As you may or may not know, Elisabeth Elliot's first husband was Jim Elliot. Jim and four other missionary men were murdered by the Auca Indians, whom they were trying to reach with the Gospel. Elisabeth and her young daughter Valerie continued to live with and minister to the Aucas. Later, Elisabeth remarried. She then lost her second husband to cancer. She uses these pivotal life experiences to connect with others and share that God will bring good from our suffering.
Suffering is Never for Nothing is a book written from Elliot's lectures at a conference years ago. Elliot begins by defining suffering as, "having what you don't want, or wanting what you don't have". She acknowledges that all people suffer, whether in seemingly great ways or small. She encourages that God is sovereign in all things, and He can be trusted at all times.
I love this paragraph, which speaks of God's goodness:
"But when we’re talking about the gifts of God, we’re talking about gifts that come from One who knows exactly what we need even though it is not necessarily to our tastes and preferences. And He gives us everything that is appropriate to the job that He wants us to do. And so, understanding that, then we can say yes, Lord. I’ll take it. It would not have been my choice but knowing You love me, I will receive it and I understand that someday I’m going to understand the necessity for this thing. So I accept it. And then I can even go the step beyond and say thank You. Thank You, Lord. "
Suffering is Never for Nothing is a book I would recommend to all. Whether our suffering is great or small, it is good to be reminded of God's hand at work through all of it and to praise Him for it.
Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.
Rachel's Rating:
★★★★★
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