How God Prepares You For Suffering Before It Begins
God often prepares us long before He calls us to walk through suffering.
About this episode
What happens when the person you love is the one who is suffering—and you're the one holding everything together?
In this heartfelt conversation, Troy and Amy sit down with Dalin Kennard to hear the story behind the caregiver. While her husband Sean shared his experience with chronic illness in Episode 20, Dalin offers a deeply personal perspective on walking beside someone she loves through pain, uncertainty, and unanswered questions.
She shares how God prepared her long before this season began, learning to surrender what she couldn't control, parenting through hardship, discovering strength she didn't know she had, and finding a deeper relationship with Jesus in the middle of suffering.
Whether you're caring for someone you love, walking through a difficult season yourself, or simply wondering how God works through hardship, this episode is a reminder that God is faithful long before we understand His plans.
Read more about this topic: How God Prepares You for Suffering Before It Begins - "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus..." — Hebrews 12:1–2
Key Scriptures
“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:2
“For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:30
“Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this.”
Esther 4:14
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:2-4
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:1
What’s in this episode
How God prepares us before suffering arrives
Learning to surrender when you can't fix the problem
Finding strength as a caregiver and spouse
Walking through chronic illness with biblical hope
Parenting children through uncertainty and fear
Building a marriage that reflects Christ during hardship
Honest conversations with God during difficult seasons
Why biblical community matters in suffering
Understanding anticipatory grief through the lens of faith
Discovering Jesus more deeply through life's hardest moments
Reflection questions
Looking back, can you see ways God was preparing you for seasons you didn't yet understand?
Is there an area of your life where you're trying to control something that only God can carry?
What does biblical surrender actually look like in your current circumstances?
Who has God placed in your life to help carry your burdens?
Are you honest with God about your fears, disappointments, and questions?
How are you helping your children—or those you influence—develop a biblical view of suffering and hope?
What has this season taught you about the character of Jesus that you couldn't have learned any other way?
Is God inviting you to become stronger in Him rather than stronger in yourself?
If someone watched your life through your current hardship, what would they learn about Jesus?Key Takeaway
Key Takeaway
God does not waste suffering. Long before we face life's hardest seasons, He is preparing our hearts, strengthening our faith, and teaching us to depend on Him. While we cannot always choose our circumstances, we can choose to trust the One who walks with us through them. The same God who prepares us is also faithful to sustain us.
Quote from the episode
"God doesn't just meet us in suffering—He often prepares us for it long before it arrives."