When We Hurt : Prayer, Preparation & Hope for Life's Pain

by Philip Yancey

Whether our hurt is physical, emotional, or mental, in the end it is all the same- painful. Pain is a gift; not a thought we often have, but without pain we would never know when to move our hand from a hot stove or be able to empathize with friends and family that are going through so much. This gift book helps us to better understand pain and how to handle it in our daily lives. As a gift for someone going through chemotherapy or a couple that lost a child, this book allows them to experience the pain that they are feeling without guilt or regret- but instead as the gift it truly is.

Genres: Christianity, Christian

128 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2006

About the author

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Philip Yancey earned graduate degrees in Communications and English from Wheaton College Graduate School and the University of Chicago. He joined the staff of Campus Life Magazine in 1971, and worked there as Editor and then Publisher. He looks on those years with gratitude, because teenagers are demanding readers, and writing for them taught him a lasting principle: The reader is in control!

In 1978 Philip Yancey became a full-time writer, initially working as a journalist for such varied publications as Reader’s Digest, Publisher’s Weekly, National Wildlife, Christian Century and The Reformed Journal. For several years he contributed a monthly column to Christianity Today magazine, where he also served as Editor at Large.

In 2021 Philip released two new books: A Companion in Crisis and his long-awaited memoir, Where the Light Fell. Other favorites included in his more than twenty-five titles are: Where Is God When It Hurts, The Student Bible, and Disappointment with God. Philip's books have won thirteen Gold Medallion Awards from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, have sold more than seventeen million copies, and have been published in over 50 languages. Christian bookstore managers selected The Jesus I Never Knew as the 1996 Book of the Year, and in 1998 What’s So Amazing About Grace? won the same award. His other recent books are Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God’s Image; Vanishing Grace: Bringing Good News to a Deeply Divided World; The Question that Never Goes Away; What Good Is God?; Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?; Soul Survivor; and Reaching for the Invisible God. In 2009 a daily reader was published, compiled from excerpts of his work: Grace Notes.

The Yanceys lived in downtown Chicago for many years before moving to a very different environment in Colorado. Together they enjoy mountain climbing, skiing, hiking, and all the other delights of the Rocky Mountains.

Visit Philip online:
https://www.philipyancey.com
https://www.facebook.com/PhilipYancey

Catch his monthly blog:
https://bit.ly/PhilipYanceyBlog

Reviews

[Cindi P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short summary of wisdom on pain mainly from Dr. Paul Brand. I thought it would be about grieving, but it was not. It was mainly about physical pain. Scripture and quotes from other people were shared throughout. It contained some interesting information and some helpful things to consider, like what makes pain harder to bear.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. Love Phillip Lancey. So many ways to view pain. Needed to read this.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book looking at pain and how we and different cultures deal with it

[Georgia Herod · Rating 5 out of 5]

The contents of this "little" book are really the story of Dr. Paul Brand’s philosophy regarding the significance of pain in our lives—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Only in the western world do we battle so against pain and have so many questions. In other parts of the world, suffering is expected--at least that is how it appears. Brand believes pain is a gift to get our attention, to move positively into the joy of God. I’ve read Brand’s books, including Pain: the Gift Nobody Wants. This book contains excerpts and synopses from that.

Because pain and suffering causes us to wrestle with the big questions of life, I have bought ten or so of these to give as gifts.

[Madelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short little book had much to say about our bodies, our minds, and pain. While written by Philip Yancey, it is a collaboration with Dr. Paul Brand who worked for years among lepers in India and did much research on pain. The idea that pain should be our friend because it tells us of what is to come is not an idea that most of us relish. The many personal examples from Dr. Brand intertwined with scriptures dealing with pain and hope helped me to see pain from a new perspective. I need to read it again because there is so much there. Thank you Georgia for sharing.

[Hilda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another present from a friend,- one thing that I can still remember from this book (I read it about 5 years ago) is: be thankful if you still can feel life's pain. He compares his teaching with his exposures with those who have leprosy.

[Ksorb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of short, profound insights by world-renowned Dr. Paul Brand, hand surgeon, pain specialist, leprosy specialist, philosopher. Brilliant but digestible. I hope I can remember these when pain comes to me, as it comes to all people in time.

[Frida]

Buku nya berkwalitas , tapi terus terang berat untuk aku.