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b'At age seventeen, Joni Eareckson Tada awoke after a diving accident\\u2014paralyzed/from the shoulders down. Thus began her new life\\u2014from a wheelchair. Over time, Joni became known for her contagious joy and her compassionate ministry to others..As a teen, Joni\\u2019s story made me think hard about suffering. Should tragedy strike, how would I react? Where is Jesus in all of this? And so began a lifelong look at suffering in Scripture. We know that sin and suffering invaded God\\u2019s good/world after humans chose to rebel against God, but what else does Scripture say? Eventually, I noticed some intriguing themes. Today we\\u2019ll introduce three themes,/and over the next few days we\\u2019ll explore each one more deeply. Then we\\u2019ll wrap up/with a glimpse at the comfort Christ promises. So, let\\u2019s dive in!.Theme one: God does not explain suffering, but He never ignores it./Indeed,/through Jesus, He invites us to \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (1 Peter 5:7). Through the cross, Jesus joins us in our pain and offers Himself/as our \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153ever-present help in trouble\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (Psalm 46:1) and our ultimate Deliverer..Theme two: Suffering has significance./First, as the body of Christ, we are called/to share both in Christ\\u2019s sufferings and in His loving comfort. This is not only for our benefit, but also for each other\\u2019s benefit (2 Corinthians 1:4-7). Second, God can use our affliction to get our attention and correct any areas where we are straying from/His good ways, ultimately drawing us nearer to Himself (Hebrews 12:5-12)..Theme three: Through the Holy Spirit, God is with us/in our suffering,/granting us grace and often hijacking hardship for our good (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).This truth helps explain why the apostles encourage believers to rejoice when/facing trials (Romans 5:3-5)..Ultimately, when we encounter suffering, we can remember that Jesus defeated/sin and death through His own death and resurrection, and He will heal all suffering at His return. As we rest in this sure hope, we can face whatever suffering lies ahead of us, held by our Savior who suffers with us./\\u2022 G. Kam Congleton.\\u2022 What questions do you have about suffering\\u2014your own suffering or the suffering of others?/.\\u2022 To dig deeper into the topic of suffering, you can read Psalm 119:65-72 and James 1:2-4..For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:5 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nIsa.53.2-Isa.53.6|Rom.8.17-Rom.8.39|Rev.21.3-Rev.21.4|2Cor.1.5'