Poor health, death & job losses: What does our suffering teach us?

Through the ages, people have wrestled with the problem of pain and suffering. But what does the Bible say about the subject?

My four‑year‑old daughter sat beside me, her long, silky hair draped over my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Daddy,” Emma said comfortingly. “We’re not poor! Look, I’ve just found 10p on the pavement. And see those beautiful flowers growing over there? We can sell them to anyone who goes past!”

It was 2010 when, within the space of three months, my father had died of non‑ Hodgkin’s lymphoma, I’d been told that my position as Managing Editor at OMF International was coming to an end, and my wife’s job as a teacher at Bromley College was ending because of the recession.

Fifteen years later – my beautiful daughter now studying Drama and Creative Writing at Lancaster University – history repeated itself! In November 2025, an email invited me to a meeting where, it said, I’d been selected for possible redundancy at MAF.

“How ironic,” I thought. “Normally words like ‘invited’ or ‘selected’ have a particularly positive ring.” This time, however, they didn’t! A few weeks later, I was told I was no longer needed. That same year – 2025 – also witnessed my father‑in‑law’s death from cancer and my mother’s demise due to severe anaemia.

So why do pain and suffering happen?

To quote an old Frank Sinatra song: “That’s life, that’s what all the people say, you’re riding high in April, shot down in May…” (That’s Life, Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon, 1963.)

We’re born, we die and, in between, like the contents of a particularly unpalatable sandwich, lie life’s less digestible challenges.

That hard things happen is of course the result of the Fall (Genesis 3). Because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, creation groans, and so do we. As Romans 8v22‑ 23 explains: “The whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time … we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.”

Another reason for our “groaning” comes from the fact that we have an enemy – the devil – who seeks to separate us from God, demolish our faith and devour us (Job 1‑2, 1 Peter 5v8). But this shouldn’t make us afraid, 2 Thessalonians 3v3 reminds us that “the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one”.

What does suffering do for us?

Though persecution and pain were never part of God’s original plan for His creation, suffering nevertheless fulfils a number of more positive functions:

Discipline - As with Adam’s failure to follow God’s commands, or David’s adultery with Bathsheba (2 Sam.11), our sins have consequences. Because no one is without fault, all of us – to paraphrase the words of Shakespeare’s Hamlet – “deserve whipping”. With God, however, the punishment is loving, and for our ultimate good. Proverbs 3v11‑12: ‘The LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.’

Knowledge - The Bible also indicates that we can better know Jesus through suffering. Philippians 3v10‑11: “I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” If we love Jesus, we will want to identify with Him – whatever the cost!

“Perfection” - The Lord also uses suffering to help “perfect”, mature or complete us. 1 Peter 4v1: “Since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.” Although we’ll remain sinners saved by grace until the day we die, experiencing suffering can nevertheless help free us from sins which may once have had an iron grip on us.

Prayerfulness - Suffering can at times make prayer easier because it often causes us to cry out to God for help (2 Chron. 15v4, Pss. 18v6, 81v7, 34v17, 120v1, Jonah 2v2, etc.). It’s one of the ways in which Christians can be drawn closer to Christ, and non‑ Christians brought into His Kingdom.

Steadfastness - Suffering can also help us to experience God making us stronger. When God sees us through the storm, we are invariably strengthened. Psalm 112v6‑7: “The righteous will never be shaken … They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”

Making it count

According to Ecclesiastes, “A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil” (2v24), “be happy and do good while they live” (3v12), “enjoy their work” (3v22) and “enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days … that God has given you” (9v9).

So, because life is short, we need to make the best of what limited time we have before – to update Ecclesiastes’ imagery – our electrical circuits break down, our body breaks up, and we fatally fail our fleshly MOT.

Like a meter in a black taxi cab, the clock is remorselessly ticking, so let’s ensure that we make our money, time and talents count while we can.

Are things going well? Rejoice and give thanks! Are things going badly? Pray, and seek God! As Ecclesiastes 7v14 puts it, “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other.”

When I lost my job last year at the age of 65 and realised that I was either leaving for pastures new or being put out to grass, it was a tremendous comfort to be able to share my fears, concerns and feelings with friends. As 1 Corinthians 12v26 explains, “If one part [of Christ’s body] suffers, every part suffers with it.”

So, if the circumstances in which you find yourself leave you feeling sad, confused, angry, frightened, frustrated, disheartened or overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to tell God. And if you’re blessed with brothers, sisters and friends who are willing to share your burdens, tell them too!

