Katie Faris
It Will Suffice: How God Takes You By The Hand During Your Toughest Days
The Good Book Company, USA, 2022
ISBN-13: 978-1784987503
What does it mean to live as a Christian when the life you know, the plans you have for the future, suddenly and irrevocably change?
Kate Faris experienced this, seeing her life change in an instant when she was informed that three of her four children had a serious genetic condition known as alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
In It will sufficeFaris draws on her own experience to explore what faith means when life doesn’t go as planned and things as we know them are turned upside down, never to be the same again.
As she writes in the opening pages, “The question I faced that day, and many days since, was this: Will Jesus be enough, even now? Even when I don’t understand? Even when the future I’ve mapped out has been turned upside down? Even when I’m in the middle of a story, wouldn’t I have written that way? Or, in simpler terms, “Will God really suffice?” »
This book, which features a foreword by Joni Eareckson Tada, is Faris’ answer to that question. In 20 separate reflections, Faris tells stories of his own experience and those of those around him and reflects on how the Word of God – everything from the Old Testament books of Job and Daniel to the discussion of James on prayer in the New Testament – spoke to her about life and those of others when she – and they – need it most.
With chapters written around themes ranging from isolation during times of suffering to waiting on God and praying for healing (and what happens when the outcome is not what you would like), Faris don’t hesitate to ask tough questions in the book. She also does not hide what she really felt going through difficult times.
“Although I have been a Christian since childhood, there were months, even years, when I was more aware of my trials than of the presence of God with me in them,” she writes. “As someone who is naturally inclined to see a glass half empty rather than half full, it has been a struggle to see proof of God’s grace. Along the way, I realized that the purpose is not to find the bright side or cast an optimistic spin on the dark reality. On the contrary, faith involves taking God at His Word and asking the Holy Spirit to help me believe and apply Bible truths about God’s grace to difficult circumstances. Even when everything seems to be going wrong, it’s still possible to see God’s grace in Christ.”
Each short chapter ends with a prayer and includes a few questions, with Bible references to look up, for further exploration.
It will suffice will be a hopeful and helpful read for anyone going through a time of trial, filled with hard-earned wisdom, honest reflection, and a solid understanding of Scripture.
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