09/18/2025
As we consider the signs of mid-faith crisis, there’s one that’s all too common: suffering. When we’re weighed down with pain, we often feel so alone. But the truth is, we all walk this road at some point. You are not alone.
Psalm 23:4 ESVEven though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
One thing is for sure: life is full of suffering. Even a quick glance at the news or a history book, or a chat with a few friends, will clarify that no one gets through life unscathed.
And yet, when deep suffering catches up to us, we do often feel blindsided, caught off guard, betrayed. Often, it’s our faith in God we feel betrayed us. Yes, we read in Job that humans are “born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7), but we also read that if we follow God, he will give us the desires of our hearts. And the desires of our hearts are surely not for this level of pain and loss.
Suffering is a great catalyst for faith crisis. How do we square our belief that God is good and present with all the evil we experience?
This is a question that humans have asked for thousands upon thousands of years, and there’s no easy answer. But throughout the Bible, we find a different angle. Truly, no person or nation escaped suffering in these pages. Rather, these books were written to and by some of the most oppressed people in the world. Yet in their darkest moments, they found that if they slung their grief and grievances upon God—they could make it through. Not easily. Not quickly. But in shouting their laments to God, they found the courage to keep going.
Psalms 22:1-31 NLTMy God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced. But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all!
Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, “Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!” Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast. I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born.
Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me. My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in! Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey. My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead. My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat. They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing.
O Lord, do not stay far away! You are my strength; come quickly to my aid! Save me from the sword; spare my precious life from these dogs. Sn**ch me from the lion’s jaws and from the horns of these wild oxen. I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people. Praise the Lord, all you who fear him! Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help.
I will praise you in the great assembly. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you. The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the Lord will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. For royal power belongs to the Lord. He rules all the nations. Let the rich of the earth feast and worship. Bow before him, all who are mortal, all whose lives will end as dust. Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.
What would happen if you shouted your grief and grievances at God today?
