Book Review: Beyond Suffering Bible

This year I have been reading the Beyond Suffering Bible during my Bible study time in the morning. I received a free copy through the Tyndale Blog Network, and I am loving it! The Beyond Suffering Bible is a new study Bible from Tyndale and Joni and Friends. It was created specifically for those who suffer from disabilities and chronic illnesses and for their caregivers. 

The Beyond Suffering Bible is an encouraging and helpful resource. If you are wondering what the Bible says about suffering, disabilities, illness, and healing, but aren't sure how to look for answers, this study Bible is a good place to start. It is filled with study notes, devotions, profiles of individuals who have suffered, and many more resources.

As I have been reading the Beyond Suffering Bible this year, I have been reading through various whole books of the Bible, plus the study notes and devotions contained within those pages. But if you wish to follow a reading plan or a topical guide, those are available too.

The Beyond Suffering Bible has ten different five day reading plans on various topics such as:

• Comforting Those Who Mourn
• Disability and the Image of God
• The Role of the Church in Suffering and Disability
• Praising God through Suffering

There is also topical guide that will help you find devotions, profiles, and study notes on the specific topics you wish to study. This Bible has very nice maps, a concordance, recommended resources, pages for notes, and several articles to aid in your study of suffering from a biblical perspective.

There is a one page overview of each book of the Bible that explains the suffering and disability themes found in that book.

One of my favorite features in the Beyond Suffering Bible is the profile feature. The profile in the picture above is about Tychicus, and there are many more profiles featuring other people from the Bible. Some of the profiles feature people who are living today with disabilities or people from the past who faced suffering.

The connection points are another favorite feature of mine. These study notes are scattered throughout the pages of this Bible that help you connect what you are learning to your life affected by suffering and disability.

The Beyond Suffering Bible

Here is Joni Eareckson Tada to tell you more about this new study Bible. If you are reading this in an email, you will need to click over to the blog to see the video.

I am enjoying the Beyond Suffering Bible, and it is one I plan to keep in my library for a very long time. I received a paperback copy of this book, but I would not recommend the paperback version. The paperback cover is too thin and flimsy for such a big book that will be used often. If you are looking to buy a copy of the Beyond Suffering Bible, I would recommend getting either the hardback or one of the leatherlike bindings.

I received a complimentary copy of The Beyond Suffering Bible from Tyndale in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Raised in Glory

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power… Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.  

1 Corinthians 15:42-43, 49

My children never knew me when I was healthy and able-bodied. I have been chronically ill since before they were born, so all they have known is a mom who is tired, weak, and needs to rest in bed for most of the day. When they were young, this seemed normal to them. As they grew older, they began to see that other moms could go on walks with their children, take them to the playground, and spend more time working and playing at home.

It saddens my children to have to miss out on doing many things with me, and it grieves me as well. This struggle has provided wonderful opportunities to talk with my children about Heaven, the New Earth, and the life that awaits believers there (Revelation 21). My children and I grieve the things we cannot do together today, but we also dream about things we will one day be able to do together on the New Earth. We have plans for camping, hiking, climbing mountains, playing at the beach, and more!

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He secured for us salvation from our sins, eternal life, and the redemption of our bodies. Christ rose from the dead, and one day we will be raised too. What great hope this gives to all who believe!

While on this earth, we groan and grieve as we experience suffering caused by disabilities, illnesses, and special needs. Maybe you have a child with special needs, and you hurt to see the struggles your child faces in life. Perhaps you are caring for aging parents, and you are saddened by the increasing weakness and frailty they endure. Maybe you live with a disability, and you dream of the day you will be able to walk or use your hands again in Heaven. Maybe you look forward to one day being able to speak or hear or see.

We currently live in bodies affected by the curse, and we await the redemption of our bodies. One day all who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ will be raised in glory, just as Christ was raised from the dead on Easter Sunday. These bodies that are now filled with weakness will one day be raised in power (1 Corinthians 15:42-43).

The hope of resurrection is one of the things that encourages my family and me to persevere through the hard days of disability. This suffering in bodies affected by illness and disability will not last forever. The redemption of our bodies is coming (Romans 8:23)!

What encourages you on the hard days of disability? How does the resurrection give you hope? What is something you want to do someday in your resurrected body on the New Earth?

This article was originally posted on The Irresistible Church.