Books on Suffering

I believe that one of the hardest questions for any Christian to answer and provide counsel on is this: "How can a good and loving God allow (or even ordain) evil to exist?" It is a profound question with seemingly difficult implications and hard answers. Yet, God is not silent in answering this question. Throughout Scripture, God speaks very clearly on this subject and gives numerous examples of suffering and His hand in it, most notably in the substitutionary death of His Son on the cross. The following books do an outstanding job of expounding upon this very question.

Spectacular Sins by John Piper: (enter small preview of the book)






Suffering and the Sovereignty of God edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor: (enter blurb about book)





How Long, O Lord? by D.A. Carson: (enter blurb for book)






The Misery of Job and the Mercy of God by John Piper: When trying to understand the subject of suffering and sovereignty of God, there is scarcely any better biblical story to saturate yourself with than the story of Job. Not only are we, the reader, given an example of a man in extreme suffering who responds rightly through it all, but we are also blessed with the gift of seeing how God works behind the scenes throughout the evil and suffering that occurs in Job's life as well as our own. Knowing this, John Piper has rewritten Job's story in the form of a narrative poem. Densely packed with theology that comforts, this short poem will strike affections in the heart and nourish the soul with the truth of the mercy and bigness of God.

"Behold the mercy of our King,
Who takes from death its bitter sting,
And by his blood, and often ours,
Brings triumph out of hostile pow'rs,
And paints, with crimson, earth and soul
Until the bloody work is whole.
What we have lost God will restore -
That, and himself, forevermore,
When he is finished with his art:
The quiet worship of our heart.
When God creates a humble hush,
And makes Leviathan his brush,
It won't be long before the rod
Becomes the tender kiss of God."

When God Weeps by Joni Eareckson Tada: (enter blurb about book)






Suffering and the Goodness of God by Christopher Morgan: (enter blurb about book)






The God I Don't Understand by Christopher Wright: (enter blurb about book)






All Things for Good by Thomas Watson: (enter blurb about book)






Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ by John Piper: William Tyndale's driving passion was to see the Bible translated into the English language so that any England might finally be able to read it themselves. He was betrayed by a friend, tortured, and burned for it. John G. Paton set his hopes of bringing the Gospel to a tribe of cannibals on the island of Tanna on November 5, 1858. Four months later, the fever claimed the lives of his wife and newborn son. Four years later, he was driven off the island with no Gospel fruit to show in the lives of the cannibals. Adoniram Judson set out to bring Christ to Burma no matter what it cost. It cost him the lives of two of his wives, seven children, and many colleagues. These men suffered greatly for the spread of the Gospel to the nations. And John Piper has given them a voice so that we might listen and follow suite. Read the rest of my book review.