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Removing the Sting of Death: Experience New Depths of God's Presence in Times of Pain, Grief and Loss
What if Your Loss Could Spark a Divine Breakthrough?
When prayers seem to go unanswered, when the miracle you want is nowhere to be found, when the pain of loss sears your soul, how will you respond?
For months, thousands around the globe prayed for a miraculous healing for Beni, beloved wife of pastor Bill Johnson, that never came. At Bethel Church, a global outpost of revival known for its signs and wonders, her passing thundered through the community like an avalanche in the valley.
Yet in the days following her homegoing, Pastor Bill delivered one of the most powerful, vulnerable, Holy Spirit-inspired sermons from that valley floor, offering courage, peace, and hope for anyone facing overwhelming loss and grief.
In this powerful new book based on that watershed sermon, Bill draws from scripture and his own experience of deep personal loss, teaching you how to process your pain with God and experience new dimensions of His presence available in times of suffering.
With raw honesty and compassion born from lifting hands in praise amidst tears of grief, Bill empowers you to:
Run toward God’s presence instead of away from Him.
Grieve with heavenly hope.
Rediscover the simplicity of faith that trusts Him no matter what.
Surrender your disappointment, pain, and questions to God.
Receive a vision for the other side of your mourning.
Embrace the mystery as much as the miracle.
Sometimes the most priceless gifts you can give God are only found in the valley: joy in loss, celebration in pain. Even as the darkness of the soul seems complete, choose this day to draw near to Him and experience aspects of His presence you can only find this side of heaven.
When prayers seem to go unanswered, when the miracle you want is nowhere to be found, when the pain of loss sears your soul, how will you respond?
For months, thousands around the globe prayed for a miraculous healing for Beni, beloved wife of pastor Bill Johnson, that never came. At Bethel Church, a global outpost of revival known for its signs and wonders, her passing thundered through the community like an avalanche in the valley.
Yet in the days following her homegoing, Pastor Bill delivered one of the most powerful, vulnerable, Holy Spirit-inspired sermons from that valley floor, offering courage, peace, and hope for anyone facing overwhelming loss and grief.
In this powerful new book based on that watershed sermon, Bill draws from scripture and his own experience of deep personal loss, teaching you how to process your pain with God and experience new dimensions of His presence available in times of suffering.
With raw honesty and compassion born from lifting hands in praise amidst tears of grief, Bill empowers you to:
Run toward God’s presence instead of away from Him.
Grieve with heavenly hope.
Rediscover the simplicity of faith that trusts Him no matter what.
Surrender your disappointment, pain, and questions to God.
Receive a vision for the other side of your mourning.
Embrace the mystery as much as the miracle.
Sometimes the most priceless gifts you can give God are only found in the valley: joy in loss, celebration in pain. Even as the darkness of the soul seems complete, choose this day to draw near to Him and experience aspects of His presence you can only find this side of heaven.
178 pages, Paperback
Published June 26, 2025
5 people are currently reading
1606 people want to read
About the author
Bill Johnson
763 books539 followersBill Johnson and his wife Brenda (Beni) Johnson are the Senior Pastors of Bethel Church in Redding, California. Johnson is a fifth generation pastor.
Johnson was born in Minnesota in 1951 and became a Christian as a young child. Soon after, Johnson read seven books on prayer, which significantly affected his perspective and subsequent ministry.
Bill Johnson and his wife have three children: Eric, Brian and Leah.
Johnson speaking at a conference
Bill Johnson and Beni (Brenda) began as singles pastors under his father at Bethel. In 1979, they became senior pastors of Mountain Chapel in Weaverville, California.
While pastoring in Weaverville, Johnson attended a 1987 conference led by John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard Church Movement. According to Johnson "A number of healings and manifestations broke out and I didn't know what to do with it. I didn't object to it, I wasn't opposed to it; I just didn't know how to pastor it in a way that it would continue and increase".
