10 Questions About Pain and Suffering: 30 Devotions for Kids, Teens, and Families

by Beth Broom

Written Especially for Ages 8–14, This Devotional Tackles 10 Important Questions about Suffering

Everyone has questions about religion, but when you’re young, finding the answers can be difficult. Some books are too complex and others don’t dive deeply enough into the faith topics that matter most to kids and younger teens. So where can young readers go to grow in their understanding of God and his word?

The 10 Questions series invites children ages 8–14 to investigate spiritual questions and provides reliable theological and practical answers on their level. In this volume, Beth Broom offers biblical answers about the origin and purpose of suffering, helping young readers navigate their pain, seek comfort in God, and help others in their distress. 
 
Each 10 Questions book presents 10 vital questions about one important topic, exploring each question in 3 short devotions. Kids can work through the 30 readings in any order they choose. Written to be read alone or with family, 10 Questions about Pain and Suffering is the perfect way for middle-grade readers to start or end each day reflecting on the things of God.

Faith-Building Devotional for Kids and  With 30 devotional readings, prayers, and reflection questions, this book makes a great supplement to regular Bible study   The 10 questions range from the content of the Bible to the experience of living out your personal faith   The 10 questions can be read in any order—alone or as a family  Part of the 10 Questions  Other volumes will cover topics including salvation, the Bible, identity, and technology

Genres: Christian

128 pages, Paperback

Published October 14, 2025

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: Have you ever broken a bone? Maybe you've been really sick. Or maybe you have trouble finishing your schoolwork. These are all painful things that can happen to us.

There are ten questions addressed in Beth Broom's book. Each of the ten questions has three devotions associated with it. These devotions build upon one another so that by the end of the third day there is a succinct answer to the question being raised. Depending on the question, there can be layers to the answer, and the fact that multiple devotions address the same question can be helpful. It is like looking at the question from three viewpoints. The answers complement one another.

The ten questions tackled in this book are as follows:

1. What is suffering?
2. Why do we suffer?
3. If God is good, why does he let bad things happen?
4. Do Christians suffer less than non-Christians?
5. When Christians suffer, is it punishment?
6. How does God help me when I'm suffering?
7. How should Christians respond to suffering?
8. What if God doesn't answer my prayer for suffering to stop?
9. What gives someone hope when bad things keep happening?
10. How can I help someone else who is suffering?

Each devotion concludes with a clear, concise answer to the question, a prayer, and a reflection.

The answer to the first question given on the third day reads as follows, "Suffering is the experience of pain that everyone feels, because sin caused suffering to enter the world. But suffering doesn't last forever for Christians because God sent his Son into the world to suffer with us and rescue us."

I think the questions being discussed are good questions. I thought the answers were thoughtful and pointed to the gospel, pointed to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. I thought the repetition was helpful. Chances are readers will not read this one in one sitting. It is a thirty day devotional, so a refresher course on the question and the answer could be beneficial. I also think this could be a book that could be referred back to for reference. Perhaps the question doesn't weigh heavy now, but it might later. These answers might resonate more later as one's life experiences grow.

[Emily Waits (emilylovesreading_) · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Thank you to @netgalley and to @crosswaybooks for my complimentary copy of this title. All opinions are my own.]

“When we suffer, God comes close.”

I love seeing a kid and family-friendly resource on this topic!

This title is very approachable and is organized by day. For each of the ten questions about pain and suffering, several days will be spent discussing that topic. As a former teacher, I really appreciated the scaffolding in this resource and how each day builds well on the last to gradually build a bigger and bigger picture.

The ten questions in this title include:

-What is suffering?
-Why do we suffer?
-If God is good, why does he let bad things happen?
-Do Christians suffer less than non-Christians?
-When Christians suffer, is it punishment?
-How does God help me when I’m suffering?
-How should Christians respond to suffering?
-What if God doesn’t answer my prayer for suffering to stop?
-What gives someone hope when bad things keep happening?
-How can I help someone who is suffering?

This book is theologically sound, but I did wish that some of the answers to these questions went a bit deeper. I know that there would still be “whys,” even after some of these answers were given, and I felt that a couple of these inevitable “but whys” would have been addressed. Yet, to be fair, (1) this topic is extremely complex, (2) this is a devotional for kids and not meant to be a comprehensive tome on the subject, and (3) this is an issue that no one will ever fully understand on this side of heaven. So take that little criticism with a big grain of salt. :)

I believe that this title would be a wonderful resource and a great way to get a family discussion started on a difficult and often emotional topic.

Definitely recommend.

[Laura P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little Christ-centered book on pain and suffering for kids ages 8-14.