God’s Goodness Amid Unresolved Pain

What happens to your capacity to trust God when life has taught you to brace for disappointment?

You may still believe God is good. You may know the Scriptures and have walked with Him for years. And yet there can be places inside of you that still struggle to trust His goodness toward you.

This week, Dr. Alison is joined by bestselling author and radio host Susie Larson for an honest conversation about trauma, chronic illness, unanswered prayer, and what it means to keep trusting God when your circumstances remain painfully unresolved.

Drawing from her own experiences with childhood trauma, complicated pregnancies, chronic illness, financial strain, and seasons when God felt silent, Susie shares how she began moving from simply knowing she was saved to actually learning to live as someone deeply loved by God.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How trauma and disappointment can affect your ability to trust God

• The difference between knowing intellectually that God loves you and learning to live loved

• Why trusting God isn’t a formula for getting the outcome you want

• What Susie means by “contending” for what is true without slipping into striving

• The difference between expectation and expectancy

• Why trust can sometimes mean fighting for something and other times mean releasing control

• How fear and strong emotions can reveal beliefs beneath the surface

• Why you don’t have to wait until everything is resolved to begin living with purpose

• A simple practice for intentionally receiving and reflecting on God’s love

The invitation isn’t to figure out how to make God give you the ending you hoped for. It’s to become more deeply rooted in His love while the story is still being written.

Ready Susie Larson’s book More Than You Can Imagine: What God Does When You Trust Him

Listen to Susie Larson Live

More Resources:

Listeners get exclusive access to the first 3 chapters of Dr. Alison’s newest book, The Secure Soul. 

Connect further with @dralisoncook on Instagram

📖 Find a full transcript and list of resources from this episode here

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While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍

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