David Powlison - God’s Grace in Your Suffering

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Whenever my friend David Powlison offers insights on handling hardships, I listen. Far from dispensing ivory - tower platitudes, David takes anchors from Scripture and bolts them firmly into our thinking, providing practical steps in embracing the God of the Bible, who, incidentally, wrote the book on suffering. Davids wisdom has helped me through a significant portion of my years as a quadriplegic, and I highly commend Gods Grace in Your Suffering . What a great guide for those who, every day, journey the hard, bloodstained path to Calvary.

Joni Eareckson Tada, Founder, Joni and Friends International Disability Center

Sometimes navigating the advice of others while in the midst of suffering can be an added trial. Powlison puts all of that to rest by giving readers the gospelshowing them the firm foundation of the Word. He puts the compass of Gods Word in our trembling hands and points us to true north: Christ himself.

Gloria Furman, coeditor, Word-Filled Womens Ministry ; author, The Pastors Wife

Tender, refreshing, and thoroughly biblical, Gods Grace in Your Suffering is a cup of cold water for those in the desert of suffering. Writing from the perspective of both a fellow sufferer and a wise counselor, Powlison gently leads us to find Gods goodness, grace, and comforting presence in our pain. We see how God is at work in our trials and can bring gold out of our afflictions. My copy is well marked as I know I will refer to this insightful book again and again!

Vaneetha Rendall Risner, author, The Scars That Have Shaped Me: How God Meets Us in Suffering

Because David Powlison understands that profound good in our lives often emerges in a crucible of significant suffering, he is fit to lead us in a workshop on suffering and Gods grace. And thats exactly what Gods Grace in Your Suffering isa workshop where Powlison walks us through Scripture, the hymn How Firm a Foundation, and our (and his) experiences, that we may see Gods goodness and seek Gods grace in and through our suffering.

Juan R. Sanchez, Senior Pastor, High Pointe Baptist Church, Austin, Texas; author, 1 Peter for You and Seven Dangers Facing Your Church

Heres a short book that is long on biblical wisdom for real life. I look forward to putting this book into the hands of those who struggle to connect the promises of the Bible with the painful realities of life in this world in a way that brings peace.

Nancy Guthrie, author, Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow

Yes and amen! David Powlison brings together suffering and the powerful, tender God who is with us in our sufferings and in whom they have meaning and purpose. You will find a big - picture view that breathes hope and encouragement, as well as profound nuggets that you will want to tape up over the kitchen sink to savor. As always, David makes things practical, personal, and ordinary. If you live in this broken world, you will want to read this book!

Elizabeth W. D. Groves, Lecturer in Old Testament, Westminster Theological Seminary; author, Grief Undone and Becoming a Widow

Gods Grace
in Your
Suffering

Other Crossway Books by David Powlison

How Does Sanctification Work?

Making All Things New: Restoring Joy to the Sexually Broken

Gods Grace
in Your
Suffering

David Powlison

Gods Grace in Your Suffering

Copyright 2018 by David Powlison

Published by Crossway
1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover image and design: Jordan Singer

First printing 2018

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from The New American Standard Bible. Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Scripture references marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Trade paperback ISBN: -1-4335-5618
ePub ISBN: -1-4335-5621
PDF ISBN: -1-4335-5619
Mobipocket ISBN: -1-4335-5620

Library of Congress Cataloging -in- Publication Data

Names: Powlison, David, 1949 author.

Title: Gods grace in your suffering / David Powlison.

Description: Wheaton: Crossway, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017017293 (print) | LCCN 2017052509 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433556197 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433556203 (mobi) | ISBN 9781433556210 (epub) | ISBN 9781433556180 (tp)

Subjects: LCSH: How firm a foundation. | Hymns, EnglishHistory and criticism. | Consolation. | SufferingReligious aspectsChristianity.

Classification: LCC BV317.H69 (ebook) | LCC BV317.H69 P69 2018 (print) | DDC 248.8/6dc23

LC record available at https:// lccn .loc .gov /2017017293

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2018-09-24 12:22:14 PM

To the men and women

with whom I am privileged to work at the

Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation.

Your faith, love, wisdom, and gifts mean so much to

me personally. You give riches to the body of Christ.

You give your very selves. Thank you.

We most humbly beseech thee, of thy goodness, O Lord, to comfort and succor all those who, in this transitory life, are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity.

Book of Common Prayer

~~~

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

2 Corinthians 1:34

Contents

Job, his wife, and his three friends agreed on two things. Our lives are few of days and full of trouble (Job 14:1), and Gods hand is intimately mixed up in our troubles. But strife and perplexity set in among them when they tried to explain exactly how God and troubles connect.

They argued about the cause of Jobs troubles; no one understood the backstory of cosmic drama. They argued about what God was up to; no one understood that God had purposes for good beyond human comprehension and he was not punishing Job. They argued about the validity of Jobs professed faith and faithfulness; no one understood that Job was both the genuine article and a work in progress. And they argued about who needed to do what in response to affliction; no one understood that the Lord would show up, that he would be asking the questions, that his purposes would be fulfilled. The Lord himself described Job as a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil (Job 1:8). But who could have predicted the tumultuous journey that proved that fact?