By Clint Watkins
“How is faith to endure, O God, when you allow all this scraping and tearing on us? You have allowed rivers of blood to flow, mountains of suffering to pile up, sobs to become humanity’s song—all without lifting a finger that we could see. You have allowed bonds of love beyond number to be painfully snapped. If you have not abandoned us, explain yourself. We strain to hear. But instead of hearing an answer we catch sight of God himself scraped and torn. Through our tears we see the tears of God.”
– Clint Watkins
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About the Book from the Publisher…
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.
My Thoughts…
“Hi, how are you?”
Let’s be honest, when was the last time you asked someone this question and truly paused to hear their answer?
This is probably the MOST common question we’ll ever be asked in our lives. It can fill us with joy as we share the exciting things that are happening, or it can fill us with dread, make us want to curl up in a ball, or just never want to emerge into social situations again.
And in one of the saddest developments of the ‘insanely busy’ lives we lead, it can be asked in the context of not actually wanting to hear an answer either because, God forbid, we answer one another authentically and admit our lives are messy, that we’re not coping, or we don’t want to get out of bed anymore because our depression is crushing us.
“How is faith to endure, O God, when you allow all this scraping and tearing on us? You have allowed rivers of blood to flow, mountains of suffering to pile up, sobs to become humanity’s song—all without lifting a finger that we could see. You have allowed bonds of love beyond number to be painfully snapped. If you have not abandoned us, explain yourself. We strain to hear. But instead of hearing an answer, we catch sight of God himself scraped and torn. Through our tears we see the tears of God.”
So, how are you? Truly? I want to know.
Clint’s book 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.” (Alasdair Groves)
If you can’t pretend anymore, this book is for you.
If you feel broken and bloodied, this book is for you.
If you want to be honest with God, this book is for you.
If you have a loved one hurting, this book is for you.
If you’re a Christian and want to love others well, this book is for you.
Friend, this book is for you.
