Where is God when you’ve prayed for relief and the pain still hasn’t gone away? David Heflin joins Jill for an honest conversation about chronic pain, suffering, unanswered prayer, and the promise that pain is not proof that Jesus has abandoned us. David shares how his own diagnoses reshaped his faith and eventually led to Broken & Mended, a ministry helping people with chronic pain find community, purpose, and hope in the presence of Jesus.
✝️ ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Where is God when the pain doesn’t go away?
David Heflin, founder and executive director of Broken & Mended, joins Jill to talk honestly about chronic pain, suffering, unanswered prayer, and learning to trust the presence of Jesus when relief doesn’t come.
After being diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis and Crohn’s disease, David found himself wrestling with many of the same truths he had spent years preaching to others. He shares what helped him navigate isolation, why telling someone they simply need more faith can cause real harm, and how biblical lament gives us permission to be honest with God about what hurts.
Jill and David also talk about identity and purpose when illness changes what we can do, how churches can better support people living with chronic conditions, and why weakness can become a place where we discover the sufficiency of God’s grace.
Pain may change your life. It does not mean Jesus has left you.
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PODCAST SHOW NOTES:
Full episodes now out on YouTube! ➡️ Watch: Halfway to Sunday (Full Episodes)
🎧 Listen on
Apple
🙏Join the community + bonus content (Patreon)
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🩵 ABOUT US
Halfway to Sunday is a weekly faith-based podcast for people who want Jesus but still have questions, sharing honest, hope-filled stories of real faith through joy and loss, healing and growth, and even doubt. Not polished or performative, just real conversations that remind you you’re not alone and loved by God.
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🔗 LINKS
Follow Halfway to Sunday on Instagram
Follow Halfway to Sunday on TikTok
Follow Jill on Instagram
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📖 BIBLE RESOURCES
Verses Discussed:
Matthew 28:20; Psalm 38; Job; Romans 5:1–5; Romans 8:28; 2 Corinthians 12:7–10; Matthew 5:3–12; Matthew 1:23; Genesis 3:8; Revelation 21:1–4; Revelation 22:1–5
The Journaling Bible I use | Bible Highlighters | Annotating Tabs | **affiliate links
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📣 GUEST
Follow Broken & Mended on Facebook
Follow Broken & Mended on Instagram
Broken & Mended website
In the Seams Podcast
Broken and Mended Conference on October 10, 2026
Purpose in Pain (book): https://a.co/d/05MJK1jz
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🎙️ OTHER EPISODES THAT MAY BE HELPFUL:
Episode #125 Where is God When Life Falls Apart w/ Rachel Kerr Schneider
Episode #116 The Grief of Unanswered Prayers w/ Val Kleppen
Episode #91 When Healing Doesn’t Come w/ Lara Silverman
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