look to you in the middle of suffering. I want to trust in your plan for my life and be able to say that you are my deliverer and the foundation on which I stand. It can be hard to see you move when things seem uncertain. Allow me to learn more about how you view suffering in your word today. Amen.

Times of Pain

Think about the last time you injured your dominant hand and how that pain was hard to avoid. It affected your whole day as you could not eat, text, or open doors without the constant reminder that something was wrong. Physical suffering tends to be consistently present, affecting the ways we move through the world. As we know, there are countless health issues that lead to suffering. Some, like a broken arm, are easily seen and understood, while others, like cancer or autoimmune diseases, feel invisible and scary. You might have heard about someone's diagnosis and thought “I don’t even know where to begin to help.” 

Emotional suffering can cut just as deep. Grief comes from many sources -- death of a loved one or the loss of a future that could have been -- and seems to take over everything in its path. During the year of 2020, many have seen the catastrophic effects that isolation has had on mental health. When you, or a loved one, are experiencing suffering, it can seem like a barrier goes up between those who “get it” and those who do not. To this end, we often feel trapped in our grieving. 

It is difficult to articulate exactly how suffering affects someone.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the verb suffer as “1: to submit or be forced to endure. 2: to feel keenly; to labor under.” Thankfully, many of the Psalms offer great examples of how keenly suffering is felt and then expressed. As we read these, we gain insight on how to express our hearts to God through prayer.

Look in the Word  

1. How does the Psalmist pray while suffering?  
2. How should we respond in suffering?

What’s Next?

Grab a scratch piece of paper and write out a list of everything you are being “forced to endure” or “labor under.” Now look and see which of these are from an outside authority (family, circumstance beyond your control, etc.) and underline them. Looking at the underlined items, have you opened these circumstances up to God or to other believers who can walk alongside you? 

Write out an honest prayer to the Lord about your current circumstances. Ask Him to be with you as you move forward. Use these Psalms as an example and openly express your heart to your Heavenly Father, for He cares for you in this difficulty.