Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller
Week 7: Chapter 6 — The Sovereignty of God
Read Chapter 6 of Walking with God through Pain and Suffering. Key Scripture: Romans 8:28; Genesis 50:20.
Previewing Week 7 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.
Part Two of the book shifts from understanding suffering to exploring what God is doing in it. Keller begins with the most foundational and most contested claim: that God is sovereign over all things, including our pain.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Keller defines God's sovereignty not as God "causing" every evil event but as God's ability to work purposefully through all events — including evil — without being the author of evil. How does this distinction help? Does it fully satisfy you?
2.Keller draws heavily on the story of Joseph in Genesis — whose brothers sold him into slavery, yet who could later say, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good" (Genesis 50:20). What does Joseph's story tell us about the relationship between human evil and divine purpose?
3.Keller also engages Romans 8:28 — "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him." He is careful to note what this does NOT mean (that everything is good, or that we will understand the good that God is working). What does it mean, and how does it function as a promise rather than an explanation?
a.Have you ever seen this verse used in a way that felt unhelpful or even harmful in someone's suffering? What went wrong?
b.What would it mean to hold this promise as an anchor rather than an answer?