Joy in the Sorrow

An incredible, personal, insightful journey led by one of my favorite teachers, Matt Chandler, as he and some of his friends share lessons brought to them by that greatest of all teachers in the Christian life—suffering. Martin Luther said that suffering, combined with prayer and meditation, is God’s instrument to turn us into faithful theologians. You’ll see that in this book, and you’ll be changed yourself for the reading. Likely, you’ll find yourself recommending it to someone even before you’re finished.

Theologically rich. Profoundly God-centered. Unflinchingly honest. Joy in the Sorrow is a deeply moving account of how unexpected suffering undergirded by faith in Christ leads to joy and hope. I will carry these people, their stories, and their extraordinary joy with me for a long time; they have changed me. Buy this book, read it, and give it to those you love who are suffering.

How does one face suffering with faith? Where do we quarry the resolve and courage? Is God good, even when the circumstances are not? Matt Chandler has wrestled with these questions. He addresses them with wisdom, love, and balance. This is a welcome book for all who suffer.

Prepare for your view of suffering to radically shift. Joy in the Sorrow will take you to some of your deepest places of sorrow—only to show you that even there, God is who he says he is, and God is right there with you in those times. I’ve watched Matt and Lauren live this, and those who know suffering make the best, most trusted teachers!

In a day when empty words and false promises attempt to mask the realities of a suffering world, Joy in the Sorrow is a refreshingly honest look at the pain we face in our darkest hours and the unexpected hope and joy that can be found when Jesus meets us there. This book will breathe hope into your sufferings, deepen your understanding of God’s purposes in them, and show you how true joy can be found not just after your sorrow but within it.

Moving, inspiring, honest, and above all hope-filled. We must all walk through valleys in this life—and if you want to do so without losing joy and hope, then this is the book to read.

An honest, searching, and in places deeply moving book, gives a dozen examples of how suffering can strike, and how God in Christ gets us through it. The stories are very different, but each one shows in its own way that whatever our circumstances, he is enough.

I have long thought that the Western church doesn’t have a theology of suffering—and we need one. Which is why I found this book so refreshingly honest, profound, thought-provoking, and ultimately beautifully hope-filled. The people in this book have all wrestled with doubts, cried countless tears, and mourned deeply—but have also found God to be profoundly real and close in their suffering. We can learn much from their experiences if we allow our hearts to be shaped as we read.

This book helps us to see how we can look at whatever trials we may face in the light of Scripture and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and have confidence for ourselves or those we walk alongside in their sorrow, that God will use these things to grow our personal knowledge of him and will glorify Jesus through them. This book is best read before those sorrows come!