"That book has been a lifeline."
A young man just said this to me last week as he and his wife face indescribable suffering — his youngest son will likely die in the next few months.
If you’ve never experienced that kind of suffering yourself or in your church, you will. If you have, you know that God uses the testimonies of suffering people to provide comfort, encouragement, and hope in these inconceivable circumstances.
The book this young dad found so helpful is Holding on to Hope: A Pathway Through Suffering to the Heart of God by Nancy Guthrie. It is the story of a family who faced a similar loss when two precious children died because of genetic anomalies.
God proved true to his promises to Nancy and David Guthrie in their suffering. And they have served many by telling their story and pointing people to God.
Nancy Guthrie is one of our speakers at Desiring God’s conference in November, The Works of God: God’s Good Design in Disability. She has written many books and speaks around the country on this topic of God’s grace in the midst of incredible suffering.
Alongside Nancy, each of our speakers have their own story of God’s goodness in the midst of suffering:
- Greg Lucas parents four children, one of whom has extraordinarily difficult behaviors associated with his disabilities.
- Dr. Mark Talbot has lived with chronic pain his entire adult life.
- Pastor John has shepherded thousands of families in his church who have experienced suffering of every kind. Families like mine, where disability is the constant reminder that we are weak and small . And that we have been given a great Savior and a great Book that gurauntee a great hope and a great future.
Join us this November 8 to learn more about our God who designs some of us to experience disability, for his glory and for our good.
Recent posts from John Knight: