God's Grace in Your Suffering

by David A. Powlison

Where Is God?

There are never quick fixes or easy answers when it comes to suffering. But even when we can’t immediately see God’s hand—when the struggle is hard and painful—he is working. Weaving together Scripture, personal stories, and the words of the classic hymn “How Firm a Foundation,” David Powlison brings an experienced counselor’s touch to exploring how God enters into our sufferings, helping us see God working in our own particular struggles—and discover how God’s grace goes deeper than we could ever imagine.

Genres: Christian, Counselling, Christian Living, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction, Faith

130 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2018

About the author

David Powlison, MDiv, PhD, (1949–2019) was a teacher, counselor, and the executive director of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). He wrote many books and minibooks, including Speaking Truth in Love, Seeing with New Eyes, Good and Angry, Making All Things New, God's Grace in Your Suffering, Safe and Sound, and Take Heart. David was also the editor of The Journal of Biblical Counseling.

Reviews

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but encouraging treatise on suffering for Christians

If you are walking through hard times, as many of us are at any given time, this book is like having a friend hold your hand and walk beside you. It is a little book that will help us affirm,"It is good for me that I have been afflicted."

[Sara Fukuda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my.

I wasn’t prepared for the cool and calming balm this would be to my soul. It’s been sitting on my to-be-read pile for months, and I providentially picked it up on the absolute perfect week for me to read such a book.

This book is for everyone, since we all see suffering in this life. Probably wouldn’t speak to a non-Christian, but if you’re a person of faith, struggling thru genuinely hard and unspeakable things, this book feels like your best friend taking your hand, and gently pointing you to truth in Jesus.

Read it. Read it everyone.

[Haley Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! I’ll definitely come back to this later!

[Katie Delp · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sad this book is already over. Absolutely loved it. So helpful and comforting. Really helps you have the right biblical perspective during suffering and I will never look at and sing the hymn “How Firm A Foundation” ever the same 🙏🏻🥹

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powlison's writing style is clear and precise, and rich in wisdom and Scripture. To finish the book has felt like a long, slow exhale. Its sad that my time in this book is over, but it has equipped me with some incredible truths.

Read it.
You wont look at suffering the same way ever again.

[David Monreal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Balm for the Soul

This is a word of healing, a word of encouragement, and a word of hope to those of us who are suffering in this fallen world (and that is all of us). I can not recommend this book higher and I would run out of superlatives trying to express my admiration for this book. I encourage you to read it. It will minister to your heart and mind.

[Drew Meanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read on God’s special grace in seasons of suffering. Powlison has quickly become one of my favorite authors.

[Mary Welchans · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We learn how to have a quiet time. We discover our spiritual gifts. We study good doctrine. We learn how to study the Bible and memorize scripture. These are all good things. But we don’t necessarily learn how to need help... God uses significant suffering to teach us to need him. And when we need him, we find him.”

This paragraph summarizes the book well. It gives practicals on how to go through suffering and how to help others go through suffering.

Powlison gives personal insight and wisdom on how one should prepare and handle suffering. I highly recommend this this book!

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Powlison is such a great writer and biblical counselor. He writes in a manner that explains the concept clearly, relates to the reader, makes the reader examine their heart, and leaves the reader knowing how to live a more holy life. He is by far my favorite author for counseling books.

[Rodrigo Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book over several weeks with two older men in my church. Both of them have stories of significant suffering. One of them is suffering from Parkinson’s now and the other lost his spouse after a prolonged debilitating sickness. Powlison’s book was the perfect read because the chapters are short, the sentences are short, clear, and concrete, and the author’s tone is deeply pastoral. The book allowed for three men in different stages of life and different experiences of suffering to come together and retell the great mercies of God in Christ.

[Alex Etheridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the best lines of the book comes in the epilogue (why is that not all too infrequent an occurrence?). Here's what Powlison says:

"Finally, you are prepared to pose--and to mean--an almost unimaginable question: 'Why not me? Why not this? Why not now?'...If your suffering shows forth the Savior of the world, why not me? If you have the privilege of filling up the sufferings of Christ?...If your weakness demonstrates the power of God to save us from all that is wrong?...If your life becomes a source of hope for others? Why not me?"

[Natasha Pienaar · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on suffering I’ve read.
What a comfort to know that our Lord and Saviour has walked this road before us and has overcome the final enemy—death.

Instead of asking. ‘Why me?’, we should…”be prepared to pose-and to mean—an almost unimaginable question: "Why not me? Why not this? Why not now?" If in some way, your faith might serve as a three-watt night light in a very dark world, why not me? If your suffering shows forth the Savior of the world, why not me?”

