When The Stars Disappear

Paul and Mark discuss how the expansion of Genesis 1's account of the creation of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:4-25 enables us to understand more deeply who God has created us to be.

Paul Winters and Mark open their discussion of Mark's second volume, Give Me Understanding that I May Live, by exploring why we must understand the first chapter of Genesis if we are to live the lives for which God made us and to which he calls us.

In this episode, John and Mark recap the main lesson from When the Stars Disappear—that it is only those who endure to the end through all persecution and affliction who will be saved (see Matthew 10:22; 2 Corithians 1:6).

Mark and John wrap up their discussion of When the Stars Disappear, Mark's first volume in his Suffering and the Christian Life series, by reflecting on what the Christian story offers us and then recounting its four parts. Mark summarizes the purpose of his first volume as clarifying that, no matter how deep anyone's suffering is, Scripture records instances of suffering that are at least as deep, which is a sign for Christians that God is always with them and will walk with them through even the worst of times.

After Mark offers some advice on the sort of help we need to understand Scripture, John and Mark address the question: Given the suffering in our world, how should we live in order to shine a light on the truth of the Christian story?

The stories of Naomi and Job show us that while suffering can make us think that life will never again be good, God may restore us. And even if, as with Jeremiah, God doesn’t restore us in this life, he can help us to persevere. No matter what we understand, God is always working in and through every circumstance.

The psalmists provide us with breathing lessons for exhaling our pain and grief to God and then inhaling his promises as well as remembering what he has done for us in the past.

While we should expect to suffer in this life, we can find hope in the fact that God will always bring good out of our suffering.