When Bad Things Happen: Thoughtful Answers to Hard Questions

CCEF Minibooks

by William P. Smith

Is a personal God really involved in our suffering? And if he is, what in the world is he up to? Why would a good God allow suffering in his world? 



William P. Smith addresses these and other hard questions by reflecting on what the Bible teaches about suffering. Instead of pat answers, he shares the different ways God uses suffering to bring us into a deeper, more intimate relationship with him. You can learn to see the good that God brings out of suffering and be thankful--not for the suffering itself--but for God and his involvement in your life.

Genres: Counselling

Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 1905

About the author

William P. Smith, M.Div., PhD., is the director of counselling at Chelten Baptist Church, Dresher, PA., adjunct faculty at CCEF, and the author of many counselling articles and the book Caught off Guard: Encounters With the Unexpected God.

Reviews

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good resource. Not as long as I would like, but it has a lot of good stuff! I will give this resource out to members at our church.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a helpful and edifying booklet. It is a “minibook” that is part of the “Resources for Personal Change” series published by New Growth Press. The author William Smith is an adjunct faculty in the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation has written an excellent resource for those who are going through trials and asking the question of why God allows bad things to happen. It is an excellent resource for Biblical and Pastoral Counselors to give the counselee and have them read and highlight/underline for study and meditation. For my own use I read this title along with a church member I was discipling and counseling as a pastor.


I really appreciated that the author was able to accomplish in such a short amount of space, especially since this booklet comes in at twenty two pages. Readers should not judge this booklet by its size. Just two pages into the booklet the author laid out the biblical case that God does understand our suffering; yet it isn’t a dry academic truth but very personal in how the writer argues that. I thought that the booklet making this point in the beginning of the book was very important since often those undergoing trials and difficulties often need to understand that God knows what they are going through. In fact practically speaking when people go through difficulties it isn’t just academic solutions they need but practically they need the presence of God. The meat of the book goes over how God uses suffering. The reasons listed are very helpful and biblical. The book also ends with a section titled “Practical Strategies for Change” which I thought was beneficial.

I recommend this booklet. In fact the person I read this with immediately want to share this work with others who need it as well. That to me is compelling of why biblical counselors and counselee should read this book.