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Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow

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Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow by Nancy Guthrie touched my heart in a way that no other book on human suffering has done in many years. For over forty-seven years I was the Pastor for four different churches. Rarely a week passed that I didn't come face to face with different kinds of sorrow like infidelity, infertility, a spouse's rejection, a child's rebellion, suicide, depression, and death. I was constantly looking for ways to help those who were suffering. I learned that in times of deep sorrow, everything we believe can be called into question.

In this splendid book, Nancy Guthrie gently invites readers to come along with her to hear Jesus speak understanding and insight into the lingering questions we all have about the hurts of life. According to Nancy, pursuing answers to our questions can either take us far from God or cause us to press into him more deeply. It is as we hear Jesus speak into our confusion that we come to clarity about the promises of the gospel we may have misapplied and the purposes of God we may have misunderstood.

Ten years after burying a daughter and then a son and writing Holding On to Hope, a book that has been published in eight languages and has helped thousands of people around the world make sense of their suffering, Nancy Guthrie brings the additional perspective of years and further scriptural study to the issues we all struggle with when life hurts.

Hank Hanegraaff, said, "She does not offer up a panacea but the peace that comes from hearing Jesus speak into our sorrows." Kay Arthur wrote, "The Word of God has the answers, and that is exactly where Nancy Guthrie, a woman acquainted with sorrow, takes us. " And I say again, this is the best book on sorrow I have read in many years and I have read many books on this subject. I will not be giving my copy away. But I will buy copies to give to those struggling with unanswered questions about suffering.

This is a very profound, heart-touching, convicting, deep, compassionate, yet easy to read book I cannot rate high enough. The author, Nancy Guthrie is one who has known deep sorrow from the deaths of her two children as babies. She does not just say the old cliches of just trust Jesus and you will get through it.

"Our faith keeps us from being swallowed by despair.
But I don't think it makes our loss hurt any less."

The author, Nancy Guthrie shares very personally about the Man of Sorrow and how her sorrow led to a depth of knowing Jesus so much deeper. She realized how He also had a broken heart for her and how Jesus understood how it was to be overwhelmed with sorrow. This greatly touched me in a whole new way.

I appreciate the raw honesty Nancy shares, questioning His love and sovereignty in hardships, as she again relates what He did for us, going through the greatest suffering and injustice . . . then how could He not understand.

"If He can use something as evil as the Cross of Christ for such amazing good,
I can believe he can use what I would label as evil in my life for good."

So, it's not just the death of children as this author has experienced, but through our walks of life - betrayal, abandonment, abuse, etc. - we can look and find a purpose for suffering and sorrow. Nancy goes on to warn about watching for bitterness and resentment and not allowing it to embed in ourselves.

I loved her response also, when people have said to her, they do not know how she can make it going through what she has gone through. I never know how to respond to this, when others have said that to me or our family. I've got a new response:

"You're right. You couldn't do it . . . God has not given you the grace for it because you don't need it, at least not right now . . . But know this: when you do need it, he will give you all the grace you need."

I think of things families have gone through far great than us, and I sure can see that God has given them that grace for that moment in their lives. I think if a widow friend who stood up at her husband's funeral and spoke of him . . . I could never do that . . . but God definitely gave her the sweet spirit and grace to do so.

Over the years I have made friends with numerous women who have lost babies before or right after birth or a child early in life. It's hard to understand the "whys" of this, and often will say a life was cut too short. Nancy shows how the purpose of these lives have been completely accomplished in the days God numbered them.

Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow is one that will help so many understand not only their own grief but the grief of others. She touches on the questions we all have at one time or another, What was God's involvement in this, and why did He let it happen? Why hasn't God answered my prayers for a miracle? Can I expect God to protect me? Does God even care? Such chapters as I Too, Have Heard God Tell Me No; I Will Keep You Safe; or I Have a Purpose in Your Pain, will help answer those questions.

Nancy Guthrie and her husband lost two of their children--two babies--to the same genetic disease. This book, she says, is "the culmination of my search for deeper understanding that has come with the perspective of years and further study of the Scriptures since writing my earlier book Holding On to Hope."

