Suffering and the Sovereignty of God: A Book Review
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”
I’ve spent most of my life, especially the years before I knew Christ, trying to avoid suffering. I thought that was what a person did in life and as long as they did it without escaping to drugs or alcohol then what was the harm? When I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior during my senior year of high school, I slowly began to view suffering differently.
Several years before, I had learned the lesson that self-imposed suffering could pay dividends as I started exercising, shed off my prepubescent chubbiness and started to feel better about myself. This continued as I traversed several mountain passes in the Boy Scouts and joined the high school swim team. All of this “suffering,” however, still left me in charge and behind the wheel. None of it came upon me.
I had suffered physically as a boy with ill health and later on emotionally through an intense custody battle fought between my parents, with me planted squarely in the middle of the battlefield. Without the Spirit of God within me, I had dealt with this suffering primarily through feelings of self-pity and/or escape into video games and eventually pornography. Escape was my goal and it motivated much of what I did. Even the “good” things that I did like earning good grades had at their root a desire for sovereignty and control that would allow me to avoid suffering.
After I started reading the Bible and had the benefit of the Spirit of God acting upon me, suffering took on a completely different light. Incredible things happened on the other side of great suffering, and not the kind that you kept under tight control but the kind that left you feeling out of control and that seemed capable of completely crushing you and destroying all that you had. The Bible is full of these stories culminating in the life, suffering and crucifixion of Christ on the cross.
My view on suffering was starting to change but it was admittedly still difficult to convert an academic understanding of what God says about suffering into an actionable response in the face of it. I still fell into escapism and could offer little help to those who were experiencing true adversity.
Several months ago, my wife Cas stumbled upon Suffering and the Sovereignty of God by John Piper and Justin Taylor. Reading it has been an incredible help in growing an appreciation and acceptance of suffering. I feel more equipped to look to God in moments of suffering, not for quick relief, but for hope in fruit that I desire to see born. I have been left wondering how much more fruitful my walk with Christ would be if I fully embraced suffering and paid no mind to the potential consequences of a truly bold witness.
The book consists of talks given by several individuals at a conference. Without exception, all of the authors have encountered real suffering in their lives and have seen God not only carry them through it but bring about great fruit. Some of the chapters read like a testimony, one unpacks racial/social suffering, hymns are examined, the Word of God underlines every point and unspeakable evil from the holocaust and other historical events are unapologetically discussed. By no means is this a light Christian “self-help” book. There is a sobriety and a raw scent of reality to be found in the pages.
If you struggle with the pain you see in the world and find an honest reluctance to accept suffering in your own life, I would highly recommend reading this book. I plan to re-read it several times and would place it within the top 5 of the most helpful books I have ever read.