[Myra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a visual learner in many ways, I would have savored even more the many helpful things Powlison said in this book if I had been holding a physical copy in my hands. As it was, the audiobook was still very insightful and encouraging. I like the creative way he arranged his content in keeping with the verses of the hymn "How Firm a Foundation". He brought out so many passages of Scripture and honest examples from his own life to express God's gracious care for us in our suffering. Lots of comforting truth here for my own heart and to share with others.

[Nicholas Potts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very, very good book. David goes into various forms of suffering and points out how God gives grace in and through it. He points to God’s sovereignty but not in a cold or distant way, but that God’s sovereignty is with you, guiding you, holding and loving you through your suffering. Very good book.

[Ruth Dahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important. Foundational. I want to make everyone read this

[Susannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical, psalm-hope-drenched. I always want a guided path in flounderingly hard times and this was exactly that, with endless compassion.

[Felicity Holton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be Powlison’s best book.

[Ethan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Hardships give us good reasons to be anxious, so God gives better reasons to trust him.”

Powlison’s tenderness drips off the page, redirecting our eyes to Christ, whom we are being conformed to through every trial.

“God willingly keeps talking. His sheep hear his voice, even in the valley of the shadow of death. Are you listening?”

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Further solidifying Powlison’s spot as my favorite Christian author

[Taylor Bench · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the way things I’ve read in a while. What a poignant reminder of God’s character amidst our affliction. He does not forsake us. He brings to completion all the He begins in us. He is unfathomably rich in mercy!! What a gift! And what a convicting truth that we are so deeply in need of mercy and restoration.

Would recommend this to any and everyone. It switches the perspective of suffering from one of angst to one of rejoicing.

It’s only 117 pages, so it’s a quick read as well.

[Robert McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This small book (100ish pages) is a real gem. It has much to offer fellow sufferers alongside better known volumes like ones by Tripp and Keller. Highly recommended!

[Tracey Jackman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good. If you are a Christian who has, is or might face hardship - read it!!

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is probably no one I trust more than David Powlison on the topics of suffering and sanctification. This is one of those (very rare) must-read books. Every Christian will suffer; Powlison will help you, by God’s grace, to suffer well, and with hope. Also read in March 2018.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: 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 God’s 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. (12)

Premise/plot: Powlison's new book is about suffering. He walks his readers through the stanzas of the hymn "How Firm A Foundation." Through exploring the hymn AND the scriptures--mainly psalms--he seeks to help Christians find meaning in their pain and suffering.

Half of the book focuses on the God revealed in Scripture, general truths that provide a good, solid foundation for believers. The other half focuses on the personal. Powlison shares his experiences in each chapter; he invites his readers to do the same. He has thoughtful questions to ask his readers to answer in each and every chapter. These questions challenge readers to make the reading experience interactive. The book becomes more practical and less theoretical when readers are fully engaged. "We are not going to discuss the general topic of God and suffering. We will consider how God’s grace enters directly into your suffering" (20).

My thoughts: I LOVED the book. The book stands in real contrast to the false messages of the prosperity gospel which would have their followers believing that if they're in pain, if they're suffering, it's because they lacked enough faith; it's because their prayers weren't good enough. God never promises any believer a pain-free, problem-free existence. In fact, God specifically promises that there will be trouble, pain, hardship, suffering, loss. Having a right view of God helps one to have a right view of suffering. "The purpose of this book is to anchor your experience more deeply in God’s goodness" (15).

IF there is one truth that is essential for believers to grasp, it is this one: "The wisdom to suffer well is like manna—you must receive nourishment every day. You can’t store it up, though you do become more familiar with how to go out and find what you need for today" (16). God provides grace for you daily. Grace to endure. Grace to strengthen. Grace to find hope. Grace to find peace. Grace to find joy. Grace to find wisdom. Grace to find love. Grace to find goodness. Grace to lean--and lean hard--on God's promises, on God himself. "God uses significant suffering to teach us to need him. And when we need him, we find him" (40).

