Suffering is inevitable. We all encounter varying degrees of it throughout the course of our lives.

How do we respond when we come face to face with something we aren’t sure we can handle?

Dr. Linda Mintle retreats to the words of Psalm 46 to help her prepare for the suffering that is often accompanied by a life committed to Christ.

“Know who God is, know that He is a very present help in trouble that He is the creator of all things, He’s all powerful, nothing happens in the world away from His watchful eye.”

Sometimes we fall into the trap of believing that God is just as caught off guard by the events of our world as we are.

“None of this is a surprise to God, He didn’t wake up on Sunday morning and go, oh my goodnessGod knew what was happening.”

God promises to be with us when we are in trouble, that doesn’t mean he will magically make the trouble disappear.

“He doesn’t promise to take us out of trouble, he promises to walk us through trouble.”

God is not looking at us and our trouble from the outside, He is in the thick of it with us.

“We know that the waters roar and the mountains shake, but God is in the midst, he’s not absent in times of trouble, he hasn’t left us alone to deal with the situation.”

What’s our focus?

“Get your eyes off those uncertain circumstances and not be moved by the trouble around us as Daniel was told, but put our trust firmly on the Lord, understanding that if we keep our eyes fixed on him, just like Peter walking on the water, He will keep us lifted up and He will get us through that difficult time.”

Even though we might encounter suffering in life, when we do, we can rest assured it will not be in vain.

“He’s working in a situation and He works all things for our good even the bad things in our life can be turned around and used for something good to help us be stronger in our faith.”

Highlight: A Biblical perspective on suffering

Suffering & faith