I just finished reading a great book by Kay Arthur called When the Hurt Runs Deep. As someone who has gone through some deep trials in life, I really appreciated this book. Kay Arthur has a done a great job addressing the hard times of life by pointing readers to the only true Healer, God. She too has gone through some deep valleys and knows first hand how difficult it can be to turn your focus off of your overwhelming circumstance and back onto the only One who can help.
When addressing the issue of being angry with God, Kay writes, "...if you continue to hold on to anger against the One who loves you most, then realize this: that anger will become a deadly cancer--a cancer of the soul--that will eventually destroy you. It will rob you of peace, joy and ministry." (pgs. 45-46) She uses the lives of David, Job and Joseph among others to draw conclusions about how to react in different heartbreaking situations. When talking about the benefits of suffering, Kay writes, "If God chooses to allow suffering to enter your experience in order to advance His purposes in your life and give you a deeper experience of Him, the worst thing you could do would be to react in anger and bitterness. By doing so, you are essentially saying, 'God, I don't want Your plan for my life. If I have to endure this heartache, then I don't want You to advance Your purposes in me. I don't want Your provision of extra grace and the sense of Your nearness, because the price is too high!'" (pgs. 146-147)
A great feature of this book is that there is a study guide in the back that can be used for individual or group study. She has done a fabulous job with the study guide. I love that she does not ask you to re-write what she said in the book. She asks great questions that point you to the Scriptures and get you thinking.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is going through a difficult experience and struggling with anger towards God or others, depression, forgiveness, and many other issues dealing with emotional pain.
*I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
Below you can read the 12 healing truths that Kay Arthur covers in her book and see the first 4 chapters in the study guide. This book is available in hardcover and eBook.
Chapter 1 of Kay Arthur's book
Study Guide
When the Hurt Runs Deep by Kay Arthur (Study Guide)
