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Suffering and the Sovereignty of God

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It was an interesting experience reading Suffering and the Sovereignty of God (edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor), for only a year before its release I had been present at the Desiring God National Conference where the contents of the book were first presented as keynote addresses. With only a couple of exceptions, each chapter of this book is drawn from one of those speeches (those exceptions being Dustin Shramek's chapter and an appendix entitled "Don't Waste Your Cancer" which was initially written by John Piper when he learned of his prostate cancer and was subsequently added to by David Powlison when he was diagnosed with the same disease). I had, then, some familiarity with the material before I began to read it. I knew which authors would provide a theological framework for suffering and which would focus instead on their first-hand experiences of suffering. I even knew what most of the authors would say. Still, I enjoyed reading the chapters as much as I enjoyed hearing the speeches one year ago. I am sure I learned as much from them the second time around.

This is not a book that deals with suffering as an abstract principle. In the introduction Justin Taylor writes, "The authors do not write as mere theoreticians, waxing eloquent about abstract themes. No, this is a book of applied theology. Its theology has been forged in the furnace of affliction." Of the contributors, two are paralyzed, two lost parents when they were only young, two have recently suffered the death of a child and two are even now battling prostate cancer. "The point of mentioning this is not to portray them as victims or to elicit your sympathy, but rather to reiterate that they are fellow soldiers in the battle, fellow pilgrims on the journey." They are equipped to speak about suffering because they have suffered.

While it is by no means a requirement that the book's chapters be read in order, those who do so will first find theology and then the practical outworking of that theology. The first part of the book looks primarily at God's sovereignty in suffering. John Piper writes the first chapter, expounding "Ten Aspects of God's Sovereignty Over Suffering and Satan's Hand in it." The impetus for this book and this chapter, he writes, "comes from the ultimate reality of God as the supreme value in and above the universe." Over against a breed of evangelicalism that is increasingly shallow and inequipped to deal with difficult subjects such as suffering, Piper presents the absolute sovereignty of God, even in this. Following Piper is Mark Talbot who seeks out the gracious hand of God in the hurts others do to us. He answers the claims of Open Theists and others who seek to diminish God's sovereignty, showing that, while God never does evil, He does ordain evil. He is sure not to let God off the hook for His role in suffering, for God does not want to be let off the hook.

To begin the second part of the book, which focuses on God's purposes in suffering, John Piper writes two chapters, asking why God allows suffering. He looks first at the greatest act of suffering that can or will ever occur--the death of Jesus Christ. "The death of Christ in supreme suffering is the highest, clearest, surest display of the glory of the grace of God. ... Suffering is an essential part of the tapestry of the universe so that the weaving of grace can be seen for what it really is." Or, put most plainly and simply, "the ultimate reason that suffering exists in the universe is so that Christ might display the greatness of the glory of the grace of God by suffering in himself to overcome our suffering. The suffering of the utterly innocent and infinitely holy Son of God in the place of utterly undeserving sinners to bring us to everlasting joy is the great display of the glory of God's grace that ever was, or ever could be." In the following chapter he asks why God appoints suffering for His people and gives the following six reasons drawn from Scripture: suffering deepens faith and holiness; suffering makes your cup increase; suffering is the price of making others bold; suffering fills up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions; suffering enforces the missionary command to go; and the supremacy of Christ is manifest in suffering.

The fifth chapter is written by Steve Saint, a man whose story has been told in venues around the world. He frames his speech around two events that caused him great suffering: the death of his father and the death of his daughter. Reflecting on these events he writes, "I don't advocate that we look for suffering; life brings enough of it on its own. But what I do advocate is that suffering is an important prerequisite to ministering to hurting people. Christ took on our likeness and subjected himself to the suffering that plagues us." In Christ's willingness to suffer we see the value of suffering ourselves, for in our pain we can sympathize with others. Carl Ellis Jr. then writes about the sovereignty of God in ethnic-based suffering, encouraging Christians to demonstrate "the true meaning of ethnicity rather than imitating the world with ethnic power struggles, marginalization, and oppression. We need to glorify God by being on the vanguard of spiritual unity with ethnic diversity."