Guthrie has built her book around eleven statements of Jesus that speak to the experience of sorrow and grief. What that give us is a thorough biblical answer to the questions raised when we suffer, and when we're experiencing the worst things in life, we need the full answer. It's a wonderful thing to trust that there will be a glorious resurrection when all that hurts us is made right and whole in a way it never could be in this life, but it's even better when we can understand that there is meaning in our sufferings themselves. We draw comfort, too, in knowing that our Saviour understands our sorrow because he experienced deep suffering. And there's more, for those are the main points of just three of the chapters in Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow.

And still, this is a small book. Each chapter is short and the style is conversational. The format is perfect, I'd think, for someone who is struggling through difficulties, when circumstance and attention span can make studied reading difficult.

From first to last, Guthrie's little book is gospelly. It includes a clear presentation of the good news, and is suffused with the message of what Christ has done and how it "speaks into" our experience of grief. It doesn't gloss over the hard truths, like the need for self-denial and the reality of God's wrath, either. The chapter on God's ordaining relationship to suffering is especially strong, yet not too complicated to be understood by someone new to these truths.

You can tell that I liked this book, right? But I do have a few quibbles. First, I'm not thrilled that the scripture is usually quoted from the NLT, and even, at least once, from The Message. I'm not an NLT hater--I have one and I use it and I think I understand why this translation choice was made--but the NLT often loses a little of the rich meaning of the text, and when it's quoted in bits, it just feels flat. Second, while the points Guthrie draws from the texts are scriptural, she does sometimes come to them in roundabout ways. And last on my minor complaints list is this: I'm not sure that I agree with everything she writes in the chapter on forgiveness.

But I used the word quibbles on purpose. These are small things and they don't take away from the value of Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow. This is an excellent book to read if you've are grieving or to give to someone who is suffering through difficulties.

As a Women's Ministry Director, I have the privilege of working with women of all ages and stages, each walking in different situations in life. I love to read and recommend books and this one is right on the top of my list!

Nancy Guthrie has been one of my favorite authors for many years, ministering to me personally through her writings, as well as giving me amazing tools for coming alongside women in difficult places in life."Hearing Jesus Speak Into Your Sorrow" is a candid, personal book that points one directly to the heart of God! No matter what your situation is, has been or will be.....this book will help you see things from God's perspective. Nancy does such a great job at wrestling through the tough questions that we all have when we are in the midst of crisis and showing us how Jesus, too experienced great pain Himself making Him our Rock and source of comfort and understanding!

Once of my favorite quotes from the book is in the introduction..."It feels like an ever-widening chasm as the years take me further from her, even as they bring me closer to her." The day is coming when the worries of this life will be over and we will spend eternity with Jesus. This book helped me see life from that perspective!

If you are thinking this book is only for those who have experienced the death of someone they love, it is so much more than that. There is NO disappointment, loss, tragedy, crisis or situation that this book does not speak to. It is a powerful testimony of who Jesus is in our lives if we will just draw on His strength & truth! IT IS A MUST READ!

Honestly, to this point I have not enjoyed Tyndale's books as much as I have those from other publishers. Hearing Jesus Speak Into Your Sorrow has changed that. This is an amazingly well written book. It is also a book full of truth, Scriptural wisdom, and was written with a passion to help others. This makes it a great book.

Granted, this is not a hefty theological tome. It was not meant to be. If the reader were looking for such as that he would be disappointed. On the other hand, if the reader is looking for comfort, or a way to speak words of comfort to others, this book will greatly help.

Guthrie does not write pious platitudes and speak common cliches. She speaks out of experience. She knows loss. She knows grief. Even greater than that, she knows the power of God and His Word to strengthen one in the grieving process.

I think the one thing that I appreciate the most is the fact that, while finding a way to speak to sorrowing people that is different than most, the author still is true to Scripture.

Normally, I give a rundown of some of the things mentioned in the book. I would rather not give this one away. Suffice it to say that, as one who just yesterday marked the first anniversary of the loss of his only brother, I found the book to be a timely encouragement and help to me personally.

Having said all of the above, I shall simply end with three things:

1.

Thank you Nancy Guthrie for writing Hearing Jesus Speak Into Your Sorrow.
2.

Thank you Tyndale for publishing Hearing Jesus Speak Into Your Sorrow.
3.

Dear reader, I heartily recommend this book to you.

