Through the Valley

Biblical-Theological Reflections on Suffering

A diagnosis of a stage IV cancer is quite a jolt for any family. This is the news that came to Jeff Wisdom, a husband and father in his mid-forties. When the diagnosis of an advanced cancer comes to a family, it can challenge faith and hope. Through the Valley is a biblical-theological reflection on suffering. It details what Scripture says about suffering and what God has promised, both now and in the future. It draws comfort and encouragement from some lessons learned. And it acknowledges and wrestles with some unresolved questions and issues. Jeff's reflections, as one who has endured cancer and chemotherapy, help to bridge Scripture's message and the experience of living with a deadly disease. Excerpts from his wife's journal are included to provide a window into this walk in a dark valley. This book does not address every aspect of the Bible's teaching on suffering, but it makes an important contribution to the topic of the suffering that comes seemingly unexplained as the result of living in a fallen world.

and natural response for fallen people who live in a fallen world—even for
people of faith. This is not to say that fear should be left unchecked or
unchallenged (this is precisely the point of these commands!), but it is merely to
acknowledge that it is a regular and very real part of the experience of suffering in
a fallen world. The trouble oflife often leads to the companionship of fear through
these days oftrouble. I will freely admit that fear was my companion on the
pathway of suffering ...