Ed Welch on Suffering

"God, however, never promises
temporal freedom from suffering. In fact, He speaks
to us on almost every page of Scripture in order to
prepare us for suffering. As difficult as it may sound, the
gospel doesn’t take away all present pain. Instead, the
gospel goes deeper. It heals our moral problem. It points
us to realities that are more beautiful than our suffering
is hard, thus offering joy even in suffering. It gives
power for a new obedience that can endure under
suffering. The Bible doesn’t provide a technology that
removes suffering, but it teaches us how to live in the
midst of it. To teach anything different would be to
compromise the gospel itself."

Thanks, Stephen, for emailing the article!