I usually don’t enjoy books that consist of a compilation of essays by several different writers. But Suffering and the Sovereignty of God defied my prejudice. The writers all share the same vision for the manifestation of God’s glory in human suffering, and each author knows personally what it means to suffer.
Suffering and the Sovereignty of God seeks to help others in their time of suffering, not by offering a theological treatise on the relationship of God’s sovereignty and human evil, but by walking together with the reader through the season of pain. Joni Erickson Tada contributes a chapter on the importance of hope. Steve Saint compellingly relates the story of his father’s missionary death and the sudden death of his daughter, and strongly affirms that both these terrible events were planned in advance by our wise and loving God.
Mark Talbot’s chapter is the most “theological,” as it wrestles with how God’s gracious hand can be seen in human suffering. (I do not think the word “ordain” is best when referring to human suffering, for it sounds too much like “God approves of” in a moral sense. Still, Talbot’s outline is helpful.)
The appendices are worth reading too. John Piper and David Powlison encourage readers to not “waste” their cancer. And the book ends with a fascinating interview with John Piper. This book is highly recommended, not as a place to find all the answers you might have in your time of suffering, but a place to hear words of encouragement and comfort from authors who are not strangers to suffering themselves.
written by Trevin Wax. © 2007 Kingdom People Blog
