Just Be Honest: How to Worship Through Tears and Pray Without Pretending
Suffering often causes deep spiritual agony. You might be left thinking, “Where is God? Why is he allowing this? Why doesn’t he do something?” And then guilt whispers to your soul, “Am I allowed to say these things? Shouldn’t I trust God without hesitation? Am I just a faithless Christian?” This honest, warm and personal book shows us that we don’t need to wrap up our stories of suffering with lessons and silver linings or suppress our pain. Being honest with God, and with others, about our heartache is not only “allowed” but encouraged in the Scriptures. In fact, lament is authorised by God as an act of worship. Weaving in his own story of pain and loss with biblical reflections, Clint Watkins shows us how lament is permitted by Jesus, shaped by Scripture, fuelled by grace and filled with hope. And when we lament as communities through worship and testimony, we minister hope to a hurting world. Learn how to pray without pretending by sharing your hurts with God. As you draw near to the Father, experience genuine hope and joy amid grief and pain. A great gift for Christians who are suffering and a useful resource for church leaders and others who are walking alongside them.
Publisher: Good Book Company
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781784988951
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Clint is a missionary to college students serving with DiscipleMakers, a campus ministry based in Pennsylvania. Having suffered the devastating loss of two babies, he writes to help fellow sufferers find hope through the gospel and being honest with the Lord. He lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with his wife Jillian and their third child, Conley.
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“Just Be Honest is a rare treasure: a book on suffering I would actually dare to give someone in the midst of their pain. Heart wrenchingly honest about how faith is no stranger to deep pain and how Scripture refuses to oversimplify the struggle with anguish in our souls, this book will connect to the Lord hearts shattered by countless griefs by teaching the piercing, soul-sustaining path of lament.” J. Alasdair Groves, Executive Director, Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation; coauthor, Untangling Emotions