The Bryce Crawford Podcast - Jesus Understands Your Suffering (EP 207)

Episode Date: July 10, 2026

Jesus Understands Your Suffering (EP 207)

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I'm Bryson today. I'm honestly really excited about this episode because I woke up and this was immediately on my heart. I felt like the phrase I heard this morning was the suffering servant. And the reason why I feel like I heard this phrase was because I was in devotional this morning. And the idea came along and so I want to phrase this question to you. When someone asks you about your Christian life, what do you say? And if you're not a Christian, when someone asks you about your life, what do you say? I mean, typically, when I remember reading this, I was thinking, man, the first few years of my life, when someone would ask me what it was like being a Christian, I only highlighted the suffering.

I only highlighted the turmoil. I only highlighted the hardship. I only highlighted the pain. And there was a lack of voice for me saying, yeah, and also the mercy and provision of God, where he is done a new and good thing in my life and I'm grateful. I tend, I oftentimes a few years ago would forget that and I would only highlight the pain. And so that's what I want to talk about today. Is that although yes, we would be ignorant to neglect your pain, ignorant to neglect your suffering, ignorant to neglect your circumstance, we also cannot neglect the mercy and the gratitude

and the saving that we receive from our Lord Jesus Christ. We can't neglect it. And that's why I want to talk about the suffering servant himself. I would highly encourage you to go look at Isaiah 52 and 53. I mean, Isaiah 52 and 53, mind-blowingly, is one of my favorite passages of scripture of all time. I mean, hold on. I'll flip there really quick because I think it's important. And 700 years before Jesus is born, the prophet,

which is arguably the most respected Old Testament prophet. He prophesied Jesus. Verse 13 and Isaiah 52, behold my servant, Shaakle wisely, he shall be high and lifted up and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you. His appearance was so marred beyond human resemblance and is formed beyond that of the children of mankind. So shall he sprinkle many nations, king shall shut their mouths because of him. I mean, he was beaten so bad he didn't even look like human. For he grew up before him like a young plant, like a root out of dry ground. He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, no beauty that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities upon him. Was the chastisement that brought us peace. And with his wounds, we are healed. You see, it's interesting because oftentimes when we reflect on our life, someone asks us or we think about life, it is easy to hyper fixate on the pain. I understand it.

I get it. I don't know what it's like to walk in your shoes, so I'll just share mine. Like I had depression and anxiety for years. I was a people pleaser. I struggled with pornography. I struggle with so many different things. I understand it. and even now being tempted, or if I stumble in some form or fashion,

it can be easy to hyper fixate on the pain and the suffering and to forget of the mercy and majesty of Christ and the work that he's done. Like we have to understand the suffering servant himself. I mean, he knew. What does Jesus say? Hey, if the world hates you, remember it hated me first. So it's inevitable that we'll experience pain. it is inevitable.

It said the son of man had nowhere to lay his head. That the same people who were laying palm leaves at his feet that week later were saying, yeah, crucify that man. They changed their minds about him. But what else does the Bible say? He who knew no sin became sin so that you and I could become the righteousness of God. We hyperfixate on the suffering as if there is no solution,

yet he is the solution. The one who emptied it. himself, poured himself out for us is the solution. And we forget that. We hear the name of Jesus. We hear the gospel. Yeah, I grew up in church, Bryce, or I go to private Christian school, or I listen Christian podcasts, or I read a devotional every month, or I go to church every Sunday. And we forget the beauty of the cross that the worst recorded human suffering in all of history was for the sake of our soul so that we could be redeemed. Hey, real quick, before we keep going, I have an announcement I've been really excited to make. I'm officially announcing our ministry's biggest live event

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I genuinely believe this is going to be a night people carry with them for a long time. I would love to see you there. All right, back to the episode. I mean, I love this passage. I want to flip to First Peter too. Because this passage is so powerful. Verse 21. For to this, you have been called us.

Because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in his footsteps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin, and lived a righteousness. By his wounds, you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. God is not abandoning you in your pain. There are so many instances in my life that I have felt alone, ashamed.

