Some suffering is given in order to chastise and correct a person for wrongful patterns of life (as in the case of Jonah imperiled by the storm), some suffering is given not to correct past wrongs but to prevent future ones (as in the case of Joseph sold into slavery), and some suffering has no purpose other than to lead a person to love God more ardently for himself alone and so discover the ultimate peace and freedom.
Timothy KellerGrace is humbling and restorative. It pulls you down because Christ had to die for you, but also lifts you up because he wanted to die for you.
Timothy KellerThe more you see your own flaws and sins, the more precious, electrifying, and amazing Godโs grace appears to you.
Timothy KellerOur prayers should arise out of immersion in the Scripture. [We] speak only to the degree we are spoken to.
Timothy KellerA sense of Jesusโ absence might be a sign of his presence- a sign that heโs working already in your life.
Timothy KellerChristianity teaches that, contra fatalism, suffering is overwhelming; contra Buddhism, suffering is real; contra karma, suffering is often unfair; but contra secularism, suffering is meaningful. There is a purpose to it, and if faced rightly, it can drive us like a nail deep into the love of God and into more stability and spiritual power than you can imagine.
Timothy Keller