In 1995, Johnson attended the Toronto Blessing revival at the Toronto Airport Vineyard church. Johnson relates: "In Toronto I said, 'Lord, if You touch me again I will never change the subject.' So I went up for prayer every time it was offered. I didn't have anything dramatic happen, but I came home and said, 'I am going to give the rest of my life to this.'"
In February 1996, after 17 years of leading the Weaverville church, the Johnsons were invited to become senior pastors of Bethel. Today Johnson describes Bethel as a church where "everything we do either fuels revival or is fueled by revival." Under his leadership, Bethel left the Assemblies of God in 2006 to become a nondenominational charismatic church.
According to a recent book written by Johnson, "Face to Face with God", Bethel is "a church where supernatural encounters with God happen regularly, miracles are common, and the congregation has an infectious passion for spiritual growth." The church has approximately 1,500 members, and a School of Supernatural Ministry.
Their Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry has 1,200 students enrolled with over 370 from other countries. Johnson leads a network of churches dedicated to global, multi-generational revival, Global Legacy. Johnson has written a number of books and travels extensively as a featured revival conference speaker. Johnson is also involved with the Northern California Revival Fellowship, a group of north Californian pastors committed to revival.
Source: Wikipedia
Johnson was born in Minnesota in 1951 and became a Christian as a young child. Soon after, Johnson read seven books on prayer, which significantly affected his perspective and subsequent ministry.
Bill Johnson and his wife have three children: Eric, Brian and Leah.
Johnson speaking at a conference
Bill Johnson and Beni (Brenda) began as singles pastors under his father at Bethel. In 1979, they became senior pastors of Mountain Chapel in Weaverville, California.
While pastoring in Weaverville, Johnson attended a 1987 conference led by John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard Church Movement. According to Johnson "A number of healings and manifestations broke out and I didn't know what to do with it. I didn't object to it, I wasn't opposed to it; I just didn't know how to pastor it in a way that it would continue and increase".
In 1995, Johnson attended the Toronto Blessing revival at the Toronto Airport Vineyard church. Johnson relates: "In Toronto I said, 'Lord, if You touch me again I will never change the subject.' So I went up for prayer every time it was offered. I didn't have anything dramatic happen, but I came home and said, 'I am going to give the rest of my life to this.'"
In February 1996, after 17 years of leading the Weaverville church, the Johnsons were invited to become senior pastors of Bethel. Today Johnson describes Bethel as a church where "everything we do either fuels revival or is fueled by revival." Under his leadership, Bethel left the Assemblies of God in 2006 to become a nondenominational charismatic church.
According to a recent book written by Johnson, "Face to Face with God", Bethel is "a church where supernatural encounters with God happen regularly, miracles are common, and the congregation has an infectious passion for spiritual growth." The church has approximately 1,500 members, and a School of Supernatural Ministry.
Their Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry has 1,200 students enrolled with over 370 from other countries. Johnson leads a network of churches dedicated to global, multi-generational revival, Global Legacy. Johnson has written a number of books and travels extensively as a featured revival conference speaker. Johnson is also involved with the Northern California Revival Fellowship, a group of north Californian pastors committed to revival.
Source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 20, 2025
some helpful thoughts.
June 13, 2025
Bill Johnson has written a gem for everyone facing those hard moments of the deepest loss and grief. This raw, personal look at his own experience in the loss of his beloved wife is a must read for believers as they recover from the trauma, and attempt to grip the new reality without their spouse. In this situation, Bill shares that we have a choice. We can allow bitterness to set in, or we can draw closer to God, the source of all our hope. Remove the sting and apply the sweetness of God's love and comfort. Bill's insightful perspective can make all the difference as we must face the worst. "There is nothing more soothing to the wounded heart than the healing balm of his presence."
August 22, 2025
I have so many book darts marking pages I want to return to that I might as well read it again. Raw, vulnerable, encouraging, refocusing, compassionate and more. Highly recommend for anyone with loss or grief of any kind.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews