Episode Details

What do you do when you’ve already walked through years of suffering—and then the suffering comes back in a new and unexpected form?

In this episode of Singing Through Fire, Lara Silverman sits down with Sara Willoughby to talk honestly about chronic illness, unanswered prayer, lament, and what it means to keep trusting God when you cannot understand what He is doing.

After years of debilitating illness and significant recovery, Sara is now facing a new season of suffering, including suspected TIAs, a traumatic brain injury, migraines, and brain rehabilitation.

And yet, Sara continues to cling to what she knows about God: He is loving, He is all-powerful, and therefore, He is trustworthy.

Together, Lara and Sara explore:

- Why God allows suffering
- How lament and faith can coexist
- What it means to trust God without having answers
- Grieving the dreams that chronic illness takes away
- Finding joy in the middle of suffering
- How our suffering can become a source of comfort for others
- What it means to “take up your cross”

Sara also shares how 2 Corinthians 12:9—“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”—has carried her through difficult seasons.

If you're walking through chronic illness, grief, unanswered prayer, or a season where God feels far away, this conversation is a reminder that you can lament, grieve, and ask why—and still choose to trust Him.

Chapters
00:00 Trusting God Again
00:26 Meet Sarah Willoughby
02:42 Illness Begins at 14
04:29 Collapse and Diagnosis
06:54 Slow Road to Recovery
08:20 New Crisis TIAs and TBI
10:31 Faith Under Pressure
13:51 Feeling Gods Presence
16:41 When God Feels Silent
20:10 Glory in the Suffering
26:31 Take Up Your Cross
29:13 Choosing Trust Without Answers
31:14 Trust In The Fire
32:08 Lament As Trust
32:58 Why Suffering Helps Others
34:07 Comfort In Weakness
35:47 Hope Beyond This Life
36:00 Thorn And No Quota
37:18 Memoir And Redemption
38:30 Praying The Psalms
40:40 Dreams That Died
46:07 Joy And Grief Together
51:22 Eternity Perspective Shift
52:44 Renewed Day By Day
54:05 Grace In Weakness Verse
01:00:57 Invisible Chronic Burden
01:03:49 Sprinkles Of Joy
01:06:17 Final Blessing And Sendoff

Resources and Links:
Diamonds Conference
He's Making Diamonds devotional freebie
Sara's website
Sara's Instagram
Sara's Facebook

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PODCAST DESCRIPTION:

Welcome to the Singing Through Fire podcast! I’m your host Lara Silverman, and this is where we:

• Worship when it hurts
• Discuss hot takes from the furnace of affliction
• Explore a biblical theology of suffering with a side of sass and sarcasm 

From lamentations to laughter, this podcast is for anyone desperate for hope who has ever asked, "Why, Lord, why?”

Don’t forget to follow/subscribe because I upload content every Tuesday and Friday! 

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." 2nd Corinthians 4:17.