Thanks again to Loren Eaton for pointing me to this stirring lecture by Mark Talbot on God’s handling of sinful men and sin’s consequences. He approaches the subject from the character of John Calvin, but he does not spend much time there, dwelling more on biblical principles and the pain of living in a fallen world. Calvin had many flaws as did Martin Luther, and Talbot quotes Luther apparently saying that depression and hardship must plague us if we are become like Christ.
There are notes on the page I’ve linked to, but listen or watch the lecture when you have time. I cannot recommend it enough.
It isn’t really evident in the speech, but Dr. Talbot broke his back when he was a teenager. When he talks about suffering, there’s personal experience involved.