The book's final section focuses on God's grace in times of suffering. David Powlison looks at how the grace of God meets us in our suffering. He structures this tender, pastoral chapter around the six stanzas of the hymn, "How Firm A Foundation." Dustin Shramek's contribution, entitled "Waiting for the Morning during the Long Night of Weeping" affirms the sovereignty of God even in the death of his infant son. He examines Psalm 88 which he considers the most discouraging chapter of the Bible for it is filled with pain and searching but ends without a move from pain and grief to joyful triumph. "He [the Psalmist] had not experienced the deliverance he cried out for. He was still just as discouraged then as he was when he began writing." Shramek shows how this man's experience was not unique and draws principles from it. The final chapter is written by Joni Eareckson Tada. She discusses a line from the film The Shawshank Redemption which says, "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies." While admitting that hope can be difficult to find in tragedy, she affirms the importance of hope and shows how her life is marked with hope for the life to come.

Suffering and the Sovereignty of God continues the tradition of fine books based on keynote addresses at the Desiring God National Conference. Along with Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, it is a compassionately biblical and pastoral examination of a difficult subject. Suffering is an experience common to all human beings and is an issue we all wrestle with at one time or another. This book provides encouragement that God is sovereign, that His purposes are being worked out in suffering, and that even through the darkest trials there is hope. I am confident that this book will be used by God to encourage many of His people, both those who have already suffered greatly and those who have not, but are seeking to equip themselves for the trials that are sure to come in this fallen world.

This book has some great essays. It provides a great mix of theology, and personal testimony, and narratives of how God uses suffering to progress the gospel. The question of suffering is very complex so having a variety of writers from diverse backgrounds attacking the issue from slightly different perspectives helps the reader to understand how God uses suffering to glorify Himself, to mature us in Christ, and to progress the gospel. Suffering can not always be explained, but we have a God who has suffered through his Son and that should bring great comfort to us. The most poignant essays were by Piper and Joni. Another good essay was Suffering and Missionaries. The book starts off with essays by Piper and Taylor putting suffering within the framework of God's sovereignty.

I haven't suffered much. I was humbled by stories of suffering in this book. The book was very encouraging because the authors of these essays were very honest in their struggles, but yet praised God for the suffering. Their endurance was not their effort, but God's strength working through them.

There are dozens of books on the topic of God and human suffering, both in the popular press and from the halls of academia.

Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, however, is different from all of them.

Born out of the 2005 Desiring God National Conference, this is an anthology from seven different authors. All of the authors and their essays are deeply rooted in two things: suffering and the sovereignty of God. All of the authors have personally experienced suffering: two are paralyzed, two are suffering from prostate cancer, two have tragically lost loved ones on the mission field. And all of the authors share an unshakeable conviction in the absolute sovereignty of God, and how standing on this firm foundation makes human suffering both bearable and indeed meaningful as part of our salvation and God's glorification.

Piper starts with a theological overview of why God has ordained suffering in this world, as well as chapters on the role of Satan and the particular role of suffering in the lives of saints. Stephen Saint, son of the murdered missionary to the Aucas Nate Saint, reflects on the role of suffering in missions. Carl Ellis discusses ethnic suffering, while psychologist David Powlison opens up the grace of God in suffering. David Schramek gives an intensely personal essay on the pain of waiting for God during suffering, and Joni Eareckson Tada closes with an essay on our real hope.

Intensely personal and thoroughly Biblical, this book gives true insight and comfort for the hurting and those striving to help them. Highly recommended.

In Piper's book, Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, he makes a clear distinction at the very beginning of Chapter 1 that the reasoning behind his book stems from the ultimate reality that God is the supreme value in and above the universe. I found that comforting, knowing that this book was going to focus on suffering without giving God the easy way out. After reading through it, I realized that this is exactly the focus that Piper intended to convey in his writing. It gives a very heartfelt and sincere, yet firm message that the Lord allows all things according to His will and purpose.

Throughout scripture we are reminded of God's purposes in suffering and the vital role that it plays in strengthening our faith and dependency on God. I had not yet come to grasp however, (until reading this book) that many times suffering is the cost of obedience. I think too often we are told that obedience leads to greater fulfillment and contentment in Christ. Ultimately, yes, but there is definitely something to be said for individuals that choose to be obedient, knowing full well that the road is paved with suffering.

I also found it interesting that this type of suffering leads not only to greater obedience but also to greater compassion. This wouldn't have been my natural inclination. I don't usually think about the Apostle Paul, Jeremiah the Prophet, or King David as being very compassionate. Perhaps this is due to their human perspective in relation to their sufferings and the call on their lives. However, you can not read the words of Christ and not sense the compassion that he has for us.

I would and have been recommending this book to a number of my friends. Excellent read!

