Why DoChristiansSuffer?

There are some voices that never leave us.

Years ago, after my father's passing, I reflected on one of his sermons entitled, "What To Do In The Meantime." In that message, he described the meantime as the space between where we are and where we hope to be. It is the waiting period. The season of uncertainty. The place where life seems suspended between loss and restoration.

At the time, I realized that my own meantime had begun.

For me, the meantime became the period between carrying out my father's legacy and being reunited with him in Heaven.

My father, Rev. Dr. Tony Lloyd Lewis, spent a lifetime helping people navigate difficult questions. He was a pastor, teacher, theologian, and servant of God. He stood beside people during seasons of grief, disappointment, illness, uncertainty, and loss. He understood that suffering is not merely a theological question; it is a lived experience.

That is why this book matters.

The question, "Why do Christians suffer?" is one that every believer eventually asks. We ask it in hospital rooms. We ask it during financial hardships. We ask it when prayers seem unanswered and when life unfolds differently than we imagined.

My father did not approach this question from a distance. He approached it as a pastor who walked alongside hurting people. He understood that faith does not eliminate suffering, but it does provide hope in the midst of it.

As I prepared this manuscript for publication, I found myself reflecting on another image I shared at his homegoing celebration.

In track and field, relay races are won through successful handoffs. One runner completes a portion of the race and passes the baton to the next runner. As the handoff approaches, the incoming runner often shouts a single word:

"Stick."

The sound signals that the baton is coming.

At my father's funeral, I said:

"Daddy, your life was a sound. I can still hear you yelling 'Stick' as you pass the baton."

Those words mean even more to me today.

The baton was never merely a ministry position, a title, or a collection of sermons. The baton was faith. The baton was conviction. The baton was biblical truth. The baton was a commitment to serve God's people faithfully.

This book is part of that handoff.

The pages that follow are presented in my father's voice. I have intentionally chosen not to add chapter-by-chapter commentary because I want readers to encounter his thoughts, his teaching, and his pastoral wisdom directly.

My role is not to rewrite his message.

My role is to preserve it.

This volume is released as part of Kingdom Legacy Collections, an initiative dedicated to preserving Kingdom voices and equipping future generations through faithful stewardship of ministry legacies.

As you read, my prayer is that you will hear the heart of a pastor who loved God, loved Scripture, and loved people. I pray you will find encouragement for your own journey, strength for your own struggles, and confidence in the faithfulness of God.

Most of all, I pray you will be reminded that suffering does not have the final word.

God does.

And until He calls us home, we keep running.

We carry the baton.