Combing through numerous sources, Guthrie has composed a book containing a wide variety of instruction concerning suffering. Using voices both ancient and contemporary, Guthrie shows how the problem of pain has been addressed by Christians who have not only dealt with this academically but personally as well. Although most chapters are far too brief to get into any real depth, this also serves to make for bite-sized reading that may be easier to digest for some.  

An “anchor of the soul.” That’s what we want and need—to have something solid and secure to hold on to so we can live our lives at rest rather than being blown to and fro by every new circumstance that threatens us…Jesus Himself is God’s grand “Yes!” to us, the hope set before us to hold on to. [10]

Holding on to hope, for us, has not been a vague, sentimental experience. It has been an ongoing choice to believe God’s Word. We have sought to understand and embrace God’s perspective on suffering and bring Him glory through it. [11]

I am not holding on to hope in terms of a positive perspective about the future or an innate sense of optimism, but rather holding on to the living person of Jesus Christ. I am grabbing hold of the promises of God, His purposes, and His provision, and refusing to let go. [11]

TOP