Powlison on "How Firm a Foundation":

In “How Firm a Foundation,” you sing in an unusual voice. Only in the first stanza do you talk about the Lord and call each other to listen to what he has said. In the rest of the hymn, God is talking directly to you. Notice that each of the last five stanzas begins with a quotation mark. These are the Lord’s words. Though we sing these words, we are placed in the role of listeners—as in Psalm 50:5–23. God is talking to you. Ponder that. You sing this hymn by listening intently. What does the Lord talk about? Interestingly, he is speaking directly into your significant suffering. He tells you who he is, and what he is like, and what he is doing—not in general, but with respect to what you are going through. He breathes his purposes into your heartaches. He promises the very things you most need. Most hymns express our faith—to God, to each other, or to ourselves. This hymn is more elemental. God’s voice invites faith. He’s calling to you. (27)

Our hymn takes God’s simple “I will not” and says it ten times in a row: “I will never, no, never, no, never—never, no, never, no, never forsake you.” Far more than a mere doubling, this is a promise to the power of ten. It is pastoral wisdom, helping us to hear the fierceness and triumph of God’s lovingkindness. You will never be abandoned. You will never be alone. He will never give up on you. (113)

Another favorite quote:

Pain disrupts normal. It’s supposed to disrupt normal. It’s supposed to make you feel a need for help. Psalm 28 is not a placid “quiet time.” It’s noisy and needy. When you let life’s troubles get to you, it gets you to the only One who can help. (67)

[Nathan White · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a great deal of wisdom and practical advice in this little book, which is based upon the hymn "How Firm a Foundation," and includes space to write out your own thoughts and apply the teaching therein to your specific suffering.

Powlison is very good on this topic - and very easy to read. His personal antidotes are also helpful and do not distract.

One criticism I have is that he repeatedly calls suffering a "means of grace", and he also calls other believers a means of grace, along with all of creation as well. He even chides "theologians" who limit the means of grace to religious practices, because God "speaks without words in the theater of His creation." --While nobody denies that God reveals Himself through creation, and that suffering and other believers are often used by God to pour out grace upon us, there is a very good and biblical reason why careful theologians limit the means of grace to, what Powilson calls, specific religious practices. There is a big difference between special and general revelation, and Powilson's perspective here can be taken in some dangerous directions (it is directly opposed to what the Reformed Tradition defines as the means of grace).

Nevertheless, that's really the only concern I have with the book. And it won't stop me from recommending it, while voicing that one caveat. So if you're working through suffering in your own life or with someone close to you, this is a very helpful resource.

[Amber Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a good book! David takes the Hymn “How Firm a Foundation” and uses it to show God’s grace to us in our suffering. This book helped me to remember that God isn’t blind to my suffering and that he will not forsake me, his child amidst suffering. Some of my fav quotes were:

“Profound good in our lives, often emerges in a crucible of significant suffering. Jesus himself “learned obedience, through what he suffered.” Faith and love shine most clearly, simply, and courageously in a dark place.” P. 20

“‘I am with you’ is also a reality that we embody with each other. Though the presence of a brother or sister in Christ does not replace God, the nearness of another believer is a very significant means of God’s grace. Christ’s grace is embodied— in each other. Other people are part of the comfort God brings to us in affliction.” P. 52

“He designs your significant suffering for three reasons. He is revealing his abiding generosity toward you. He is removing all that is ungenerous in you. He is making you abidingly generous.” P. 77

“Endurance is purposeful ‘abiding under’ what is hard and painful, and considering others even when you don’t feel good.” P. 82

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This relatively short book is framed around the hymn How Firm A Foundation. While it is about suffering, the author points you to Christ the entire way through, which is what suffering is meant to do. Using the hymn and his own experiences of suffering, Powlison continually brings the reader around to the truth that God will never leave you or forsake you. A tremendous book that should be on the bookshelf of every person who has gone through any significant suffering. I can’t say enough about it. It’s unlike any book on suffering that I’ve ever read - and I’ve read quite a few. This little jewel will remain on my shelf until God takes me home, and will hopefully be read many more times until that day. Five stars!

[Richard Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This felt like a very personal book by David Powlison and was meant to be interactive in the handling of it. He works through the verses of How Firm A Foundation, and the scripture passages that inspired the song, along with telling parts of his own story. Not a classic Biblical Counseling book like you might expect and that threw me off at first, but very good. I didn’t know I would need it when I started reading it 2 weeks ago, but through some recent suffering (and seeing those around me suffering), it has brought it into a new light.

[Stephen Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Powlison provides a careful biblical understanding of the Christian’s suffering using the hymn “How Firm a Foundation” as a guide while interweaving some of his own life experiences. The book is designed to help the reader with accompanying reflective questions throughout.

[Carissa Battle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t quite put my finger on it but this book did not resonate with me. There were nuggets of wisdom in it I enjoyed but the rest felt slow. Everyone else in my Bible study loved it so I seem to be the problem.🤷‍♀️