As 2 Corinthians 1v3‑4 encourages, “The God of all comfort… comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

I began this article by writing about some of the trials the Lord safely shepherded us through. I haven’t even mentioned my mother’s frequent falls, her gradual loss of mobility or ability to cope, and eventual diminution. All this was acutely painful, as were the fears of financial disaster fuelled by the fearful cost of her nursing fees.

Today, as I write, people in our church are going through even greater challenges and difficulties. Perhaps you are, too!

Just as there will always be someone who’s richer, poorer, healthier or more poorly than you, so there will always be those whose situation seems easier, and those whose lives appear far more difficult.

Perhaps you feel more like the disciples facing the furious squall on the lake in Mark 4v35‑41 than the baby Moses floating peacefully down the River Nile. Or perhaps, like Jonah, you’re blissfully asleep while the storm rages around you, but will soon be awake and overboard!

Maybe, like Noah, you’re safe in the ark but find your circumstances uncomfortable, constricted and constrained. Or perhaps, like Paul, you’ve experienced shipwreck numerous times!

Whatever your situation, to quote the words of Abraham Lincoln following his defeat in the 1858 Senate race: “This, too, shall pass away”.

Though suffering exists for believer and non‑believer alike, the skies for those who know Christ will one day clear, the storms cease, and a glorious dawn await. Before this happens, it’s how we think, feel, pray and act that makes all the difference.

Some of the things hard times taught us...

• Rely on God rather than man. Although Christian friends can show great kindness, some may say the wrong thing, unsure of how to respond. Others won’t know what to do, and may, if they see us, provide the “elephant in the room” with a mammoth cloak of invisibility. Don’t judge them too harshly – we’ve probably done the same thing ourselves! Because church is a place for sanctified sinners, there may be believers there who’d try the patience of a saint. Seek help when you need it, but remember to rely on God rather than man. He will never let you down.
• The kindness of strangers. When I had to deal with death certificates, funeral arrangements, solicitors, banks, building societies and utility companies, it made an incredible difference when people responded kindly, helpfully, sympathetically and sensitively. It’s a stressful time, so give thanks for anyone who does anything to show kindness and make life easier. Whenever you get the chance, be one of those people yourself!
• Death is inevitable and we shouldn’t be afraid. Dying is what humans have been doing since the Fall, so we should be used to it by now. Ecclesiastes 3v1-4: “There is a time for everything… under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die… a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Provided pain can be kept under control, the dying process can be peaceful, provide opportunities to say what needs to be said, and hopefully get some kind of closure. Fearful though we were when my father was nearing the end, there seemed a rightness to it, too. Although initially scared about seeing his body after he died, we were incredibly aware of God’s presence.
• Try to make it easier for those who are left. Before it’s too late, make sure you have a valid Will and Lasting Power of Attorney. Please ensure that they are easily accessible, and that the relevant family members know where they are. We spent hours searching for my father’s Will, and eventually found it cunningly concealed in one of his many filing cabinets, heavily sellotaped to the back of a drawer!
• Don’t pressurise the person who’s dying. Although we want to see them become a Christian before they die, we shouldn’t pressurise them. Hold out the hope and peace there is in Christ, but don’t show how desperate you are for them to call out to Him. It’s unattractive, unproductive and possibly a turn-off. Because they’re dying, they want to experience your love, not see the fear in your eyes if they appear cold towards Christ. If we believe that God is truly in control, and “chose us in Him before the creation of the world”, then it’s up to Him what happens at the end.
• Everyone’s way of handling grief is different. Although everyone is unique, experts refer to roughly five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. If you are currently grieving, try to take time out to work out where you are in the process. Remember, too, that when someone is ill or dying, you’re not only dealing with your own sorrow but also theirs – along with that of anyone else who’s affected. When my mother died, we initially spent more time caring for her carers and helping them through their grief than we did with our own!
• However low you may be feeling, God will never leave you. Perhaps God has allowed things into your life that have knocked you flat or caused you to question His love. And yet, like an ageless well that will never run dry, He is only too willing to refill and restore you when you feel that you’re running on empty and have nothing left to give. Don’t wait until you’re feeling totally parched – like Elijah – before calling out to Him. Instead, when you’re struggling, worn out or feeling empty, remember that restoration is only a sip away!