Charles Spurgeon famously said “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.” Spurgeon was a man acquainted with suffering, with personal attacks, with sickness, with depression…to name a few. He spokes those words from a position of personal experience.
Dave Furman also is a man with extensive personal experience in suffering. A nerve condition leaves him not only with very limited use of both of his arms, but at times he suffers through bouts of debilitating pain. Add to that the emotional stress of trying to be a father of little kids and a helpful husband without the use of his arms, and also how to be an approachable, engaging Pastor without the ability to shake anyone’s hands. Yes, Dave Furman is intimately acquainted with suffering as well. Which makes him very qualified to write “Kiss the Wave: Embracing God in Your Trials.” [Crossway, 2017]
Furman, the Pastor of Redeemer Church of Dubai writes in an honest, bold, and sometimes raw tone that consistently points the reader back to the glories of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Personally, this book was also deeply helpful, as one of our dearest friends is walking through the daily struggle of Lyme Disease, and being a Pastor and seeing several more people in the midst of chronic illnesses and other trials. This will not stop, this is normal, and in my opinion suffering in chronic illnesses is only getting more common. Trials and suffering confront our faith and demand an answer, and Furman equips us to meet this confrontation biblically and soberly.
When suffering hits, it may be our first reaction to forget about God. To become so consumed with what is happening to us we “go about our days as functional atheists. We believe in Jesus, but we act like he does not exist. We go through our days and face our storms forgetting Jesus and what he has done for us.” [28] That is the very thing we should not be doing. “We need to consistently be reminded that Jesus is in control. Remind yourself of his power as you regularly read His Word.” [29] This gets our mind off ourselves and onto the greatness of God, as hard as it may be in the midst of pain it is still the right thing to do.
In a powerful, and yet very real way, Furman reminds us that we can run to Jesus because only Jesus knows exactly how we are feeling. [Hebrews 4:14-16] Again, personally, I have felt the awkwardness of trying to identify with someone who is walking through things I can’t even imagine. I have fought the temptation to just dish out a trite platitude and say that “I’ll be praying for you.” I have endured the long silence of just trying to be a presence and hoping that it is enough. Church, we need to get better at this. We aren’t going to love suffering people perfectly, but we do need to love them more biblically.
This is all made possible by the gospel of Jesus. The great exchange where he took my sin and gave me his righteousness. This should be the banner that flies over all of our lives – when things are going great, or when we are in the mud. Furman powerfully quotes Scriptures to realign our faith – [56]
- Though my trouble is overwhelming today, the cross shows me that because God is for me, who can be against me? (Romans 8:31)
- Though the waves of my trials threaten to drown me, who will separate me from the love fo God in Christ Jesus? (Romans 8:35)
- Though I can’t stop crying today, I know there is coming a day when Christ will be with us and he will wipe away every tear from our eyes. death will no longer exist and all crying and anxiety will leave. (Revelation 21:4)
Rightfully so, this means we have to “take ourselves in hand” and preach to ourselves, instead of listening to ourselves. [S/O to Martin Lloyd-Jones of course] To those suffering – preach God’s Word to yourself. To those loving them, coming alongside them – read them God’s word and encourage them in the gospel. They have been chosen by God and are known by God. There can be no greater comfort to the soul, even when the body is suffering.
For those suffering, “this means that God knows you and what you are going through in your darkest trials. This is a truth [we] must come back to every day. ” Furman provides personal examples to reinforce the depth of this truth – “God knows every time I bump my tender elbows and the side of a door and cry out in agony. He knows when my leg pain is so bad that I lie awake in bed for hours. He is keenly aware of my feelings of depression and the hopelessness that often rage within my heart. He knows about every ache ever wound, eery thought and emotion. Every bad day is a day Jesus is aware of. Not trial surprises him or escapes his eye.” [83-4] Because we are known by God, we are never ever alone or without someone who can identify with us.
Our suffering is also not purposeless. For the Christian, this means growing more into the image of Jesus Christ – growing in Godliness – perhaps most particularly in suffering. “You trial is an ample time to kiss the wave and embrace the reality that God is using your pain to make you more like Christ.” [93] For those suffering keep pointing yourself in the direction of growth in Godliness. This isn’t a plastic ‘count it all joy’ kind of orientation, but a brave, intentional, and faith testing perspective that will eventually come for us all. Furman cuts this line clearly – “There is nothing good about pain itself. But I know God will use my adversity in ways I cannot see right now.” [103]
Finally for the Christian we have other resources to help us, to assure us. We have the church, where God’s truth is preached, where people are loved, where people are helped [hopefully in actually helpful ways]. Where even hurting people can serve, or encourage, or just be present. And best of all, we have Jesus. We have a future glory that far outweighs any and all suffering now. The author encourages us well “Friend, if you are struggling with adversity, sickness, anxiety, fear, or loss of any kind, this too will one day be in the past. What seems so defining and certain now will be done away with. You may feel like your pain is never-ending, but heaven is coming.” [135]
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
FTC Disclosure Statement: A copy of this book was received for review from the publisher.
Mike Ruel 