The Question That Never Goes Away

The question of why God allows suffering remains unanswered for many, so the bestselling author of Where is God When it Hurts? revisits it. He shares experiences meeting with those dealing with loss after the tsunami in Japan, the war in Sarajevo, and the school massacre in Newtown, Conn. Yancey still can’t provide a definitive answer that will satisfy everyone about how God allows these kind of tragedies while conceivably able to prevent them, but the lessons learned by those who have made it through the land of suffering can be passed on to help those still on the journey, the author says. We might not be able to make sense of why, but we can control how we respond. Yancey includes advice about how to offer comfort to those suffering, as well as encouragement from people whose faith has been renewed and strengthened in a God who shares pain and hard times. Jesus was no stranger to suffering, after all, and his followers, reaching out in love, are evidence of God’s presence in the midst of the worst tragedies, Yancey says. Agent: Kathryn Helmers, Creative Trust. (Jan. 7)