How Faith Carries Us Through Seasons of Darkness, Suffering, and Unanswered Questions—and Why God Uses Pain to Form Us, Not Abandon Us
Every believer walking through hardship must decide which path they will take: the narrow one that trusts God’s leadership even when the way is dark, or the self-lit path that seems safer in the moment but leads only to torment. Pastor Kaitlyn Stegall shows from Isaiah 50, 2 Corinthians 5, and the powerful allegory of Pilgrim’s Progress that God has designed a way for His people not just to endure suffering—but to prevail through it.
Two Paths: Trusting God’s Light or Lighting Your Own
Isaiah 50:10–11 gives us two symbolic images that apply to every believer in North Dallas—whether you’re navigating life in Garland, Allen, McKinney, Plano, Richardson, Wylie, or anywhere in Collin or Dallas County:
-
The one who trusts the Lord walks by faith, relying on God to guide their steps.
-
The one who lights their own torches relies on human reasoning, self-preservation, and sight.
Scripture gives a sobering warning:
“Walk by the light of your fire… this you shall have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment.”
When we navigate suffering on our own terms—controlling every detail, demanding every answer, forcing our own outcomes—we step off the path of faith and into a path that leads to deeper pain.
But walking by faith, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, requires us to trust God when the lights go out and the way ahead is unclear.
Suffering Isn’t a Detour—It’s Part of Discipleship
Pastor Kaitlyn highlighted something the early church understood far better than most modern, Western believers:
Suffering isn’t abnormal.
It isn’t a failure in faith.
It isn’t a sign that God has withdrawn.
It is—biblically speaking—a normal part of following Jesus.
Job’s life stands as the classic example.
Everything was taken from him—family, wealth, health—and yet Scripture says:
“In all this Job did not sin nor charge God foolishly.”
Why? Because when everything was stripped away… faith remained.
Suffering reveals what our faith was built on.
If it was built on comfort, control, or blessings, it collapses.
If it was built on trust in God alone, it stands.
Why Do Christians Suffer If God Is Faithful?
Pastor Kaitlyn reminded us that Jesus Himself told His disciples:
“In this world you will have trouble.”
Not because God is cruel.
Not because we failed spiritually.
But because:
-
We live in a fallen world.
-
God uses suffering to refine us.
-
Pain becomes a platform for His presence and power.
Matthew 14 proves this beautifully. Jesus made His disciples get in the boat—knowing a storm was coming. And yet He came to them in the storm, revealed His glory in a new way, and used the moment to strengthen their faith.
If God prevented every storm, we would never learn to trust His voice above the waves.
The Refining Power of Pain
Romans 5:3-5 outlines the spiritual progression:
-
Suffering → endurance
-
Endurance → character
-
Character → hope
-
Hope → deeper experience of God’s love
Just as immune systems grow stronger through exposure…
Just as muscles grow stronger by tearing and rebuilding…
So does faith grow stronger through trials that test, stretch, and refine us.
We don’t mature in comfort.
We mature through crucibles.
God is faithful not because He prevents hardship, but because He uses it for our good and refuses to waste our pain.
A Voice From History: John Bunyan and the Gift of Suffering
John Bunyan—author of The Pilgrim’s Progress—wrote his masterpiece from prison after refusing to stop preaching the Gospel. Twelve years behind bars. A wife at home with small children. A life filled with uncertainty.
And yet he wrote:
“The best of Christians are found in the worst of times.”
Why? Because suffering stripped him of everything but faith—and faith grew.
Pastor Kaitlyn reminded us that Bunyan’s perspective mirrored the early church:
Suffering wasn’t meant to destroy us.
It was meant to refine us.
Your Pain Has Purpose—and Glory Is Coming
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 gives one of the most staggering promises in Scripture:
“Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
Not after your suffering.
Not instead of your suffering.
But through your suffering.
What you are facing today is not meaningless.
It is not wasted.
It is not overlooked.
God is shaping you.
God is strengthening you.
God is preparing you for a future glory so great that suffering cannot even be compared to it.
When You Feel the Darkness—Trust His Hand, Not Your Torch
If you are suffering today, Pastor Kaitlyn extended this invitation:
You do not have to light your own path.
You do not have to hold your world together alone.
You do not have to understand every outcome.
You have a Guide.
You have a Shepherd.
You have a faithful God who will not abandon you.
You were made to prevail through the pain.
Not because you are strong—but because He is faithful.
