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What Does the Bible Say
About Suffering?

This road of bereavement is one along which all the Bible saints traveled…Yet they got home safely, and so may we.

Robert Dabney

Before you explore this page...

You have found this page likely because you are deeply hurting or know someone who is. We have prayed that as you engage with the content on our site, God would minister to you by his Holy Spirit—that’s something only he can do. But before you continue exploring, we ask that you pray. And if you have three minutes to spare, would you read our preface to this page?

READ PREFACE

…Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.

James 5:13 ESV

What to Do When Tragedy Strikes

It might not be time to say anything yet. If you are in the throes of tragedy, then God’s Word would encourage you and us toward silence and tears. Time for questions and processing and healing and hope may come, but right now it’s not time for that. We have put together a few resources that we hope will serve to communicate that truth to you—that there’s a time to be quiet, and a time to grieve.

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Verse

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven…a time to be quiet and a time to speak.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7 NLT

Language for Your Pain: Bible Verses That Express the Pain of Suffering

You, or someone you love, is suffering intensely. It’s right to cry out in pain. We’ve gathered some words for you that we hope give language to the aching of your heart. The Scripture you will read here are portions of prayers. They are cries of pain directed at God. They come from people who knew the God of the Bible and had sincere faith in him. May your heart find a home in the house of mourning hidden in the pages of Scripture. May you find as you enter here that you are not alone.

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Verse

I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears. 

Psalm 6:6 NLT

Entering the Valley of the Shadow of Death

There will come a time in your lifelong journey with Jesus when you find yourself in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, spiritually speaking. The Valley is a difficult place, and it is not a place we often pass through quickly. It can take a variety of forms—suffering, affliction, tribulation, grief, heartache, or any other difficulty. Yet for every Valley we traverse as followers of Jesus, God has provided for everything we need. In this article you’ll hear 10 comforts from God’s Word for anyone who has just found themselves on the brink of the valley, or in its heart.

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Verse

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…

Psalm 23:4 ESV

How to Breathe When Suffering Suffocates

Numbness has worn off and you’re starting to think again, trying to make sense of the storm. Your heart drowns under unanswered questions, under waves of fresh and overwhelming emotion. What do you do with the questions? How to survive the emotions? The Bible says breathe. Here’s how: You lament. Lament is an old word for taking our pain to God in prayer.  

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Verse

Pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.

Psalm 62:8 ESV

Is It Okay to Be Angry at God?

Okay, so the Bible encourages us to take our pain to God, but what about our negative emotions? What if what’s going on inside is really ugly? What do you do when you are angry with God?

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Verse

As for me, I would speak directly to the Almighty. I want to argue my case with God himself.

Job 13:3 NLT

"Why God?"
Addressing the Question We Ask in Pain

Why, God? To say that’s a question people ask when they’re in pain would be framing it too lightly. This is the scream of a broken heart; it’s the groan of a wounded soul. It may be the one question left echoing in the mind overcome by trauma. Why, God? is either a whimper or a howl, and it always comes from a churning heart. Why might this be the cry of our hearts when we are in pain? Are we allowed to ask such a question? And is this a question that God answers?

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Verse

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

Psalm 22:1 ESV

How to Think About the Storms of Life

God’s Word provides us with another analogy to frame our experience of suffering—storms. Like valleys, storms are dark and disorienting. In the middle of our storms we go into survival mode. It’s hard in stormy seasons to manage our daily lives. It’s even harder to wade through our thoughts and emotions as our lives feel tossed about and even turned upside down. The Bible gives us storm stories to help us navigate the storms that will come upon us. 

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Verse

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine [Jesus] and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”

Matthew 7:24-25 ESV

There's a God-Given Balm for Pain

“Tenderness with laughter became a balm,” said author Ben Palpant, reflecting on the horrible season he endured of chronic illness. In our sorrow, we may lose sight of all that’s good. Laughter, the Bible says, is a sort of medicine for the spirit. So we have compiled a page that is totally silly—it might not be for you in this season, use your discretion. Do you need a good laugh?

YES, I NEED THAT

Verse

“A joyful heart is good medicine but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” 

Proverbs 17:22 ESV

Would you enjoy some music?

Here are seven playlists, carefully created, each one uniquely appropriate for a different state of the heart as you endure a trial. They range from the moment of heartbreak to the day you can look back on your trial as a memory. 

START LISTENING

But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.

Psalm 42:8 NLT