In her straightforward style, Nancy Guthrie speaks to the heart of the person who struggles with grief and sorrow. She uses the Bible as balm for the soul and shares her life story to help others through difficult times in their lives.

This book touched me to the very core and reminded me that it is God that heals, both physically and emotionally.

I liked the layout of this book and the discussion on various types of sorrow. I bought this book because I liked another one on grief the writer co-authored. I plan to use the book to share with others dealing with sorrow.

Being a Christian doesn't mean life will be without its share of heartache and loss. But when the pain cuts us to the core, questions naturally arise about God's involvement. How could He allow this to happen? Does He even care?

Jesus healed lepers, caused the blind to see, and even raised the dead. Why wouldn't He want to help us in our time of need? But a closer look at Biblical passages reveals exactly why Jesus healed, and what He would say if we asked Him why He hasn't stepped in to fix things for us.

Nancy Guthrie knows the depths of pain, having lost two babies to the same incurable disease. She knows what it's like to wrestle with her spiritual beliefs, wondering if maybe she's missing something. But she also knows God's infinite love, and trusts in His knowing a higher purpose for her life.

Hearing Jesus Speak Into Your Sorrow shares Guthrie's insights about what Jesus would say if we turn to him and share our pain with Him. And she reassures us that His answer will comfort us, despite our circumstances.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

This is a deeply honest book. It does not mince emotions. It takes a suffering person, to understand a little more of the Suffering Christ. This is exactly what has happened as I read through the book. I find myself being moved from self toward Jesus; more willing to live with unanswered questions instead of hastily assembled answers; more able to appreciate the presence of Christ, over and above the availability of solutions. In a world filled with Do-It-Yourself manuals, technique driven stuff and solutions seeking problems, Guthrie's personal odyssey of pain and loss of her two children renders such solution-based literature shallow. As I reflect, after reading this book, I think of three things.

1) Jesus has suffered more than anyone on this earth. Our sufferings only give us a glimpse of what Jesus has gone through.
2) When we seek God to find meaning about our pain and disappointment, we find next to us, not a solution but a Person.
3) Some of the most profound truths in life, cannot be understood but felt and experienced. Then and only then, can we hear Jesus speak.

This is an appropriate book to read and to pray with, for people undergoing pain at difficult points of their lives. Filled with prayers, with insights from Scriptures, and an authentic oscillation of faith and doubt, the author guides the reader through the journey of pain and suffering. It can be heavy going at times, but once you have ventured through it, you will come out stronger and more trusting of Jesus, our Friend and our Guide.

conrade

"Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow" by Nancy Guthrie:

I could not read this as other books, namely an academic review of a book in which I read as many chapters as possible in a short time. Rather, because the topic was so personal and emotional, I found that one chapter at a sitting was more than enough for me. My reflections, memories, and eventual praises meant that this was more than an academic exercise, it was life, difficult life. Thanks to Nancy Guthrie for writing what needs to be stated and doing so from one who has been there, even more, from one who has grown through the sorrow to a maturity that is hard to articulate, but which Guthrie has captured in this book.

Nancy Guthrie wrote Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow in light of her experiences regarding the deaths of two of her children. Her style is direct but sensitive, especially when relating some experiences with other Christians that could have produced writing that reflects resentment or anger toward those people. She skillfully avoids that pitfall and shows that God has indeed been working in and through her since all of the tragedies occurred. That takes time for anyone writing or speaking about personal sorrow.

I realized what a difficult task this would be for me in evaluating the book. First, Guthrie has experienced deep sorrow, two-fold. Any kind of comment regarding a specific point in this review may be seen by some as diminishing that truth. Such is not the intent, because having experience my own extended time of sorrow, I readily identify with what she writes. At times I was back reliving my own experiences in 1986, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2008, nodding my head, even dealing with tears at times, but also having heard Jesus speak into my own sorrow. What a tribute to the author that she could effectively communicate in such a way to bring alongside those who have also suffered. I think that in itself is highest praise for her work.

Second, as a Lutheran pastor/theologian, I look at the underlying theology and see what is behind the content. thus, I am attuned to differences in theological expressions. For instance, I expected the author's approach to be based on "decision theology." From a Lutheran perspective this would be a negative, because typically such theology takes away from Christ and what he has done, which affects not only "coming to faith" but also how Jesus is viewed relative to our lives after that time. In other words, "Jesus becomes a model for us to follow," which can be defeatist for the Christian, especially for the one in sorrow. How many can follow Christ perfectly? Rather than a relief, this becomes an impossible burden.

