This fallen world can sometimes fall on us pretty hard. In those intense seasons of suffering we often wonder why God has allowed this pain and, perhaps more pointedly, where is He in the midst of our sorrow. Sinclair Ferguson knows we struggle with these thoughts and feelings; even better, God knows we struggle with these thoughts and feelings. As a means of helping us connect with God in the throes of hardship, then, Ferguson explores ten specific Psalms which help us to see God in the midst of suffering. This is a wonderful, if not perfect, guide for walking with God in suffering.
We suffer in a variety of ways and so Ferguson has chosen not just a variety of Psalms, but a variety of Psalms which address a wide range of experiences. He explores Psalms that highlight suffering from the brokenness of our world, personal failure and sin, chronic illness, loneliness and betrayal, and disappointment. Readers are brought into the text through both solid exposition and illustration. Ferguson does a great job of offering readers various points of contact with the Psalm and hoping them to see the relevance of the text for each type of hardship.
His overall goal, of course, is to help the reader see that God has not abandoned them in the midst of their sorrow, even if it feels that way. He does not offer simplistic answers, but deep points of connection with the Lord. He clarifies his goal specifically, saying:
we live in a world that both seeks and dispenses easy and quick answers to even deep-seated difficulties and questions. Sadly, many people are ‘disappointed’ with God himself if he does not provide them…The Psalms…show us how the people of God have grappled with their questions, doubts, desertions and how God lifted them up and brought them into new light and joy. (2)
Ferguson wants readers to seek God more than they seek simple answers. Seeking Him won’t provide the kind of intense and immediate relief we want, but, he argues, it will provide a deeper and more enduring joy in the midst of suffering.
Overall this is a well-written and helpful book. Readers will dive deep into the Psalms and explore the relevance of the text for their own heartaches. Occasionally, Ferguson interprets a Psalm in way that I just don’t agree with and found to be, in fact, a little too simplistic. In one case he discourages the reader from emulating the author of the Psalm, arguing that it is a bad response to suffering. I don’t agree with him on those points and think he allows his own discomfort with the text to color how he interacts with it and applies it. There are places, then, where I would interpret and apply things differently but I suppose that is a common reality when reading others. Nonetheless this is an excellent resource.
Deserted By God? will not neatly answer all your questions about pain and suffering. It is not a theodicy or a response to the problem of evil. It is a pastoral and therapeutic resource for staying close to God in the heat of the spiritual, emotional, and mental battles of life. It can be so meaningful in our sorrow to know that other strong believers have struggled with these same feelings. It can help when we know that God Himself recorded these Psalms in His Holy Word for our sake. I would definitely recommend Deserted by God? even in spite of some of my interpretive differences with its author.
Sparrow & Heart Soul Care 