Where Is God When It Hurts? (Paperback)

by Philip Yancey (Author) "I feel helpless around people in great pain..." (more)
Key Phrases: pain network, groaning planet, pain cells, Joni Eareckson Tada, Old Testament, Make Today Count (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This special Red Cross trade paper edition includes a brand new foreword from the author. All publisher profits and author royalties will go to benefit the American Red Cross. This perennial best-seller, now in a revised and expanded edition, includes a study guide. The book and study materials focus on the role of pain in God's plan for life and how we can respond to it.

From the Publisher
Many suffering people want to love God, but cannot see past their tears, says Philip Yancey. They feel hurt and betrayed. Sadly, the church often responds with more confusion than comfort. This current edition of what is perhaps Yancey's best-known book should speak to anyone for whom life sometimes just doesn't make sense. And it should help equip anyone who wants to reach out to someone in pain but just doesn't know what to say. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan Publishing Company (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310247276
• ISBN-13: 978-0310247272
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #666,317 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paradigm Shift, May 15, 2000

By	Bethany McKinney (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Where Is God When It Hurts? (Paperback)

This book is not only about how God views our suffering, and how much we struggle with God in the midst of our suffering (although it does thoroughly discuss those things). The most interesting aspects of this book, in my opinion, were the stories and comments that Yancey makes on how Christians, though mostly good-intentioned, often respond to other people's pain in very unhelpful ways. There is an example of a woman who was very ill and then examples of a few different people who came to visit her and how their different approaches affected her. It shows you how to best try and comfort someone in great pain (although of course there isn't one universally right way to do it). One of Yancey's most interesting observations in this book is that the only cards made for sick people are "get well" cards--and how that shows what society's view is on sickness and how often times people are only considered valuable if they are well. Otherwise, they are considered invalids (as he points out, that word suggests that the person is considered "not valid"). This book should be read by everyone experiencing chronic pain, anyone who experiences any kind of pain, and anyone who ever expects to know anyone who experiences pain. Therefore, everyone should read this book, because pain continues to be a significant part of life.

53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening book that shuns simplistic views about pain..., August 23, 2000

By	bethlovesbooks (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where Is God When It Hurts? (Mass Market Paperback)

Even if you are not a Christian, and even if you are not facing severe pain, this book is worth reading. It's worth reading because it will give you fascinating insights into the human body. It's worth reading because it will broaden your perspective after reading about people who have faced tremendous pain. And if for no other reason, it's worth reading because Philip Yancey is a great writer. His writing style is pithy, yet never brusque. He skillful balances journalistic fact, personal narrative, and theology in a way that few others can.

If you are struggling with physical or psychological pain, you will find a friend in Yancey. He approaches this topic respectfully, without simplistic answers and tears back a bit of the mystery surrounding the problem of pain in this world. I know I'll never come across a work that can answer all or even most of my questions, but I appreciate an author that will jump in the sticky battle for answers with a sharp eye for truth and a spirit sensitive to God's voice.

The beginning part of this book explores pain from a physical perspective. It touches on time that Yancy spent with Dr. Paul Brand who works with leprosy patients and investigates how pain is useful from a biological perspective. As the book moves on, Yancey's scope widens to address other aspects of pain and suggest some ways that God might be using pain.

However, at no time was I left with that troubling feeling that I sometimes get after someone quotes that verse about God using all things for our good. Yancey allows that it is much more complicated than that, at least from the perspective of this lifetime. Instead Yancey (much like C.S. Lewis) confronts these pat solutions and champions the cause of all of us who struggle to reconcile the seeming paradox of a compassionate God who is Lord over a pain-filled world.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical, honest discussion about human suffering, February 6, 1998

By	David Graham (Shell, Ecuador) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Where Is God When It Hurts? (Paperback)

This is the best book on pain and suffering out in the market (even better than C.S. Lewis's THE PROBLEM OF PAIN). Yancey's first chapter title describes our predicament well enough: 'A problem that won't go away'. This problem is as old as mankind, and in some ways, no one will ever write a better outline of this difficulty than can be found in the book of Job. Yancey's book, though, takes a fresh look at pain itself, and while it cannot answer all questions (no book can), it does give a thoughtful discussion that helps us to comprehend the crucial role of pain in our lives. This book is not an abstract speculative treatise, but a practical and helpful companion as we ask why there is such a thing as pain, is pain a message from God, how do people respond to suffering, how can we cope with pain, and how does religious faith help (or hinder). I give this book my highest recommendation.