When we preach Christ first: His work, His righteousness, His victory, His resurrection, His Spirit, something miraculous happens. The listener is not crushed by the weight of expectation. They are lifted by the power of grace.

This passage isn't mere advice; it's Paul's hard-won wisdom from suffering, echoing the Bible's lament tradition, showing how tragedy refines faith into something authentic and enduring. If your pain has left you questioning, keep reading to uncover principles from Paul's charge that reveal suffering's redemptive role, and the hope that anchors it.

I thought I understood You, Lord. I had built a tidy picture in my mind, a God who moved in predictable ways, who answered prayers the way I expected, who shielded those who loved Him from the worst of the world.

One of the most important patterns in Paul’s letters is also one of the most easily overlooked. It is the rhythm that shapes nearly everything he writes, from Romans to Galatians to Ephesians and even into the Pastoral Epistles. The pattern is simple but profound: Paul always begins with the gospel, then moves to the believer’s identity, and only after that does he speak about obedience.

In many churches today, Deuteronomy 28 is lifted out of this context and applied as a general principle governing individual lives. Obey God's commands (through prayer, tithing, sexual purity) and expect blessing. Falter, and hardship may follow as correction. This can manifest overtly in prosperity teaching, where faith is linked to financial or physical health. More commonly, it appears in subtler moralism: the Bible becomes a collection of guidelines for moral improvement, and faith a matter of willpower indebting God to reward our efforts.

As Christians, we love to talk about God's blessings, His provision, healing, and miracles. We celebrate when prayers are answered with a "yes," when life feels good and faith seems straightforward. But what happens when the storm hits? When cancer strikes, a loved one dies unexpectedly, a marriage crumbles, or tragedy strikes without warning? In those moments, many of us quietly wonder: Where is God? Does He even care?

The most dangerous threat to the gospel in the first-century church was not pagan immorality or obvious heresy. It was the sincere, Bible quoting insistence that Jesus was not enough, that grace must be supplemented by human obedience to a visible code.

Evil Is Real, and It Is Nothing: A Biblical-Augustinian Fusion Against Humanistic Distortion

Scripture Does Not Speak Softly About Evil

The Bible never treats evil as illusion, metaphor, or mere perspective. From the opening chapters of Genesis, evil stands as a concrete, objective force that corrupts and destroys. “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5). This is not hyperbole; it is divine diagnosis.

Human Goodness, Corruption, and the Prideful Quest for Divine Recognition

In an era dominated by psychological self-help and therapeutic culture, the privation theory of evil offers a profoundly appealing but flawed vision of humanity.

A Reflection on Evil, Privation, and the Cry of the Cross

Jesus’ words from the cross cut through every tidy explanation of suffering. They are not the complaint of a man who made poor choices. They are the anguished cry of the sinless Son of God, nailed to wood by the collective evil of humanity, abandoned in a way none of us will ever fully grasp.

When Privation Meets Pain: Rethinking Evil Through the Voice from the Whirlwind

When Job finally hears from God, it is not the answer he expected. After chapters of lament, accusation, and theological debate, God speaks—not with a tidy explanation, but with a whirlwind. In Job 38, the Lord answers Job out of the storm, asking, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” This divine response is not evasive; it is expansive.

Remedy lies not in technique but surrender, praying within divine will, rejoicing amid unraveling, trusting unseen hands. From lip-service to lived faith, panic to peace, idolatry to adoration. Release clutched details; the galaxy-Creator governs faithfully.

Control ranks among the most seductive illusions of modern existence. We plan with precision, forecast results, and safeguard priorities. Systems emerge—apps, calendars, budgets, fitness trackers—objectives crystallize, and outcomes fall under scrutiny.

Psalm 55 is David’s panic attack as he struggles to comprehend an unfolding tragedy. Wrestling with God and seeking refuge from the swirling turmoil, David helps us honestly address feelings of panic.

A Panic Attack Paraphrase of Psalm 55.

If Amos 9 were an online video it would be preceded by a warning that said the content contains images some may find difficult, viewer discretion is advised.  But what Amos 9 displays is there is no height, depth or distance the Lion of Zion will not go, no scenario He will not orchestrate, and no violence He will not take to demonstrate His love and eliminate the barrier between Himself and His people.  And not one will be lost.

John is a professional in the work a day world.  He spends much of his time speaking with clients and colleagues about the business concerns of the day, listening and solving problems.  John has a family he loves and church friends in whom he invests and enjoys.  From outward appearance, Johns everyday life looks and feels quite normal. 

However, under the surface John feels an emptiness that haunts him…

So when Habakkuk sees the evil going on inside the city walls, and the evil preparing for attack outside the city walls, he asks a valuable and important million dollar question, "God, where are you?". It is an honest question. It is a pertinent question. And it ranks among the preeminent questions human beings ask the Almighty.

Christ in the garden, trusting and moving forward despite the trial ahead - adds metric tons of value to Christ's humanity. Like us, Christ faces the catastrophe in trust and endures despite the trial. Christ didnt volunteer for the cross. The cross found him. And when presented with it, Jesus trusted and moved forward.

The Bible’s answers to difficult questions is going to ask us as believers to make two commitments.