Significantly, while the author occasionally reflects such an approach, the overall thrust of the book is that she clings to that which is truly gospel, namely what Christ has done for us. For that I rejoice! Guthrie clearly articulates the gospel as strategic points in the book. For instance, in the Introduction, her pastor's question at the graveside was right on target: "This is the place where we ask, `Is the gospel really true?'" (p. xiv). As she relates, the question reflected her own desperation and discovery, readily identifying with the hope that Peter expressed in John 6, "Lord, to whom shall we go?" She writes: "Not having that hope to hold on to would have been an unbearable agony. I also knew that Jesus provided my only hope for coming back to life myself, as I felt the life in me was being snuffed out by sorrow" (p. xv). In her invitation to read Jesus' words anew, she notes, "There is life, power, and authority in his every word. He speaks life into death, hope into despair, truth into delusion, meaning into futility, peace into panic" (pp. xix-xx).

Likewise in Chapter 1, "I, Too, Have Known Overwhelming Sorrow" Guthrie reflects this tension. "So many of the other ways I had heard Jesus speaking to me ... were mostly about listening for what he could do for me. But in this hard place of grief, hearing Jesus was less about what he could do for me and more about the companionship he could share with me" (p. 3). She continues, "It's in our suffering that we can truly begin to identify with his" (p. 4). Here I might quibble about the wording, but she comes back to the essential truth: Jesus for us, expressed in many different ways, is above all else.

The author also faced the seemingly impossible tension between God's sovereignty and God's grace. "I wondered how God could be truly sad with me since it had been in his power to cause things to work out differently. I think this is the wall that those of us who believe in God's sovereignty run into eventually. And when we feel its full force, it hurts" (p. 12). I can certainly identify with that seeming indifference to my plight. Significantly, Guthrie comes to right junction, the intersection between the infinite, wise God and his plans and our own ideas about what is best can only be resolved in the cross of Jesus Christ. She continues, "It is at this place of inner conflict -- where what we want and believe would be best seems to be at cross-purposes with the plans of God -- where we need to hear Jesus speak" (p. 12). I have to think that she intended the double meaning of "cross-purposes" in this context.

Chapters 3 and 4 provide the clear expression of the Gospel because she recognizes the real problem. Prayers for healing become a double-edged sword, which she addresses head-on. "Those of us who do not get the physical healing we prayed for can be left assuming that either our faith is deficient or God is unable or unwilling to heal us or the one we love" (p. 24). The key to an appropriate response to this situation comes later in chapter 3, under the subtitle, "Jesus Speaks to Our Most Significant Sickness." She writes, "Jesus comes to get to the real root of our problem, the cause of all our suffering and sorrow. He came on a mission to destroy what has brought on all our misery: sin" (p. 33). What follows on pages 35-38 should be mandatory reading for pastors, grief counselors, and every Christian, as summarized at the end of chapter 3,

"Perhaps what we need is not a miraculous healing of our bodies but a powerful awareness of our sin-sickness. We need to see our sin for the certain death it delivers -- not just to our mortal bodies, but to our eternal souls. Only then can we appreciate the miracle Jesus offers us when he heals us of this fatal disease of sin." (P. 38)

At the end of each chapter, Guthrie provides a unique way to express the key thoughts of the chapter with a short section titled "Hear Jesus Speak." She takes several Biblical passages then makes them first-person narrative as Jesus speaking personally to the reader. She also provides a list of the Biblical passages used to develop this section. Not only is this effective as a summary, but it highlights the "Jesus to me; Jesus for me" truth of the entire book.

This is only the first part of the review, but I can state even now that this will prove a very beneficial to many people experiencing suffering/sorrow/tribulation. For the one experiencing any of this, Nancy Guthrie invites you to walk together to better understand this God who calls us to faith and brings us through the trials. The book is well written, direct, sensitive, Biblically solid, and offers a refreshing approach to a difficult topic. For pastors, this is an ideal companion to Eyer's book, Pastoral Care Under the Cross.

Thank you, Nancy, for this important book.