Why read
this book?
When it comes
to suffering, I’m rather inexperienced. Don’t get me wrong in twenty-three
years of life I haven’t avoided suffering. But I must admit that I have
suffered very little. And so, the title of this book is not immediately
appealing to me. ‘Invest Your Suffering’? What suffering? Surely this book
isn’t written for me!
… So the first
chapter of this book was a bit of a shock.
The author,
Paul Mallard, describes how he and his wife grew up, met and married. She was
from a Christian home, and he joined the church during his school years, where
they met. They started dating just before university, and grew to love each
other. They got engaged, and were married six months later - and his first
girlfriend became his wife. Their marriage was happy and they were involved in
Christian ministry.
I find
Mallard's account truly alarming. Word for word, his story is my own
story.
And how quickly
the story changes.
A number of
years into their marriage, Mallard hears the news that will drag his faith
through the refining fire of suffering. His beloved wife Edrie is struck by
chronic illness.
The author's
story starts off so well. But it forces me to ask the question: What is written
in the next chapter of my story? Will my story be a tale of chronic illness? Or
will it be depression, bereavement, childlessness, imprisonment, or aggressive
cancer?
I don’t yet
know the details, but I have no doubt that suffering will come.
And so, we must
prepare ourselves for suffering. To start off, here are two foundational truths
I’ve gleaned from the first three chapters:
The mystery
of God
The author
examines the book of Job to find answers to suffering. We see Job suffering as
a result of natural processes, like sickness and natural disasters. It is
revealed that behind these forces stands a personal force of evil, the Devil. But
the ultimate cause of Job's suffering is in fact God himself.
This begs the
question... Why?
When I ask this
question, I feel entitled to an answer. I feel I have the right to understand
God's plans and purposes. But God is God, and I am not. God created the world,
and he will sustain it as He sees fit. In one sense, this is the end of the
conversation.
The
revelation of God
However, God
does not completely conceal his plans and purposes from us. Praise God! He is
not silent - He speaks to us through Scripture. It is because God speaks that
we can make any sense of suffering. When I reflect upon the fact that God has
chosen to reveal Himself to us… it leaves me in awe of His goodness!
This word of
God is proved genuine as it is tested in the lives of His people. Let me leave
you with the quote I found most comforting of all:
“No matter what
intense experiences of suffering we may go through, God’s promises will always
prove to be true. When the promises are thrown into the furnace of affliction,
they will shine even more brightly.”
I commend this
book to you, because it will lead you to a greater book – God’s own word to us.
About
our contributor, Katie is
married to Jack, and is currently in her second year of an MTS
apprenticeship at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Carlingford. She calls
herself a ‘casserole Christian’ because she gradually accepted the
gospel message she was taught at home and at church. She enjoys
hiking, knitting and singing, and is resolutely a cat person even
though she is allergic to them.
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