It’s been a while since I have last done a book review, so I thought I would write up my thoughts on a book I read fairly recently, as I feel that this topic is worth discussing.
Have you ever heard someone say “Why would a good God allow suffering?”.
I’m sure we have all heard something like this before, perhaps when we try and share our faith with others.
Often enough, the topic of suffering always appear to be a go-to prompt when unbelievers (non-Christians) attempt to question our (myself and other Christians) faith. This being said, I’m sure we, at some point in our lives, have found ourselves in a similar situation by asking the exact same question.
Why would a good God allow suffering?
The truth is, suffering is a reality for many of us, as I’m sure we all know what it is like to experience suffering at some point in our lives. It’s unpleasant, it hurts, and it’s understandable why many may turn away from God because of this.
Whether you are going through a difficult time and starting to question your faith or not, this book by Amy Orr-Ewing is an informative read and helps provide a Biblical perspective on the issue of suffering and provides some useful examples too.
I would like to point out that the timing of this book is important as it was written and published during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people from all over the world were faced with what suffering can look like, making it all the more relevant.
This book is also quite comprehensive too as it dives into some of the core issues around suffering by covering topics such as death, illness, natural disasters and more.
I feel that it’s very easy to try and falsely comfort those who are suffering by saying something along the lines of “I understand what you’re going through” without really understanding at all as they have never experienced it themselves.
This book is not like that at all.
In my experience, I find that Amy is very personal and reflects on her own experiences with suffering, which makes it all the more relatable and easy to follow.
This book reminds us of how these tough moments can be turned around by bring us into a closer relationship with God.
Ultimately, we can look at the cross on which Jesus died on for our ultimate example of what true suffering looks like at the expense of our sin and wrongdoing.
After all, Jesus knows what it’s like to suffer both physically and emotionally.
Overall, this book is relatable to both believers and unbelievers alike and is an ideal book for evangelistic purposes.