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Be Still, My Soul (25 Classic and Contemporary Readings on the Problem of Pain): Embracing God's Purpose and Provision in Suffering

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If you've lived long enough, you know that very few, if any, escape suffering somewhere along the line. When those trials come, we need a rock solid ground beneath us. This secure stability in difficulty is what Nancy Guthrie hopes to guide us to in Be Still, My Soul. She writes:

"The scriptural truths elucidated in this book by respected classic and contemporary theologians and Bible teachers are the truths that have been the solid foundation under my feet in the storms of suffering and sorrow in my life."

Like two others of Nancy Guthrie's books, this is a collection of readings by various authors on a single topic. In this book the subject is God's perspective, purpose, and provision in suffering. Nancy Guthrie, who lost two of her children as infants and who has written books on the subject of God and suffering is uniquely equipped to compile selections that will give the reader courage, hope, and peace in suffering.

The twenty five chapters in Be Still, My Soul are written by twenty-five authors from very different backgrounds, circumstances, and times: A. W. Tozer; Os Guiness, D. A. Carson; Augustine; Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John Newton, to list some. The book is divided in three sections: nine pieces on God's perspective on suffering (how suffering fits in the big picture); eight on God's purpose in suffering (how suffering is used by God for specific purposes); and eight on God's provision in suffering (how God cares for us in difficulties).

As you might expect, there were some readings I liked more than others. There were also a few places where I either questioned the way certain points were made or questioned the points themselves. But that's okay. I rarely agree with everything written in a book, and when one features twenty-five different authors from various theological traditions, I expect to disagree in at least a few places.

I've already posted two short excerpts from this book--one by R. C. Sproul and one from D. A. Carson. Let me give one more taste of what you'll find in Be Still, My Soul. Here is Joni Eareckson Tada from God's Plan A, where she argues that the accident that permanently and totally paralyzed was God's "good and loving Plan A" for her life, and used by him to make her more like Christ:

"When suffering sandblasts us to the core, the true stuff of which we are made is revealed. Suffering lobs a hand-grenade into our self-centeredness, blasting our soul bare, so we can be better bonded to the Savior. Our afflictions help to make us holy. And we are never more like Christ, never more filled with his joy, peace, and power, than when sin is uprooted from our lives."

That the chapters are short--four to eight pages or so--and centered on one point is a big bonus. It's a format that's appropriate for people who are right now in the midst of difficult circumstances, who may not have the time or focus to work through a book with longer chapters that build on each other. This doesn't mean, however, that all the pieces are easy to read. A few, particularly those written by historical Christians, use language that requires concentration and maybe a little work. (Will you think less of me if I admit that that I'm still not sure I understood the piece written by Bonhoeffer?) Don't let this discourage you from reading; the more difficult chapters are worth the effort they take.

Nancy Guthrie is an editor who chooses well, making this an excellent collection of reading on suffering. If you are feeling the need for a little solid ground in the midst life's storms, Be Still, My Soul is an excellent to start.

Suffering is often as difficult to understand as it is to endure. The burden of sorrow and the weight of suffering are interwoven elements of our reality. Thus, grappling with the gravity of pain in a sin-riddled world is not an optional task.

Recognizing the urgency of this reality, in this volume Nancy Guthrie has collected twenty-five readings on the problem of pain. Writing out of her own experiences, Guthrie confesses that suffering "pushes us deeper into the mystery of God. It makes us more desperate for him, to hear from him and sense his presence" (10). Her preface is indicative of the type of thoughtful reflection found in the selections throughout the volume.

She highlights what I think is one of the strengths of the collection by holding out a supernatural hope without diminishing the horror of human pain. She writes, "I am not holding on to hope in terms of a positive perspective about the future or an innate sense of optimism, but rather holding on to the living person of Jesus Christ." This type of resolve involves "grabbing hold of the promises of God, his purposes, and his provision, and refusing to let go."

Accordingly, her goal for this compilation of readings is that they would "shape your thinking, steel your resolve, and still your soul" (11). There are three distinct features of the volume that serve this end.

First, the structure of the book provides a helpful framework by which a believer might understand his or her adversity. The chapters are divided into three main parts: God's perspective on suffering, God's purpose in suffering, and God's provision in suffering. The chapters under each of these headings function as variations on these themes. This rubric can enable a suffering believer to trust in God while not fully understanding every aspect of seemingly meaningless hardship. Meditating on these three themes could serve as a lifeline for someone before, during, and after those types of situations that seem to shake even the strongest theological foundations.

