Holding On to Hope: A Pathway through Suffering to the Heart of God [Paperback]

Nancy Guthrie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2006

Framing her own story of staggering loss and soaring hope with the biblical story of Job, Nancy Guthrie takes her fellow sufferers by the hand and guides them on a pathway through pain—straight to the heart of God. Holding on to Hope offers an uplifting perspective, not only for those experiencing monumental loss, but for anyone going through difficulty and failure. Includes a study section for readers who want to dig deeper into what the Bible says about dealing with suffering and grief. Additional sections include a Foreword by Anne Graham Lotz and a Resource section linking Scriptures with each chapter's lesson.

Endorsements:
“Only God could orchestrate such events. And only God could give the Guthrie family the faith and courage to live them. May he use this story to strengthen us all.”—Max Lucado
“Nancy Guthrie's faith shines through some of the darkest clouds of human pain. This book and her story will touch your emotions and inspire your mind in an unforgettable way. Seldom will you read anything with such candor and insight, probing one of life's toughest questions: How can grief be a friend along life's journey?” —Ravi Zacharias
“Holding on to Hope reads easy, runs deep, and enriches the heart! If you are stymied about God's goodness amidst life's heartaches, then this book's for you.”—Joni Eareckson Tada

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In late 1998, doctors diagnosed Guthrie's newborn daughter, Hope, with Zellweger syndrome, a rare congenital disorder, and gave Hope less than six months to live. Guthrie, a media relations specialist who has a 10-year-old son without the disease, tells of Hope's brief life with raw emotion, but never resorts to cloying sentimentality. After Hope's death, Guthrie's husband had a vasectomy to prevent future pregnancies. Thus they were shocked to learn, a year and a half later, that Nancy was pregnant again. Although there was only a 25% chance that the baby would carry the disease, they soon discovered that this child, a son, would also be a Zellweger baby. Gabriel lived just one day shy of six months, dying in January of this year. In trying to extract meaning behind such suffering, Guthrie turns to the Book of Job, teasing out themes of restoration and redemption amidst Job's many trials. She is honest about her own terrible sorrow; after outlining God's possible purpose for the fleeting lives of these two children, Guthrie admits, "That is what I believe. It is not necessarily how I feel." She says that her decision to trust in God is a daily choice, not a onetime sacrifice, and that some days such submission is easier to embody than others. The book closes with a time-honored evangelical altar call. And here, it works. Readers who have immersed themselves in Guthrie's honest story of redemptive suffering will examine their own faith in a new light.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Nancy Guthrie has had to bury two of her three children. Nancy has endured the kind of loss most of us hope we never have to face. Yet her hope has not dimmed, and her easy laugh has not disappeared. Nancy and her husband, David, and son, Matt, make their home in Nashville, Tennessee, where they attend Christ Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian Church in America).

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (November 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414312962
• ISBN-13: 978-1414312965
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,838 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian Living > General

More About the Author

"God has been preparing me my whole life for teaching his Word," says Nancy Guthrie. "He has blessed me with so many sound Bible teachers to sit under--from my days as a college student in Bible classes, to terrific Bible Study Fellowship leaders, gifted pastors -- as well as several teachers like Tim Keller and John Piper that I listen to almost daily on my ipod."

Nancy's life experience--dealing with the loss of two of her children--has signi???cantly affected her teaching substance and style. "I've had to dig into God's Word in search of answers to hard questions about how he works, and I ???nd that my listeners usually have the same struggles and questions. And while I openly share the deep hurts in my life, I also like to laugh. People who hear me teach say that I'm very real, and that is certainly what I want to be." "To me, God's Word is a treasure to be mined," Nancy says. "The deeper I go in it, the more I see its wisdom, the more it authenticates itself, the more it reveals to me the amazing mystery of God."

Nancy is the author of six books including Holding on to Hope, The One Year Book of Hope, Hoping for Something Better, Dinner Table Devotions, Hearing Jesus Speak Into Your Sorrow, and When Your Family's Lost a Loved One (co-written with her husband, David). She is also the editor of several anthologies published by Crossway, collections of great writing by noted classic and contemporary Bible teachers and theologians including Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross, Be Still My Soul, and O Love That Will Not Let Me Go.

She is currently working on another book for Tyndale's One Year line that will be One Year of Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament.

Nancy and her husband David live in Nashville, Tennessee while their son, Matt is off to Western Kentucky University.In addition to teaching opportunities at her church, Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Nancy speaks regularly at conferences and events around the country such as the Ravi Zacharias International Ministries Conference, The Brooklyn Tabernacle, Second Baptist Church of Houston, Taylor University, Covenant College, and in countries including Scotland and Colombia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully Explains Why God Allows Suffering In Our Lives, November 5, 2002

By 

SenorNikonMan (Mission, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Holding On to Hope: A pathway through suffering to the heart of God (Hardcover)

I bought a copy of this book yesterday afternoon at my local Christian bookstore to give to my niece whose unborn baby has been diagnosed with a chromosomal condition which as her doctor puts it, is not conducive to life. Even though I knew this book was written with people who have already had a loss in their lives in mind and my niece's baby is still alive in her womb, I thought that it might be something to help her and her husband better understand why God allows suffering in believers' lives.

Before giving it to my niece however, I decided to read it myself to make sure it was appropriate and that it conveyed what I believe and feel. Once I started reading it, I couldn't stop and I read it all the way through.

I have just mailed the copy I bought yesterday to my niece and I have just ordered three more copies from Amazon. One is for myself, which I plan to read again and then lend out to family and friends, and two are to have available as gifts.

While reading this book will be of comfort to anyone experiencing a tragedy in their life, it can be very helpful to friends and family members of this person as well. So many times we want to be there for someone in pain, but we are afraid to upset them even more by either saying or doing the wrong thing. Since this book is written from the perspective of someone who has survived a tragic loss in their life, the reader gains insight into what the author found to be the most comforting and the most hurtful things said and done by others during her grieving period.

Therefore I highly recommend this book not only to anyone who may be experiencing a tragic loss in their life, but also to the friends and loved ones of such a person.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book offered incredible comfort and understanding, March 22, 2003

By 

"lisakib99" (Tulsa, OK USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Holding On to Hope: A pathway through suffering to the heart of God (Hardcover)

I read this book only weeks after losing my son due to a stillbirth. His heart stopped beating only 1 day before he was to be born. This book gave me so much comfort, hope and understanding during those very difficult days when I was in shock and disbelief. The author relates one's loss and hurt to the experiences of Job in such an incredible and practical way. She devotes chapters to understanding despair, blame, and the question of "why did this happen?" to name a few. This was by far the most helpful and comforting book I have read to help me get through the grief process. It gave me hope and strength, amd helped me to understand that God has a divine plan, even during our times of suffering. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone experiencing the loss of a child, or any loved one.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Healing, August 12, 2002

By 

Elaine Andrews (Mountain View, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Holding On to Hope: A pathway through suffering to the heart of God (Hardcover)

Sooner or later all of us will face grief, loss, dissapointment. Nancy Guthrie offers us the same comfort she has found in looking to God for meaning in what appears to be senseless tragedy. This is a book to read in small bits and pieces. Yes, it may bring tears, but tears of healing for broken hearts. This book lives up to its title, and does inspire hope and a sense of purpose - even in pain. While written from a Christian perspective, anyone who believes in a mindful God with a larger plan than this life, will find comfort.