God’s Healing for Life’s Losses:
How to Find Hope When You’re Hurting
Post 3: Facing Suffering Face-to-Face with God
How to Find Hope When You’re Hurting
Post 3: Facing Suffering Face-to-Face with God
My study of biblical suffering suggests an eight-stage process for moving hurting people to hope in Christ. God’s purpose in suffering is not simply to remove us from our suffering, but to help us to face suffering face-to-face with God.
Today, I’ll outline the stages and tomorrow we’ll start exploring each one day-by-day. Just remember this: “stages” or “phases” can be misleading. Moving through grieving to growth is not an easy step-by-step process. It is a mess, murky, mucky, real-and-raw journey of twists and turns, ups and downs.
Sustaining in Suffering: “It’s Normal to Hurt and Necessary to Grieve”
The first four phases in biblical grieving compare and contrast with the first four stages in the typical human response to suffering.
1. Stage One: Candor
We move from denial and isolation to candor: honesty with self.
2. Stage Two: Complaint
We move from anger and resentment to complaint: honesty with God.
3. Stage Three: Cry
We move from bargaining and works to cry: asking God for help.
4. Stage Four: Comfort
We move from depression and alienation to comfort: receiving God’s help.
Healing in Suffering: “It’s Supernatural to Hope in the Midst of Grief”
The next four phases in the biblical healing process contrast and compare with the world’s response of acceptance.
5. Stage Five: Waiting
We move from regrouping to waiting: trusting with faith.
6. Stage Six: Wailing
We move from deadening to wailing: groaning with hope.
Stage Seven: Weaving
We move from despairing and doubting to weaving: perceiving with grace.
Stage Eight: Worshipping
We move from digging cisterns to worshipping: engaging with love.
The Healing Path
Return to the healing path tomorrow as we begin to explore together the first of these eight biblical stages of grieving and growing.
Today, I’ll outline the stages and tomorrow we’ll start exploring each one day-by-day. Just remember this: “stages” or “phases” can be misleading. Moving through grieving to growth is not an easy step-by-step process. It is a mess, murky, mucky, real-and-raw journey of twists and turns, ups and downs.
Sustaining in Suffering: “It’s Normal to Hurt and Necessary to Grieve”
The first four phases in biblical grieving compare and contrast with the first four stages in the typical human response to suffering.
1. Stage One: Candor
We move from denial and isolation to candor: honesty with self.
2. Stage Two: Complaint
We move from anger and resentment to complaint: honesty with God.
3. Stage Three: Cry
We move from bargaining and works to cry: asking God for help.
4. Stage Four: Comfort
We move from depression and alienation to comfort: receiving God’s help.
Healing in Suffering: “It’s Supernatural to Hope in the Midst of Grief”
The next four phases in the biblical healing process contrast and compare with the world’s response of acceptance.
5. Stage Five: Waiting
We move from regrouping to waiting: trusting with faith.
6. Stage Six: Wailing
We move from deadening to wailing: groaning with hope.
Stage Seven: Weaving
We move from despairing and doubting to weaving: perceiving with grace.
Stage Eight: Worshipping
We move from digging cisterns to worshipping: engaging with love.
The Healing Path
Return to the healing path tomorrow as we begin to explore together the first of these eight biblical stages of grieving and growing.
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