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To Those Who Suffer: Understanding God's Purpose and Pathway Through Pain

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Suffering is only temporary for those who know the way away. "To Those Who Suffer: Understanding God's Purpose and Pathway Through Pain" discusses suffering through faith, discussing why God does not simply end the painful things that happen in our lives, that bring them down. Sean Nolan also discusses why these people should not simply despair, and has much to give them hope for a better day. "To Those Who Suffer" is a choice read that shouldn't be missed by those faced with dread.

Sean Nolan's book, "To Those Who Suffer: Understanding God's Purpose and Pathway Through Pain," opened my eyes to look for God's purpose in our suffering, be it physical, mental, financial, or spiritual suffering, etc.--whether it comes from in the form of innocent suffering (caused by others), self-imposed suffering, and suffering spiritually (which to me is suffering for the sake of the Gospel).

In no way does Sean disclose the great 'fix-it plan' to solve all suffering, but he guides us into contemplating God's work behind the scenes of our lives. Sometimes we see His plan, other times we don't. Throughout the book it's clear that God's love and mercy for us are always there, He cares about us, and He has not forsaken us at any time.

I do believe that God heals and restores people today out of their suffering like in Biblical times, but not always. Sean is clear that God's foremost goal for sending His Son was to reconcile us back to God, giving us a relationship with Him, and to conform us into Christ's image. His message is that God uses suffering to make that change in us. After all, who changes when things are going great?

I also found that about the time I wanted to argue Sean's point, he came up with Scriptural insights I hadn't thought of. He did this chapter after chapter, surprising me and broadening my knowledge of God's ways.

Sean's book is one of those books you need to read more than once or twice to get the meat of the book and apply it to your life. I highly recommend this one for spiritual growth in your life despite life's circumstances. And since he suffers from chronic pain himself, it makes this book that much more real and personal. Will you let your suffering make you bitter or better? It's your choice.

**Special thanks to Audra Jennings of The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***

I do not have an illness, but when the opportunity to review this book arose, I took it. In my mind, you don't have to have an illness to be suffering and in pain and in need of God and His love. There is all kinds of pain and suffering in the world today. This book is full of Sean Nolan's kind and compassionate words as he uses scripture verses and an understanding that God can help you overcome the pain and suffering of anything.

I really think this book is worthy of 4 stars. A I said above, I don't have an illness, but I benefited from it just the same. I have a deeper understanding of God's will and His love for me even in the most difficult of times. Please, no matter what your suffering from, give this amazing book by Sean Nolan a chance! You will benefit from it, too!

There are some books that just seem like they were written just for me. To Those Who Suffer is one of those books. I was initially drawn to this book because the author knows from personal experience how difficult it can be to suffer from a chronic illness, as do I. That in itself was enough to make me want to read this book. Well, then I started reading it. At the beginning of the introduction Sean has included Mark 5:25-34. That is the story of the woman who bled for twelve years until she reached out in faith to Jesus and was healed. My husband directed me to those verses of scripture years ago when I was having a lot of difficulty with my fibromyalgia and it has become my favorite scripture. I turn to that story again and again. When I saw that Sean started the book with that scripture, I was hooked. From that point on, this book spoke to me again and again.

Sean Nolan understands pain and suffering. He also understands God's will and he is a superb teacher for people like me who struggle with illness or any type of suffering. This writing is kind and compassionate and honest. This biblical insight is inspiring and uplifting. Sean does not just write about this topic or teach about, he has lived it. He understands what it is like to suffer. I highly recommend this book to anyone who suffers whether it is mental suffering or physical suffering. This book is fantastic.

Only those who have experienced pain and suffering will fully understand how amazing this book is and how well the author exposes his points.
Through four sections (Why God Does What He Does; The Many Different Paths To Pain; The Church versus God - The Answers We All Seek; It Still Hurts), each one with 3 or 4 chapters, the author tries to demonstrate that God is under control. Some quotes touched me deeply, as a major theme for reflection, like when talking about pray, "God does not want our advice. He wants our devotion". Another one: "Christ came to free us from our sin, not necessarily our suffering", and a variation of that, "God is more interested in our character than our comfort". And the list of quotes that makes us think goes on and on. Yet my favorites are "hell is not a place, it is a choice,... hell is the absolute separation from God." and "Paradise is not a place, it is the presence of God".
Entering into details on the different paths to pain, Sean makes comparisons using biblical characters, which makes the reading very clear and interesting. The "Innocent Suffer" is illustrated by Joseph, the "Self-imposed Suffering" by David, the "Suffering Spiritually" by Job and "All Roads Lead to Rome" by Naomi.
If you want to read about a serious consideration on suffering and pain, this book is a must have in your permanent library and I can guarantee that you will not suffer and have pain while reading this book (sorry for the joke, Sean)!
This book was written by Sean Nolan and was published by VMI Publishers and B&B Media Group was kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing.
It took me around 7 hours to read this book.

