--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If God is treated as God during…" description: "\"If God is treated as God during suffering, then suffering can reveal and present him in all his greatness.\" — Timothy Keller" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/timothy-keller-240_greatness_if-god-is-treated-as-god-during-sufferin_854660.png" --- # If God is treated as God during suffering, then suffering… ![“If God is treated as God during suffering, then suffering can reveal and present him in all his greatness.” quote by Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/timothy-keller-240_greatness_if-god-is-treated-as-god-during-sufferin_854660.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/timothy-keller-240_greatness_if-god-is-treated-as-god-during-sufferin_854660.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/timothy-keller-240_greatness_if-god-is-treated-as-god-during-sufferin_854660.png) > “If God is treated as God during suffering, then suffering can reveal and present him in all his greatness.” [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suffering can become a way to experience divine greatness when one sees God in the midst of pain. **In simple terms:** Pain can reveal God's greatness. Key Takeaway Look for meaning in hardship. Themes faith theodicy spiritual growth Mood contemplative hopeful Type theological inspirational When to use this quote - grieving loss - personal crisis - medical illness - war trauma Key Concepts theodicy divine presence humility Questions to Reflect On - How can you recognize divine presence in pain? - What does greatness mean in suffering? A Different Perspective Suffering may not always clarify God's nature; some may feel abandoned. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [God Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-suffering-765962/) [God Treated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-treated-786722/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Suffering Reveal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering-reveal-786723/) [Suffering Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering-suffering/) [Treated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treated/) [Treated God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treated-god-786721/) ## Related quotes > [Only one in a thousand sits down in the midst of it all and says—I will watch my Father mend this. God must not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/only-one-in-a-thousand-sits-down-in-the-midst-of-it-all-and-says-i/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [There's nothing like suffering to reveal how small and needy you are. Pain has the remarkable capacity to reveal the weakness of the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tullian-tchividjian/there-s-nothing-like-suffering-to-reveal-how-small-and-needy-you-are/) [Tullian Tchividjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tullian-tchividjian/) > [I can answer that only by hearsay, returned the Guide, for pain is a secret which he has shared with your race and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/i-can-answer-that-only-by-hearsay-returned-the-guide-for-pain-is-a/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [God was treated like this powerful, erratic, rather punitive father who has to be pacified and praised. 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God is oblivious to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/some-people-say-there-is-no-god-because-if-there-was-a-god-god-would/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [And my heart beat faster for the mountains of eastern Europe, finally, beat faster for the one hope that somewhere we might find in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/and-my-heart-beat-faster-for-the-mountains-of-eastern-europe-finally/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [I find God in the suffering eyes reflected in mine. If this is how you are revealed to me, this is how I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayla-mueller/i-find-god-in-the-suffering-eyes-reflected-in-mine-if-this-is-how-you/) [Kayla Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayla-mueller/) > [I am a Christian because of that moment on the cross when Jesus, drinking the very dregs of human bitterness, cries out, My God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/i-am-a-christian-because-of-that-moment-on-the-cross-when-jesus/) [Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/) > [I laugh when I read hello need your prayers urgently posts coz if I have to pray for someone then god will see their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raveen/i-laugh-when-i-read-hello-need-your-prayers-urgently-posts-coz-if-i/) [Raveen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raveen/) ## More by Timothy Keller > [If you are trying to live a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-trying-to-live-a-life-in-accordance-with-the-bible-the/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [The more you rejoice in your own forgiveness, the quicker you will be to forgive others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-more-you-rejoice-in-your-own-forgiveness-the-quicker-you-will-be/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Evangelism will come organically in friendship if we don’t let our pride, fears, and pessimism cause us to hide our faith and heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/evangelism-will-come-organically-in-friendship-if-we-don-t-let-our/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“The coming of the messianic King occurs in two stages. At his first coming, he saved us from the penalty of sin and gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-coming-of-the-messianic-king-occurs-in-two-stages-at-his-first/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [ “24 A few pages later, Delbanco writes the following: \[Alexis de\] Tocqueville’s detection of a “strange melancholy in the midst of abundance” has a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/24-a-few-pages-later-delbanco-writes-the-following-alexis-de/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“To stay away from Christianity because part of the Bible's teaching is offensive to you assumes that if there is a God he wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/to-stay-away-from-christianity-because-part-of-the-bible-s-teaching/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-the-preaching-of-our-ministers-and-the-practice-of-our/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“of temple, presence, and sacrifice; of covenant and faithfulness; of kingdom and victory. When we seek to communicate the gospel to a particular culture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/of-temple-presence-and-sacrifice-of-covenant-and-faithfulness-of/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Finally, you are ready to launch your church. Begin by developing action steps and goals that can be used as benchmarks to track your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/finally-you-are-ready-to-launch-your-church-begin-by-developing/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [If you are a child of God, you don’t lose your status if you have a bad week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-a-child-of-god-you-don-t-lose-your-status-if-you-have-a/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [God's salvation does not come in response to a changed life. A changed life comes in response to the salvation, offered as a free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/god-s-salvation-does-not-come-in-response-to-a-changed-life-a-changed/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“When anything in life is an absolute requirement for your happiness and self-worth, it is essentially an ‘idol,’ something you are actually worshiping. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/when-anything-in-life-is-an-absolute-requirement-for-your-happiness/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Suffering is the stripping of our hope in finite things, therefore we do not put our ultimate hope in anything finite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/suffering-is-the-stripping-of-our-hope-in-finite-things-therefore-we/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Christ will do everything for you or nothing. He's either all of your righteousness or none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/christ-will-do-everything-for-you-or-nothing-he-s-either-all-of-your/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [If we give God things in hope that they'll earn us blessings, we're really not doing anything for him. It's for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-we-give-god-things-in-hope-that-they-ll-earn-us-blessings-we-re/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) [Explore all 843 Timothy Keller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) ## More Greatness quotes > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Every man who is high up likes to think that he has done it all himself, and the wife smiles and lets it go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-who-is-high-up-likes-to-think-that-he-has-done-it-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“You are destiny for greatness. Your future is in the hands of the Lord.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-are-destiny-for-greatness-your-future-is-in-the-hands-of-the-lord/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Nothing brings out the lower traits of human nature like office-seeking. Men of good character and impulses are betrayed by it into all sorts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/nothing-brings-out-the-lower-traits-of-human-nature-like-office/) [Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutherford-b-hayes/) > [Men generally decide upon a middle course, which is most hazardous, for they know neither how to be entirely good nor entirely bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/men-generally-decide-upon-a-middle-course-which-is-most-hazardous-for/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [Greatness is not guarding yourself from people. 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