When Pain Is Real and God Seems Silent : Finding Hope in the Psalms

"In the midst of our suffering we need a wake-up call to the truth that God’s steadfast love never ceases.”
―Dave Furman, Senior Pastor, Redeemer Church of Dubai; author, Being There and Kiss the Wave

Are you feeling despondent, depressed, or discouraged? When we encounter severe trials and suffering, we are often tempted to think that our situation is somehow out of God’s hands. In these dark times, God seems silent, and we feel isolated, confused, and alone. Everyone experiences suffering; even the biblical writers expressed anguish at times. This emotion is clearly captured in the Psalms. Through these brief meditations on Psalms 88 and 89, Ligon Duncan shows us how to respond to our own suffering with the assurance of our heavenly Father’s mercy, which sustains us even in the darkest circumstances.

• Includes a foreword by Mark Dever, president of 9Marks and pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church
• Meditates on Psalms 88 and 89, pointing to God’s promises to sustain Christians in the midst of suffering
• Points to examples of lament in Scripture in the midst of lonely and confusing circumstances
• Written by the chancellor and CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary

Ligon Duncan (PhD, University of Edinburgh) is  chancellor, CEO, and John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary. He previously served as the senior minister of the historic First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi, for seventeen years. He is a cofounder of Together for the Gospel, a senior fellow of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and was the president of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals from 2004–2012. Duncan has edited, written, or contributed to numerous books. He and his wife, Anne, have two children and live in Jackson, Mississippi.

Mark Dever (PhD, Cambridge University) is the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, and president of 9Marks (9Marks.org). Dever has authored over a dozen books and speaks at conferences nationwide. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, Connie, and they have two adult children.