To Those Who Suffer by Sean Nolan is a must read for anyone looking for some light after a interminable dark night. Nolan who has faced an unnamed illness understands what it is to suffer without relief from painful illness, but he also reaches out to those facing spiritual or emotional suffering as well. He helps readers to discover a purpose in the pain. God never allows us to suffer without a reason, and while we often can't see it, we need to understand that He does. Nolan breaks suffering into three different categories: suffering we've brought on ourselves, innocent suffering, and suffering caused by spiritual attack. While the three may be different, all are used by God to strengthen and deepen our faith, and that's a lesson often taught, but Nolan doesn't leave the reader there. He offers a true hand of encouragement and hope. As a sufferer of rheumatoid arthritis for almost six years, I look for books like this that will help me understand and accept my illness. I've read others in the genre, and this book felt much deeper than those. Nolan never dismisses the depth of pain readers may be suffering. He is genuine and heartfelt in his desire to help readers, and that makes this book a true stand out.

If the Lord is a loving God, a caring Father, why does He allow such suffering amongst His children? Why does a loving God allow parents to abuse and children to die? Why does He permit a heart to be broken or a spirit to fall? To Those Who Suffer is for the parent mourning the loss of a child, the woman mourning the loss of a love, the young adult mourning the loss of a goal, and the young man living each day in chronic pain. It is for anyone who has wondered Why, God? How can you allow this, Lord? or Where are you, God?

In thought-provoking, easy-to-read language, Sean Nolan addresses these questions, and more. As a chronic sufferer and ordained minister, Mr. Nolan uses his personal experience and extensive knowledge of the Bible to remind that reader that the Lord hears our each and every call, that He loves and cares for us and is pained by our suffering, and that He uses our suffering to help us to grow and become more like Christ, the ultimate sufferer.

This book gives answers, not comforting answers the reader may be hoping for, but straight-forward, honest answers based on Biblical truths. To Those Who Suffer is a must-read for anyone wondering where God is in this world of suffering or questioning whether He truly loves and cares for them. The book is best read a little at a time to allow the reader time to reflect on and truly understand the message of each chapter.

This book was provided to me by The B&B Media Group, Inc. in return for my honest review. The contents of this review express my own opinion.

Book Description:
Christians are often taught that God will remove our suffering if we simply keep trusting Him to--that suffering is not a part of God's will for our lives. But what about those that don't have their horrific circumstances removed or reversed? The Lord will not bring a woman's husband of fifty years back from the dead or reattach someone's amputated limbs. Does this mean that these people have no hope? They do, and it doesn't depend on relief from their circumstances.

If we clearly understand what the Lord's goal is for our lives--that of being conformed into the likeness of His Son--then we will understand the methods that God employs to achieve this. Just as exercising muscles strengthens the physical body, suffering strengthens the spirit because we spend more time seeking and interacting with God. You'll find that seemingly hopeless circumstances can give birth to the most powerful victory and wonderful blessing!

Review:
"To Those Who Suffer" is a Bible-rooted answer to the question of why a good, all-powerful God would allow suffering. The author wrote specifically to people who are in a situation where their suffering appears hopeless and unending, but this is a good book for anyone who wants to be able to answer this often-asked question.

The author explored suffering caused by others, suffering brought upon yourself by your own actions, physical suffering, and emotional suffering. He quoted the Bible to give answers as to why God allows suffering and how He uses it. He came to many of the same conclusions as Nancy Guthrie of "Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow" did, but I liked how Nancy shared her story of sorrow with us so we knew "this is someone who really knows." Sean Nolan also speaks from experience, but he never explained what he'd gone through so the book felt more detached and intellectual to me. Some people may prefer this.

Overall, the author made a lot of good points that are worth reading, and I'd recommend this book to people who struggle with the theological "problem of pain" as well as to those who are currently suffering and feeling hopeless.


This book was a review copy sent to me from Audra Jennings of The B&B Media Group.

Review by Debbie from ChristFocus Book Club

In the book, "To Those Who Suffer",author, Sean Nolan, dwelves into the concept of suffering and as a Christian, what and how our Heavenly Father can do and not do for us.

This book took some time of reading and re-reading mostly because of the depth of the discussion and raising self questions of "How do I view suffering as a Christian" and "What are my expectations and often unrealistic expectations" about suffering and I found, To Those Who Suffer, to be both a source of comfort and humble understanding of how often we may misunderstand what it means to suffer and what we think our Heavenly Father should or should not be doing.

At 207 pages and with both humble wisdom and scriptual based applicable truths, Sean Nolan truly touched at the heart of understanding what our Heavenly Father can truly do for us.

The chapters are short, but deeply filled with convicting truths that doesn't shy away about what our Father seeks for all of us.

Sean Nolan has a humble outlook on what it means to suffer and why as heexplains, "If suffering were a tree, its fruit would be unique and extremely rare. The reason why the Lord uses the painful process of suffering to sanctify us (conform us into the image of His Son) is that suffering produces unique and extremely rare fruit that cannot be grown or cultivated by any other means.

To Those Who Suffer, is highly recommended for those who are seeking to gain a deeper understanding of why heaven is not here on earth, but in our Father's kingdom in Heaven one day and in the meantime, why the things we want and desire does not happen as we would like it to.

Though wars and sickness will continue to happen, what is forever promised and rest assured is hope in and through our Heavenly Father.To Those Who Suffer, is a deeply encouraging and wonderful reminder that our Father does and will come through for us even if our circumstances doesn't change.