When the condition of suffering is brought up in today's society, relatively few people can identify with. The modern world, more specifically Western society in all its affluence, is populated with denizens that spend most of their brief lives attempting to avoid suffering. People look to various techniques or goods in their quest to minimize any type of suffering for a mere hint of such a condition is undesirable. From drugs, money, sex, food, entertainment, religion and so on are being utilized for escapism as the reality of suffering becomes too much. As Christians, how are we to endure suffering or even explain it? All too often I hear Christians ask the question of why bad things happen to good people?

The recently released book Suffering and the Sovereignty of God edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor aim to answer the question of suffering from a biblical basis. Based on the 2005 Desiring God National Conference of the same name, the editors have assembled the speakers from that event to put to paper the content of their sessions. If you attended the conference, the book's editors have arranged the various essays by themes instead of the actual order of each session and included additional material outside the conference relating to suffering.

The heart of the book is divided into three parts:

1. The Sovereignty of God in Suffering
2. The Purposes of God in Suffering
3. The Grace of God in Suffering

Part one contains two essays - one written by Pastor Piper and the other by Mark R Talbot. - that tackle the role of God's sovereignty in our suffering. Part two considers the "why" of suffering in four essays - two by Piper, one by Steve Saint, and one by Carl Ellis Jr. Part three closes out the book looking at grace in suffering with writings by David Powlison, Dustin Shramek, and Joni Eareckson Tada. The last part of the book contains appendices of Don't Waste Your Cancer by John Piper and David Powlison as well as a transcript of the Q&A session with Piper and Justin Taylor from the conference.

The arrangement of the chapters is purposeful, attempting to let each chapter build upon themes and concepts addressed. Even so, the chapters do not have to be read in order to benefit from the writings. In part one Piper shows how God is sovereign over the various methods Satan uses to cause suffering. As humans we all too easily attribute suffering to the Enemy and leave God out of the picture. Mark Talbot, in his essay, reiterates God's sovereignty and goodness through suffering and simultaneously engages the errant view of open theism. Then in part two the book covers the reason of "why" suffering exists. Here in this section Piper explains the ultimate reason for suffering is to "display the greatness of the glory of the grace of God." The second essay is based on a chapter from another of Piper's books Let the Nations Be Glad and works out some reasons how suffering affects a Christian. Steve Saint then further extends this line of thinking into relationships in missions and relates it to his own personal experiences. The final essay of the section by Carl Ellis Jr. parallels Saint's in some ways as he examines suffering in a horizontal sense of one human to another. Part three then engages how God's grace in suffering. David Powlison's essay helps to demonstrate how God meets us in our personal sufferings. There is no quick and easy answer as Dr Powlison aptly points out but he guides us through some biblical principles to help us out. Dustin Shramek reminds us of the immense pain that suffering produces. Though Christians may know the theologically correct answers to suffering, as humans the emotional and physical pain of suffering still exists and does not usually quickly pass. Closing out this final part of the book, Joni Eareckson Tada shows us how we are to place our hope and joy in God and not our own circumstances. Suffering tends to draw our gazes inward and on the Self which is our naturally sinful tendency instead of looking to God. The appendices serve as a coda for a few months after the conference both John Piper and David Powlison were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Don't Waste Your Cancer is Dr. Piper's pre-surgery meditation on his condition that God purposed in his life; Dr Powlison added his own thoughts to this writing shortly after being diagnosed himself. The Q&A portion gives Piper an opportunity to address some corollary issues tied into suffering as well as some personal insights.

Overall this book is immensely profitable whether you read it from cover to cover or skip around. The writers all engaged suffering horizontally while at the same time vertically. Despite the brevity of each chapter for a collaborative work such as this, the topics were handled with conciseness and depth. Suffering is an immensely personal condition that creates more difficulty in our already difficult human lives. Suffering and the Sovereignty of God helps guide us in the biblical truth Christians have that answer the hard questions when such circumstances arise and how we should bring this Truth to a dying world.

I think this is such a hard topic for many of us who personally have gone through difficult times. I know the theology, but it didn't make my heart feel any better. I have three special needs children and I have never been able to really understand our suffering within our family. I know God is wonderful and works all things for good for those who love him. I believe in Romans 8:28, but my heart had moments where life felt so difficult for my husband and me. This book has been a real blessing to me and has really given me hope while raising these babies. I realize that God has called me to raise these children for a purpose higher than i really know here on earth. I needed this book at just this time in my walk. I pray that whoever reads this book will be as blessed as I have been. If God led you to read these reviews, i say buy this book and let God speak to you through it. God bless~

Sobering. As we live in a culture in which we get lost in the minutiae of every day, this book makes one stop and think. To read about God's plan for pain is jolting; which, if you think about it, it is quite unbiblical that suffering be such a shock. Jesus came in order to suffer; the Son of Man was a martyr for his Father's plan. After Jesus blinded Saul on the road to Damascus, he sent Ananias to heal his eyes and told him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." Nothing about the life of the apostles seemed easy. We are even guaranteed that if we desire to live godly lives in Christ, we will suffer. Therefore, the church in America can not continue on the path it has taken; that is, being - and becoming more - detached from suffering. This book, bucking the trend of contemporary society, grabs hold of timeless truths from God's Word and confronts the issue of suffering and death. It brings to its readers the comfort of knowing that in death and in suffering God remains in sovereign control.