Second, each chapter begins with a biblical text that relates to suffering. Some contributors reflect directly on that passage, and others use the verse as a complement to a broader theme. These passages provide readers with some of the most appropriate places in the Bible for understanding suffering. This feature will be particularly helpful for a reader using the book in a daily-devotional format.

Third, the content of the chapters themselves is consistent and encouraging. To highlight a sampling of the essays, Tim Keller shows how suffering can be "the servant of our joy." Joni Eareckson Tada views her hardship as "God's plan A." Dietrich Bonhoeffer reflects on what it means to "bear" suffering. Missionary Helen Roseveare talks about "when cost becomes privilege." D. A. Carson encourages believers to think about how to "die well." John Piper speaks of the power that comes in weakness, and Jonathan Edwards ends the volume with a word on the "refuge and rest" found only in Christ. While there is diversity among these contributors (e.g., classic/contemporary, pastors/scholars, men/women), Guthrie does a fine job of keying the selections and excerpts to the themes of the three sections. Most of the chapters also function well as stand-alone units.

An additional benefit of this volume is that readers will be exposed to a strong view of God's providence. This recognition of God's absolute authority over all things functions as an inner nerve that binds the various themes and perspectives of the contributors. Indeed, the reflections here are generated by the conviction that God is both good and sovereign. This conviction is necessary for one to speak of God's purpose as well as God's provision in suffering.

One feature I would like to have seen is more exact citations. The acknowledgements for the readings are located at the end of each chapter followed by a brief biographical note. These are helpful, especially for some of the less well-known figures. However, no page numbers are provided, so readers will have to do some digging if they want to pursue the thinking of the chapter in the original work. Also, it is unclear how much abridgement and modernization has occurred for some of the selections during the editorial process.

In these short readings, Guthrie has given believers an occasion for self-reflection. Here you will find no easy answers or superficial articulations of the questions. The contributors acknowledge the evil of suffering and maintain a proper tone of solemnity when addressing these issues. These chapters are best read slowly and alongside introspective reflection, not because of the difficulty of their content but the gravity of their subject.

I am grateful for this little book, because it kept reminding of a big God; A God who beckons in the midst of pain, "Be still, my child, and cling to your redeemer."

Suffering will always be with us. How we should handle suffering, even in the best of times for the most devoted follower of Christ, may not always be clear to us. In "Be Still, My Soul: Embracing God's Purpose and Provision in Suffering" we have a memorable collection of essays from theologians, past and present, sharing their experience and pastoral advice.

The authors in this valuable compilation range from John Newton to Corrie Ten Boom, from Augustine to D.A. Carson, each, in his or her own way, sharing an encouraging and comforting message. Editor Nancy Guthrie has done a brilliant job selecting each essay for the book. Reflecting on pain and suffering is something we spend far too little time on today. Suffering will affect your life someday and this work will enlighten as it informs its reader to God's merciful work in trials.

I can only highly recommend this book for anyone with questions regarding suffering and or the Bible.
God's word is simply interperted and easily understood from the various speakers. The Holy Spirit is present in these writings. Grab one and give it to a friend, then give one to yourself.

Nancy Guthrie does a wonderful job of compiling stories from classic literature and great men and women of the Word. This is third book of this type I've read that she has edited and she always seems to know just which writings to choose to compliment her theme. This particular book is on understanding suffering and the content is very useful in this endeavor. I found much peace while reading this book and it helped me to remember that God is with us, even through the fires of trial.

This book is most helpful for a follower of Christ in our world of pain, unfairness, and mystery.
We are using this in a Bible Study group and are being blessed and strengthened in our faith in God.
We use two chapters each week.
This would be good for individual enrichment also.

Be Still My Soul is a book that consists of 25 "classic and contemporary readings on the problem of pain." As we live in a world of pain and suffering - suffering of many different types that affect people in many different ways people have always been asking the "why" question since the beginning of time. Concerning the experience of pain and suffering the band REM poignantly sang in their song Everybody Hurts, "Everybody hurts. Well, everybody hurts sometimes. Everybody cries. And everybody hurts sometimes." There can be no denying that suffering and pain and the shedding of tears are a part of the human experience and that no one is immune from it. And so the reason for the age old questions, "Why do people suffer?" "Why does God allow suffering?" and "What can be done to alleviate people's suffering?"

