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Quiet Assurance: Meditations on Peace for the Grieving Heart
God is holding your grief in his hands.
Where is God when pain lingers and grief wearies our souls? Grief can dismantle a life and unsettle our faith. In the shrouded corridors of sorrow, we stumble about, desperate for the presence and nearness of God, grasping instead only cobweb and shadow.
If you have wondered if you are forgotten or if God hears your cries for help, allow Quiet Assurance to draw you to hope and peace. Walking through the Psalms, this thirty-day devotional will remind you that when the world goes to war against our fragility and our fatigue, God embraces our weakness, pain, and suffering as a known commodity.
Regardless of what life throws your way, you can rest in the knowledge that God is well-versed in our frailty, and does not need our prayers whitewashed or our pain minimized.Quiet Assurance you to the spiritual practice of lamentIllustrate God’s compassion for the broken heartInvite you to bring your honest, messy pain to God.
When God feels more absent than present, allow the psalter of Scripture to remind you of God with us.
Where is God when pain lingers and grief wearies our souls? Grief can dismantle a life and unsettle our faith. In the shrouded corridors of sorrow, we stumble about, desperate for the presence and nearness of God, grasping instead only cobweb and shadow.
If you have wondered if you are forgotten or if God hears your cries for help, allow Quiet Assurance to draw you to hope and peace. Walking through the Psalms, this thirty-day devotional will remind you that when the world goes to war against our fragility and our fatigue, God embraces our weakness, pain, and suffering as a known commodity.
Regardless of what life throws your way, you can rest in the knowledge that God is well-versed in our frailty, and does not need our prayers whitewashed or our pain minimized.Quiet Assurance you to the spiritual practice of lamentIllustrate God’s compassion for the broken heartInvite you to bring your honest, messy pain to God.
When God feels more absent than present, allow the psalter of Scripture to remind you of God with us.
- GenresNonfiction
142 pages, Paperback
Published October 23, 2020
6 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 16, 2020
Quiet Assurance is like a kind, compassionate, and truth telling friend for the journey through grief or difficult times. Based on the Psalms, Thelma points us back to God's truth, but in a way that only someone who has gone through grief themselves can. Thelma is a beautiful writer and I cannot recommend this book enough.
December 18, 2020
Perfect size for the grieving heart. I loved this book and that it's based in the Psalms. The author wrote this for any type of suffering and points to God being right there with us in every circumstance. I love it so much- it's one I'll read over again.
January 23, 2021
Thelma is an amazing gifted writer. The ability to put into words what so many of us feel in our grief journey with such honest rawness and then bring it all into Gods word. I know in my own grief journey I felt completely lost but now with confidence I can say ‘I was sinking and He didn’t let me drown!’
Loved these paragraphs from book: ‘We are changed by our sorrow, and while we may not move ON from grief, the Lord binds us with his healing touch so we can move forward WITH our grief. His tenderness toward you is clearly etched onto the pages of Scripture. Will you ever be the same again? Probably not. Just as when we glue together a piece of broken pottery, it never looks quite the same... the cracks show, and we may need to handle ourselves with extra care.... the Lord is drawing you near and piecing you back together.’
Loved these paragraphs from book: ‘We are changed by our sorrow, and while we may not move ON from grief, the Lord binds us with his healing touch so we can move forward WITH our grief. His tenderness toward you is clearly etched onto the pages of Scripture. Will you ever be the same again? Probably not. Just as when we glue together a piece of broken pottery, it never looks quite the same... the cracks show, and we may need to handle ourselves with extra care.... the Lord is drawing you near and piecing you back together.’
March 11, 2021
Quiet Assurance" is absolutely the most apt title for this beautiful little devotional, and for the author's gentle, graceful and grace-filled writing style.
I used this book as my morning devotional for a few months, interspersed with a couple others. But I truly only took so much time with it not because it was an obligatory chore like some other devotionals can be, but because it each entry is *rich* with meaning, depth and capaciousness for the paradox of holding grief and joy at once. Nienhuis is a generous hostess, bringing us into the spacious place of Gods throne room, where we can pour out all our anger, grief, unmet longing, praise and wonder through the prism of the Psalms. She encourages us to lament honestly, but always brings it all back home to the place we must begin and end if there's any hope for us at all - Jesus Christ. She reminds us that the Gospel is not some flimsy pie-in-the-sky whitewashing of our suffering, but is real hope, hope with flesh on His bones and grit in His jaw, here and now in the midst of our pain.
I've tasted the sweetness of Jesus all over again through Nienhuis's lovely reflections. I plan on buying this book again when I have a grieving friend or family member who needs realness and rawness shot through with solid hope.
