⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 2 min read
On today’s Equipping You in Grace show, Dave and Mark Talbot discuss what it means to suffer profoundly and the purpose of suffering, the best way to help a friend who is suffering, what we can learn from the Psalms of lament, along with his book, When the Stars Disappear: Help and Hope from Stories of Suffering in Scripture Volume 1 (Crossway, 2020).
What you’ll hear in this episode
- Mark’s story of suffering.
- What it means to suffer profoundly, and how does suffering affect Christians.
- What we can learn from the Psalms of Lament.
- Advice for those who think they won’t suffer because they are a Christian.
- The best way to help a friend who is suffering.
- Scripture’s greatest lesson about suffering.
- How biblical stories can help encourage the people of God not to give up.
About the Guest
Mark Talbot (PhD, University of Pennsylvania) is associate professor of philosophy at Wheaton College. His areas of expertise include philosophical psychology, philosophical theology, David Hume, Augustine, and Jonathan Edwards. He and his wife, Cindy, have one daughter and three grandchildren. Mark attends Christ Presbyterian Church in Roselle, Illinois.
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Thanks for listening to this episode of Equipping You in Grace!
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.
Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.
He is the author of The War of Worldviews: Truth, Lies, and the Battle for the Christian Mind (Theology for Life, 2026), Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021).
You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.
When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.
Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.