The authors featured in the book answer the question "Why do people suffer?" from a God-centered perspective, quoting the Word of God as well as sharing from their own life experiences what God has taught them about pain and suffering. The author Philip Yancey refers to the issue of pain as "The Gift of Pain in chapter 2. It might seem odd or even outrageous that someone would imply that experiencing pain is a gift. He writes that to many Christians pain might be considered as "God's mistake." He shares the story of Dr. Paul Brand, a missionary surgeon, who treated people with leprosy that "pain itself, the hurt of pain is a gift." It is important to note that people with leprosy do not feel pain which becomes problematic for them as the disease progresses. Yancey writes in regards to pain, "Just as physical pain is an early warning system to the brain, it is a warning system to the soul." How true this is. Just as physical pain causes us to seek the attention and care of a doctor, pain can also be a means by which we are driven to God to find needed hope and help in him.

The book consists of three parts; Part 1 is "God's Perspective on Suffering" which is always the best place to begin because when you get God's perspective first on any issue of life such as pain or suffering and follow the wisdom that his word provides, even though the circumstances of life might be painful, in God and his word you will find the hope and help you need to endure. Included in this section is a chapter written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer entitled "Bearing Suffering." Bonhoeffer knew the personal experience of pain and suffering all too well as he suffered greatly at the hands of the Nazi's as a prisoner and was eventually executed by them. Joni Eareckson Tada also has a chapter included in the book entitled, "God's Plan A." Joni too knows full well what it is to suffer as she has lived the good part of her life as a quadriplegic. Part 2 is "God's Purpose in Suffering" which is a section of the book where authors such as Jerry Bridges, A. W. Tozer, St. Augustine and others share the purpose of God in suffering. Sufficient it is to state that pain and suffering are not for God's pleasure or for our pain; but rather, for God's glory and our good and that pretty much summarizes what the author's write. And Part 3 is "God's Provision in Suffering." Corrie Ten Boom, John Piper, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards and others share that in our times of pain and suffering as humans we are not left to suffer alone and without any hope or help. Quite the contrary is true for the people who have chosen to become followers of Christ. We have a wonderfully abundant source and supply of help and hope available in our seasons of pain and suffering through our relationship with God and his son Jesus Christ. As Ludie Carrington Day Pickett penned the words in her hymn, "No, never alone, no never alone, He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone," a hymn that shares as the writers in the book do, in times of affliction suffering and pain if we know and love God and are followers of his son Jesus Christ, we are NEVER left to live or suffer alone.

This book is an excellent read as found within its pages are treasures of truth...truth about God and his character, truth about suffering and pain, and truth about the abundant supply of God's grace, mercy, help, and hope that is available to us when we experience seasons of pain and suffering in our lives.

I bought this book as a small gift for my mother when my grandmother passed away. I thought it would help her. She told me how much she loved it, and that she in turn purchased a copy for her brother. A few weeks later I realized that maybe I needed to read the book, so I bought another copy. I loved it. It doesn't beat around the bush, or tell you that everything will be "ok", or say that your loved one is "better off". What it DOES do, is help you to think about life moving forward, and how you can accomplish that life with your loved one in your own spirit.

I can't say enough about it. Nevermind flowers. The next time you have a close friend who loses someone... this book is an inexpensive yet incredibly thoughtful GIFT.

It has taken me over a month mentally and emotionally to sift through the essays in this book. I read several things that will likely stick with me for my lifetime. The essays are a mixture of contemporary and classic readings just as the title said. I counted how many of the essays that I enjoyed and felt deeply fed by and the number was 16. Of the nine that I did not resonate with, most of them were by Puritan preachers. I have discovered in reading these essays that I do not particularly enjoy reading essays from that time period. They are well written and explained, but they speak from a very thinker oriented perspective, rather than that of a feeler--which I am. Philip Yancey, Tim Keller, and Corrie Ten Boom's excerpts, though, deeply connected to my heart. And though I did not enjoy nine of the essays, they were wise and thought provoking.


If you have puzzled about the place and purpose of suffering in our lives, I highly recommend this book. It has brought me through a time of struggling with God and crying to him as to why there is suffering in my life. There is a verse from one of the essays examining Habakkuk which I am committing to memory, "The just shall live by faith." Hab. 2:4 From the beginning, Ms. Guthrie's book dedication struck me. The book is dedicated to Joni Earekson Tada in which I think she says something very wise about Joni, "We listen because she lives where only our deepest fears take us. And we listen because the way she articulates how she has made sense of her suffering helps us to make sense of ours." That is the purpose of this book--to help us see from many perspectives purpose in our suffering. I hope it will encourage you as it has me.

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Crossway Books.

This was better than I expected! By collecting writings from various great sources, Nancy Guthrie has provided a real gem. I have been a Christian for years and enjoy a deep daily relationship with my Savior, so I thought this book might have some nice ideas to hand to others. Instead, this has been tremendously encouraging to me; I am realizing more and more what a privilege it is to suffer with Christ. I have found THE book to give to believers who are in the midst of pain.