I used this book as my morning devotional for a few months, interspersed with a couple others. But I truly only took so much time with it not because it was an obligatory chore like some other devotionals can be, but because it each entry is *rich* with meaning, depth and capaciousness for the paradox of holding grief and joy at once. Nienhuis is a generous hostess, bringing us into the spacious place of Gods throne room, where we can pour out all our anger, grief, unmet longing, praise and wonder through the prism of the Psalms. She encourages us to lament honestly, but always brings it all back home to the place we must begin and end if there's any hope for us at all - Jesus Christ. She reminds us that the Gospel is not some flimsy pie-in-the-sky whitewashing of our suffering, but is real hope, hope with flesh on His bones and grit in His jaw, here and now in the midst of our pain.
I've tasted the sweetness of Jesus all over again through Nienhuis's lovely reflections. I plan on buying this book again when I have a grieving friend or family member who needs realness and rawness shot through with solid hope.
January 26, 2022
This is a great devotional on grief. Whether you are grieving in the traditional sense or grieving the impact of a physical or mental health issue, Thelma walks the reader through praying as the psalmists did- with the whole heart baring all pain and joy to God. I chose this as my advent devotional following a hysterectomy that gave me back my life, but obviously took away the opportunity to create new life and found respite in recognizing that God is no stranger to our suffering. In showing the reader how joy and grief can mingle and walk side by side, the author helped me to find space to celebrate the joys of Christmas and (my newfound lack of pain) while grieving a tremendous disappointment. I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone walking the road of grief, suffering or loss - either themselves, or alongside a loved one.
December 28, 2020
Sometimes when I hear the word "grief" I don't know if it applies to me. I'm not currently in mourning over a physical loss of a loved one. BUT here's what the author, Thelma Nienhuis, reminded me of recently: grief will linger for as long as whatever is lost remains important. This book speaks to those important losses-- yes, all of them. As I read the words Thelma penned in Quiet Assurance, I was reminded that God makes space for us to pay attention to, lament, and communally grieve our deep hurts. The combination of Psalms and Thelma's own experiences/guidance were such a gentle blend, and touched the parts of my heart that still quietly ache from years ago. I will definitely come back to this one again when my heart needs a little extra care.
February 13, 2021
The authors devotions and reflections are from a deep, healing place of her personal journey with various and diverse aspects of grief tied profoundly to fresh perspectives on the Psalms. I found it insightful and inspirational not only as I reflected and meditated on my own journey of grief but the collective grief our world has gone through with the pandemic, injustices, and tragedies that have in one way or another impacted us all. It is not a book to rush through but to read, digest and process slowly to get the full potential of this gem in your own life.
January 14, 2022
This book is incredible. Meant to be a daily reading, I somehow missed that and read the book straight through. But honestly? I don't know how you could only read one bit of this book and close the cover. Thelma's gorgeous writing draws you to the Psalms and to God over and over, in a beautiful reminder of where we can find the grace, light, and love we desperately need in our darkest hours. I will be resisting this book over and over, as one reading is simply not enough.
November 11, 2020
Honest, approachable, and relatable. Thelma combines well-researched Biblical truths with personal stories of her faith life. Even if you have read the Psalms many times before, you will find new insight and encouragement in this book.
January 16, 2021
Through this book, Thelma offers an understanding guide to the grieving that brings both grace and truth. In seasons of grief, she knows which words are timely and healing, and which words to avoid that are unhelpful and wounding. She points readers to the God who never fails, though our hearts are broken.
This is a great bedside companion to pick up when the heart feels heavy – short devotionals that offer timely truths rooted in the Psalms, relatable stories, and comfort found in the character of God. She doesn’t ignore the real pain of loss and wanting, but cushions the big emotions next to God’s love for the hurting.
This is a book I purchased for myself and will return to time and time again, and also one I bought for friends whose hearts ache. She reminds us: “When we stand on the assurance of God’s promises, we can build a life on the steadfast rock of his character.”
This is a great bedside companion to pick up when the heart feels heavy – short devotionals that offer timely truths rooted in the Psalms, relatable stories, and comfort found in the character of God. She doesn’t ignore the real pain of loss and wanting, but cushions the big emotions next to God’s love for the hurting.
This is a book I purchased for myself and will return to time and time again, and also one I bought for friends whose hearts ache. She reminds us: “When we stand on the assurance of God’s promises, we can build a life on the steadfast rock of his character.”
December 30, 2020
This book is a great read for anyone suffering from any kind of grief: loss of a loved one, broken relationship, infertility, etc. - Thelma touches on all areas. In Quiet Assurance, Thelma reminds us that no matter your grief or sorrow God is there. God knows us humans need to grieve but this doesn't mean He stops loving us. May you to find comfort in the Psalms and Thelma's devotionals as I did.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews