Suffering

Graham Cole makes an excellent point in his little gem, Engaging with the Holy Spirit (his Oak Hill lectures). There is a basic deficiency with the common acronym for prayer used in evangelical circles – ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication.  When we take seriously the many laments in Scripture it becomes “painfully” obvious that the [...]

In an industrial accident in Eurasia a Volga Tatar was horrendously burnt. Two weeks later he died without ever saying goodbye to his family. Who got blamed for this tragedy? The man’s daughter. Why? Because she had converted from Islam to Christianity. In another Tartar family, after the daughter became a Christian, her father started [...]

Sometimes life seems very unfair. One question that many ask is this: Why do bad things happen to good people? But these examples also raise another question: Why do good things happen to bad people?

These two questions are closely related. Both are concerned with the seeming injustice of God. Both questions imply that reality or God, whatever, is not fair. People simply do not get what they deserve. What’s the point of being good if one still suffers, sometimes appallingly? What’s the point of being good if bad people have it good?

Those who live Christ-honouring lives will be persecuted. Reverence for Christ as Lord is essential if fear is not to cripple our witness and if we are to be prepared to explain to others why we face the future with such wonderful assurance. 1 Peter 3v8 to 4v19 sermon

These meditations seek to answer a question which sprang from the heart of a friend, suffering as he watched his wife’s health deteriorate over many years. He found them helpful and encouraged me to make them more widely available. I hope that the reality underlying these thoughts will help you, in the midst of your [...]

A close friend had suffered from health problems for many years and had struggled with cancer. But what disturbed him far more was watching the gradual deterioration of his wife’s health and the suffering she experienced as her body succumbed to increasing levels of disability. His commitment to Christ was not in doubt. But he [...]