As you get ready for bed, your phone rings. Seeing that it’s a close friend, you decide to pick up.
Turns out your friend is going through a really hard time, and he wants your advice. ‘I don’t even know which way is up. Why is this happening to me? What in the world is God doing through this?!’
These are the kinds of questions we – and the people we care about – face everyday. Maybe not that intensely, but whether it’s a delayed flight, being turned down for a date, or the unexpected loss of someone we love, all of us experience trials.
So, we need to handle them well. If we don’t know how to do trials, we don’t know how to do life.
That’s one of the reasons I read Enduring Trials God’s Way: A Biblical Recipe For Finding Joy In Suffering by Scott LaPierre. I found it really helpful, and think you will, too.
Here’s my review.
A Word About The Author
Before I cover the book itself, Scott is the senior pastor of Woodland Christian Church in Woodland, Washington. He also speaks at conferences, often on marriage and trials. God has given Scott and his wife Katie seven children.
More personally, though, I’ve interacted with Scott online for over a year now, and have really come to trust and respect him. First through his blog (scottlapierre.org), but also exchanging emails and interacting with each other as we write. I always know that Scott will be biblical, direct and say what he believes based on God’s Word.
What I Loved
1. It’s biblical.
If this book is one thing, it’s biblical. Again and again, Enduring Trials God’s Way points us back to some aspect of what God says about trials. I didn’t do a formal analysis, but I’m guessing that nearly every paragraph contains some reference to scripture, with many really digging into the text.
Scott gets into the Greek or Hebrew (original) text, but in a practical way that shows what God originally intended us to learn.
For example, in unpacking James 1, Scott says:
The [Greek] word for “count” is hēgeomai, and it means, “To lead, go before, rule, command, have authority over.”
James tells us to “count (hēgeomai) it all joy,” because we must “govern” and “rule” over trials. We must control the way we view them, versus being controlled by our feelings. We must make a mental judgment about trials by considering the way God wants to use them in our lives. Then we can face them with joy.
That’s really helpful, isn’t it? Every day I let my trials control me, making it difficult for me to find real joy in them. But I don’t have to be controlled; I can rule over my trials with God’s help.
On many other occasions, Scott’s careful attention to the passage helped me discover things I had missed before. Or, were different than what I had assumed. (As a seminary-trained pastor, that doesn’t happen every day, so it really stood out.)
2. It’s powerful and direct.
You never have to wonder what Scott is trying to say, which gives his applications a sharp point.
For example, at one point the book makes the key issue in facing trials plain:
Enduring trials is not an issue of strength, intelligence, or money. Whether trials make sense or seem fair is irrelevant. The only question is, “Will I trust God?”
While the book is often straightforward and direct, it’s not lacking in compassion. As a pastor and someone who has been through his own trials, Scott understands what it’s like to be human.
3. It’s filled with great application questions.
If you’re anything like me, you may find yourself reading a book and then not taking action. That’s fine with a novel, but Jesus said, ‘Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them’ (John 13:17).
To help us reflect and apply what the bible says about trials, Scott ends each chapter with several great application questions. Answering and praying through them is incredibly valuable.
4. It’s Short!
The book is 180 pages, but honestly it felt much shorter than that. It’s also very reasonably-priced, and comes in both Kindle and paperback versions.
What I’d Improve
Writing is hard work, and no book is perfect. So while I really enjoyed the book, I’d make this observation.
It could use a few more stories and illustrations.
In the book, Scott tells some great stories, but I’d like to see more. Because the book is rich with great scriptural teaching, it can be a bit dense at times. Illustrations can break that up, giving the reader a pause. At the same time, stories and illustrations put flesh on the teaching and really make it come alive in our own lives.
But honestly, this is a small criticism and didn’t affect how greatly I benefited.
Conclusion: Facing Trials With Hope
Overall, I really liked this book. It’s filled with direct, biblical teaching on trials, something all of us face everyday. You can tell that Scott is a seasoned pastor who’s helping real people walk through real struggles. Working – and praying – through the application questions should be incredibly helpful, too.
We never want the trials that God allows in our lives, but if we face them God’s way, we will be transformed and ready to love him and the people around us with new courage and hope.
—
Details (Kindle Version; print version similar)
- File Size: 1445 KB
- Print Length: 181 pages
- Publisher: Charis Family Publishing
- Publication Date: November 16, 2017
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
- Language: English
- ISBN: 0999555103
- ASIN: B077KFGMLS
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
- X-Ray: Not Enabled
- Word Wise: Enabled
- Lending: Enabled
- Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Disclosure: some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a (very small) commission if you click through and purchase.
Bryan,
Thank you very much for reviewing my book…and for your friendship and love for the saints in general. You’ve been a blessing to me and others.
If anyone reads this review and wants a copy of Enduring Trials God’s Way – even a free one if money is tight – I’d be glad to get it to you! Just let me know: https://scottlapierre.org/contact/
In Christ,
Scott