Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller
Week 12: Chapter 11 — Finding God in the Furnace
Read Chapter 11 of Walking with God through Pain and Suffering. Key Scripture: Daniel 3; Isaiah 43:2.
Previewing Week 12 of Walking with God through Pain and Suffering
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 14-week guide when you’re ready.
Keller turns to the luminous stories of people who have actually found God in the furnace of suffering — not despite it, but through it. This may be the most pastorally moving chapter in the book. Read it slowly.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Keller draws on the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3 — who were thrown into the furnace and found, astonishingly, that there was a fourth figure walking with them in the fire. What does this image communicate about God's relationship to our suffering that no abstract theology quite captures?
2.Keller tells several stories of real people — often from his own congregation at Redeemer Presbyterian — who walked through devastating suffering and came out the other side with a deeper, more unshakeable faith than they had before. What patterns do you notice in these stories? What made the difference?
3.Keller quotes Isaiah 43:2 — "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned." Notice God does not say "I will keep you from the fire" but "I will be with you in it." How does this reframe what we should expect from God in suffering?
a.Have you ever been surprised to find God's presence in a place of deep pain? What was that like?
b.Have you ever felt his absence in suffering? What did you do with that?