What Hope Is There for Christians Who Experience Chronic Suffering?

NATHAN W. BINGHAM: What hope is there for Christians who experience chronic suffering? I'm here on the Ligonier campus with one of our teaching fellows, Dr. Derek Thomas. So, Dr. Thomas, what hope does a Christian have when they're going through chronic suffering?

DR. DEREK THOMAS: First of all, there's the hope of recovery. There's the hope of healing. There's the hope of the miraculous, or the superintendence of God in medicine. And so, there's prayer. There are days of suffering, but you're asking about chronic suffering. There's the hope of heaven. There's the hope of a day when there will be no suffering, and no tears, no pain, in heaven and in the new heavens and new earth.

But suffering is also one of God's ways to grow us in the faith, to humble us, to experience the nearness of the Holy Spirit, to help us walk in godliness and mortify the deeds of the flesh. So, there's the hope of increased holiness. There's the hope that since God is totally sovereign, He may bring us into situations of usefulness that otherwise we would never experience. And so, there are lots of areas of hope, even for those who chronically suffer.