Tessa Thompson - Laughing at the Days to Come: Facing Present Trials and Future Uncertainties with Gospel Hope

In Laughing at the Days to Come , Tessa Thompson shares a poignant story of physical suffering and her journey not only to understand Gods hand at work in it but to face the future with laughter. This book is gospel centered and hope filled. Page after page, the author directs our focus to Christ and His work for us. We all face suffering in this fallen world, but we are not without hope. In Laughing at the Days to Come , readers are equipped to face their own stories of suffering with joy because of our present and future hope in Christ.

Christina Fox, author of A Heart Set Free: A Journey to Hope Through the Psalms of Lament and Sufficient Hope: Gospel Meditations and Prayers for Moms

Tessa has two gifts for the church: a powerful, true-life story of learning to trust Gods sovereignty and a unique ability to simply explain deep theological truths. I wept as I read this book. Whether youre wrestling with singleness, physical challenges, or piles of laundry, Tessas words will reorient your heart and mind to remember the character and presence of Godand equip you to truly laugh at the days to come.

Hayley Mullins, managing editor, Revive Our Hearts

In a world addicted to cheap laughs that demean God and mock sufferers, heres a unique book on Christian laughter that glorifies God and lifts up sufferers. A book on laughter that will make you cry tears of sympathy, tears of joy, and tears of worship. A remarkable book by a remarkable woman with a remarkable God.

David Murray, professor of Old Testament and practical theology, Puritan Reformed Seminary

Tessa Thompson has written a deeply personal, profound, and practical book on how to live by faith in the midst of great trials and secret fears. This is devotional theology applied to real life at its finest. Tessa roots this book in her own experience of suffering and addresses the worst what-ifs raised by our fearful hearts and answers them with the glorious what is: the sovereign gospel goodness of our triune God. I highly recommend this book to every believerespecially those who want a deep, biblically rooted, experiential faith that is able to laugh at the days to come. As a pastor, this will be my new go-to recommendation for those who struggle with anxious hearts.

Dale Van Dyke, pastor, Harvest Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Wyoming, Michigan

Laughing at the Days to Come is a biblically rich and refreshingly honest look at the realities of suffering and how the gospel empowers us to persevere in strength, courage, truth, and hope. As if shes sitting across from you with a cup of coffee, Tessa shares her personal journey of hearing loss and pain, and the fears that have come with them, and invites you to take a fresh look at how the truth of the gospel empowers us not only to have strength for today but to laugh at the days to come.

Sarah Walton, coauthor of Hope When It Hurts: Biblical Reflections to Help You Grasp Gods Purpose in Your Suffering

laughing

AT THE DAYS TO COME

Facing Present Trials and

Future Uncertainties with Gospel Hope

Tessa Thompson

Reformation Heritage Books

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Laughing at the Days to Come

2019 by Tessa Thompson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Direct your requests to the publisher at the following addresses:

Reformation Heritage Books

2965 Leonard St. NE

Grand Rapids, MI 49525

6169770889

orders@heritagebooks.org

www.heritagebooks.org

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV 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.

Printed in the United States of America

19 20 21 22 23 24/10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Thompson, Tessa, author.

Title: Laughing at the days to come : facing present trials and future uncertainties with gospel hope / Tessa Thompson.

Description: Grand Rapids, Michigan : Reformation Heritage Books, 2019. | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019041373 (print) | LCCN 2019041374 (ebook) | ISBN 9781601787217 (paperback) | ISBN 9781601787224 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Consolation. | SufferingReligious aspectsChristianity. | HopeReligious aspectsChristianity. | NeurofibromatosisPatientsUnited StatesReligious life. | Thompson, Tessa. | NeurofibromatosisPatientsUnited StatesBiography.

Classification: LCC BV4910 .T47 2019 (print) | LCC BV4910 (ebook) | DDC 248.8/6dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019041373

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019041374

For additional Reformed literature, request a free book list from Reformation Heritage Books at the above regular or email address.

To my husband, Nick, whose

fear of the Lord, selfless love, and zealous

pursuit of truth daily encourage me to press

on toward the heavenly prize

CONTENTS

Part 1. Laughter: Its Definition

Part 2. Laughter: Its Doctrine

Part 3. Laughter: Its Doing

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The desire to write Laughing at the Days to Come has been in my heart for a decade and a half. Several years ago, I started writing chapter 1. Im thankful nothing came of it; the experience was therethe theology was not. As always, Gods timing was better than mine. Not only did He give me a better understanding of His ways but He also gave me the gift of a sound and selfless husband to walk alongside me in the writing process. Thank you, Nicholas, for your persistent encouragement to start this project and the many, many times you cheerfully served me by giving me time to write. You listened patiently, prayed faithfully, and offered your thoughts with wisdom and graciousness. I am so thankful for you!

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for loving, supporting, and praying for me all these years and for showing me a marriage that endures through trial and loss.

Thank you, Dave and Julie, for the multiple weekends you loved on your grandsons and supported me and this project at the same time.

Thank you to the many friends and family members who prayed, spoke encouragement, asked questions, and served me in practical ways. Your love and kindness helped me persevere, and I am grateful for each of you.

Thank you, Pastor Mike Waters and Pastor Dale Van Dyke, for faithfully preaching Gods word week after week. Your sound treatment of Scripture has been formative to my thinking about the truths in this book.

Thank you, Joel Beeke, Jay Collier, and Annette Gysen at Reformation Heritage Books, for the time and effort you put into bringing this project to fruition. It has been a joy to work with you, and I appreciate your shared desire to glorify God and build up His people through the written word.

Part 1