First Presbyterian Church of Perkasie, PA

Nancy Guthrie knows something of the mystery of God’s providence and the pain of personal suffering. The extraordinary nature of her story has captured the attention of both Time Magazine and USA Today, and has shaped her into a popular writer and public speaker at churches across the nation.  

Her latest book is a compilation of readings on the problem of pain.  The readings are organized around the themes of God’s perspective, purpose, and provision in suffering.  The readings are succinct and inspiring, providing an opportunity for meditation on different aspects of a Christian view on suffering. The brief nature of each reading allows those who struggle with pain to benefit without considerable effort.

Mrs. Guthrie compiles this collection of voices in the context of her own experience.  Having lost two children to the same rare metabolic disorder (Zellweger Syndrome), she writes of the “hope” found in the promises of God.  Like the biblical Job, she struggled with God’s providence in her life, and has emerged with a deeper insight into the mysteries of God as revealed in the Christ of Scripture.  As Time Magazine put it, she found in the end that the problem of pain is an invitation to “a higher dialogue” toward the “restless pursuit of God.”

Yet this book is not so much about her personal story as about how the church over the centuries has entered that dialogue.  Evangelical and Reformed authors as diverse as Os Guinness, Abraham Kuyper, and R C Sproul tell their stories and add their unique insight from Scripture.  

There are some rather terse accounts of those who have suffered greatly.  Joni Eareckson Tada tells of her struggle to make sense of her spinal cord injury after diving into shallow water and snapping her neck, leaving her paralyzed for life.  Corrie Ten Boom tells a persecuted church in Africa of how her experience in Nazi prison camps taught her to wait for God’s provision of grace “just in time.”  Sinclair Ferguson writes of discovering his deceased brother and having to tell his mother the sad news the next morning. Through it he learned the wonder of God’s great love, as He did not spare His own Son but offered him up for us all.

The book however is mostly a theological reflection on the problem of suffering, and Guthrie’s readings show an honesty in facing the questions and a maturity in exploring the answers.  From Calvin’s emphasis on divine providence to Carson’s caution against unrealistic expectations, there is great encouragement for all who would listen to this dialogue.  In criticism, Tim Keller’s opening excerpt blurs the qualitative difference between the sufferings of the believer and those of the natural man, explaining suffering in more naturalistic and universalistic terms.  Bonhoeffer is typically ambiguous, delighting more in paradox than in plain speech.  Luther’s comments are invaluable—and very humbling. Not to be missed is Guthrie’s own preface, where she affirms her anchor is in “the living person of Jesus Christ.”