I felt like I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. And the beauty of the about rejoicing with Christ in the suffering of your life or my life when we rejoice with Christ in the suffering. If you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, that's because you're not looking at him because he is the light. We can look to a God who has suffered. We can look to a God who can relate to his creation because he has suffered. He has borne our sin on the cross. He did not threaten people because he was suffering like the scripture said. I mean, he took on sin on the cross so that we could know him so that there could be a light at the end of the tunnel so that he

could set the example. He took it on for us to pay the price. We can't lose sight of that. It's so easy to lose side of that in the midst of our suffering because we're so hyperfixated on the pain. Maybe one of the reasons why you can't see the light, which is Jesus at the end of the tunnel is because you're not looking up at him. You're looking down at your problems.

You're looking down at your pain. Rightfully and understandable. I can get it. at the same time his mercy and provision gets us out. We don't have to be alone. You can't just rejoice with Jesus in the resurrection and not rejoice with him in the suffering. In fact, arguably, I would say that there is a profound beauty and majesty to Christ and understanding him in the pain more so than there is in the resurrection because we have a God who relates to us. We have a God who understands us. And so instead of singing a song of pain, he is, he is a God. He is a God,

gives us a new song to sing. He gives us a new song of hope. He gives us a new song of joy. He gives us a new song of gratitude. He gives us a new song of freedom because of what he has done on the cross. If your pain is going, if your pain is deeper, then our praise should be louder. If your suffering is increasing, our voices should increase with Thanksgiving to God. And I love this phrase from Charles Spurgeon. Charles Spurgeon once said, grief cannot spoil the melody of our praise. Grief cannot spoil the melody of your praise because he is the light in the tunnel, even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. This episode is brought to you by Accenture.

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How did Jameson to your match day lineup? Jameson, it's what you bring. Please enjoy our products responsibly. We fear no evil. For he is with us. I have such a problem. with this phrase, there's such a popular phrase online. I see it all the time on TikTok

where people are like, hey, if you're going through a hard time right now, just know that the teacher is silent during the test. And I had such a problem with that. A couple reasons. Number one, we say he's silent, but we have the word of God. But secondly, the promises he is with us in the pain.

He has experienced the pain on the cross. He has bore our sin on his. body on that tree so much so that we may find freedom. We can't lose sight of him. We can't lose sight of the suffering servant because if we do and we focus on the pain, we rob Jesus of the purpose of the cross. We rob him of his glory. We strip him of his glory. And I don't want to do that. And I know you don't want to do that. We have to stay in this place where we remain knowing and understanding. He is delight. It is his mercy. He is provided. Because so often we get into pain, we get into suffering, and we get so hyperfixated on it, and then we forget time and time again,

God has safely delivered us out of the pain. Before. Like, if I was sitting here constantly hyperfixating on the depression and anxiety that I dealt with before I was a believer, many of you might be like, well, Bryce, but you've been delivered from that. He is, brought you through that or maybe there's things that he's currently bringing you through we cannot forget that he doesn't just bury you in pain that he can't set you free from he delivers us through it safely and securely doesn't mean it's going to be easy but do not forget the moments you've been set for you that's why i love the way that the nation of israel thought in the old testament yeah they would worship a golden image like 500 times and you would have thought

they would have learned after the second time but they would get in the way that's to bind again. And they would say, you know what? God has pulled through for us before, so he's going to pull through again, if not with more power, because that's his character. He doesn't abandon you, he doesn't forsake you in the pain. But we can't just hyperfixating on the pain again. We are not neglecting your story, the things you've been through, the experiences you've had, and the shoes that you have to walk in or have walked in every day. But if we only focus on that, it is easy to lose sight of Jesus. So I want to pray for us really quickly. that we don't lose sight of him, that we thank God for delivering us. We thank God for his life.

Lord Jesus, we thank you for delivering us through suffering. God, we understand that suffering is inevitable. It's essential to character development. But God, we rejoice with you in suffering. We get to know you deeper than pain in such a beautiful, profound way. Lord, we thank you for delivering us and keeping us safe and secure. God, would you be with us? God, would you be with us? Guide you. us and protect us. Lord, you are the suffering servant. And typically people that suffer in this life don't get the glory, but we give you all the glory and praise.

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