This book should be read by every Christian because it addresses one of the fundamental issues of our day, suffering.
This is an issue that is too often downplayed or sidelined by young and old alike.
Like the authors in this book I do not approach this subject from a distance, but up close and very, very personal. I have been chronically ill for the last 5 years and during the treatment had to deal with chronic anaemia, infected psoriasis, near migraine level headaches, an almost non existent white cell count, blurred vision and much more besides. I am now technically `cured', but my body is still recovering and reducing all the painkillers is progressing albeit slowly.

This book starts with the word of God, feeds off the word of God and honours the word of God throughout.
If you are seeking easy answers then don't read this book, but if you are seeking answers that strengthen your spirit and leave you with the highest view of the sovereignty of God, then read on. (In the book I mean, not this blog)

John Piper, as always, gives us no wriggle room (praise God) and lays it all out in his indomitable way.
He shows that God is in control of everything and that we can rely on that fact because He is there for us.
Feel under attack from the armies of Satan or the sinful desires of your own flesh? Be encouraged because God will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability to endure.
In physical or emotional pain? Be encouraged because Jesus knows and understands your suffering.
As John Piper puts it in chap 1 -

"God is supreme in all things. He has all authority, all power, all wisdom--and he is all good
"to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him" (Lam. 3:25).
And his name, as Creator and Redeemer and Ruler of all, is Jesus Christ.
In the last few years, 9/11, tsunamis, Katrina, and ten thousand personal losses have helped us discover how little the American church is rooted in this truth."

I would add that this applies in general to the church in the West. There are beacons in the dark from churches like Bethlehem Baptist and the Sovereign Grace Ministries group of churches amongst others, but they are all too few.
Just as well that God has it all under control.

If you are suffering, struggling for answers then READ THIS BOOK.

Please believe me when I tell you that it is possible to praise God joyfully in the midst of pain and suffering when you find your strength in God.

All the authors in this book understand the reality of this all too well.

By the grace of God I know it to be a reality as well. This is achievable by anyone, you do not have to be some sort of `super saint', far from it.

Please read this and be encouraged and challenged.

This topic could be no more relevant for the church. It's not a question of modern days, but one that has continued long throughout the history of Christianity. Maybe, however, no other group of gifted men have come together, as one, to put together such a gem of all books.

I am thankful for such a book. You will find it honest, true, straighforward, and absolutely and purely Biblical. If you're wanting a read that will make you feel perky, good about yourself, and inward focused, than don't read this. If you're ready for a heart-wrenching, long-enduring read, than pick this up (and be sure you can sit for a while).

This book will bring to the front of your heart one of the issues that you have just bumped down to the bottom of the priority list. Get it. Read it. Pray through it. Cry through it. Live with the truth of it.

I usually don't enjoy books that consist of a compilation of essays by several different writers. But Suffering and the Sovereignty of God defied my prejudice. The writers all share the same vision for the manifestation of God's glory in human suffering, and each author knows personally what it means to suffer.

Suffering and the Sovereignty of God seeks to help others in their time of suffering, not by offering a theological treatise on the relationship of God's sovereignty and human evil, but by walking together with the reader through the season of pain. Joni Erickson Tada contributes a chapter on the importance of hope. Steve Saint compellingly relates the story of his father's missionary death and the sudden death of his daughter, and strongly affirms that both these terrible events were planned in advance by our wise and loving God.

Mark Talbot's chapter is the most "theological," as it wrestles with how God's gracious hand can be seen in human suffering. (I do not think the word "ordain" is best when referring to human suffering, for it sounds too much like "God approves of" in a moral sense. Still, Talbot's outline is helpful.)

The appendices are worth reading too. John Piper and David Powlison encourage readers to not "waste" their cancer. And the book ends with a fascinating interview with John Piper. This book is highly recommended, not as a place to find all the answers you might have in your time of suffering, but a place to hear words of encouragement and comfort from authors who are not strangers to suffering themselves.