Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain, and God's Sovereignty

It is hard to believe that this amazing woman who is paralysed from her neck down since her teenage years, has achieved so very much in her life and has been such an inspiration and help to so many people in her life. I have no doubt that she would not have been able to do this were she not a real Christian. Now after over 40 years in a wheel chair and in immense pain she longs for the total healing she will receive when she passes from this life and goes to heaven - and she has no doubt at all that is where she is going. That she has managed to write this inspiring and informative book at this time of her life while suffering immense physical pain, is a miracle in itself. Does she feel sorry for herself? No! Is she asking for sympathy? No! She is a gifted and talented woman. Is this book depressing? No! It is a powerful, encouraging book which I think everyone should read. All of us who are able bodied take so much for granted and still conplain in life. How often are we grateful for all that we have - physically, emotionally and spiritually? How many of us are prepared for the hereafter? As some people say, there is one thing none of us can escape - and that is death! Be prepared for it! If you are feeling depressed and hard-done-by in life - read this book! You will never be the same again. It is so inspiring and I congratulate Joni on the wonderful example she has been during her life and for writing this wonderful book.

This is such a great book. Joni doesn’t sugar coat anything, but guides the reader right to Biblical truth and direction about how to walk with God through suffering. She’s a great writer, so it’s enjoyable to read. It’s much like having a conversation with a friend! I have recommended this book to several friends already, as it applies to any kind of suffering.

This book is full of insights and will benefit everyone who reads it. Recommend this to all who want to understand better as in to the why’s How to grow with grace to fill Gods purpose

Why does God allow pain? Is God concerned with suffering and involved in it? Plato, C.S. Lewis, Rabbi Harold Kushner, Henri Nouwen, the apostle Paul and others have all addressed these age-old questions. Instead of focusing on how God is involved in the problem of pain, Joni Eareckson Tada chooses instead in her book, A Place of Healing, to examine how God can use pain to draw her closer to Himself and lift her above her human sufferings. Joni, left a quadriplegic from a diving accident four decades ago, is the author of over fifty books and founder of Joni and Friends, an organization devoted to accelerating Christian outreach among those with disabilities. She will serve as the Honorary Chairman of the 2011 National Day of Prayer, held on the First Thursday of May. In addition to coping with the struggles of living from a wheelchair, Joni now has new challenges. She is assaulted with unrelenting, chronic pain and has been diagnosed with cancer. Her reactions? "Suffering may be a part of God's...mysterious plan, but God's intention is always to demonstrate compassion and unfailing love." Joni illustrates over and over in her book how powerfully God's love touches her at her deepest point of need. Her chapter headings ask difficult questions: * What Benefit is there to My Pain? * How Can I Go On Like This? * How Can I Bring Him Glory? * How Do I Regain My Perspective? This devout, genuine woman answers each question with tender, heartfelt examples from her walk in faith. Suffering can make us bitter or compassionate. Suffering can drive us away from God or make us fly into His arms. A Place of Healing is her testament to the restorative power of loving, committed service to God, no matter what our circumstances. She rejoices in the fact that God had plans for her life much wider, higher and more profound than she ever could imagine. Her last chapter entitled, "Thank you, God, for this Wheelchair" demonstrates that because of her circumstances, not in spite of them, she is happier as a child of God than she ever dreamed possible. Do you have a friend or relative struggling with grief, financial loss, health issues or physical pain? Give them a copy of A Place of Healing. May they find comfort in the profound testimony of someone who treads where they walk, albeit, in a wheelchair. Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont

Joni's writings have inspired and encouraged many who battle with disabilities and pain, as well as those who don't but who care about those who do. In this book she sets out an answer to the question of whether God wills to heal all who come to Him with faith. This is a thorny issue, but it is a delight to see it so clearly and thoughtfully handled by one so qualified to speak. The subtitle: wrestling with the mysteries of suffering, pain and God's sovereignty might put some off, but it shouldn't. Here is clear teaching, great testimony, heartfelt honesty and remarkable faith.

Excellent as are all Joni's books; not afraid to deal with the hard issues and very scripturally sound

Very helpful book

This came to me as I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and got a real fright at the thought of not being able to use my hands. Well, since, I have started treatment, and I have good days as well as bad days, but mostly I have learnt to have grateful days every day!! An excellent encourager when one sees only the dark and not the light at the end of the tunnel.

This book seems to me to have been very well researched and the difficult issues deeply thought through by someone who is well placed to speak on the subject of healing, pain, and faith. You may not agree with everything Joni says, but her views and thoughts are strongly backed up by scripture and she draws on other writers as well. She deals with the tough questions of why some are healed and some not, the sovereign will and plans of God that we don't perhaps always understand and keeping the faith. You'll cry in parts and rejoice in others. If you have questions, or know others who have, about healing and faith - read this book!