RELATED: Making Room for Grief in the Church
Books to accompany you and those you walk with through grief include the following:
Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller (Penguin Books) tackles difficult subjects such as the nature of pain and where God is in grief as well as how to walk practically through suffering. With the heart of a seasoned pastor and the wisdom of a theologian, Keller has written a book that is appropriate for those wrestling with God experientially as well as those wrestling intellectually.
Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep by Tish Harrison Warren (IVP) speaks to the tension of God’s goodness and power coexisting with our human vulnerability. It is an honest, hope-filled book that doesn’t offer trite answers or explain away the problem of evil. Instead, Harrison Warren, a priest and fellow mourner, points to the person of Jesus and his restorative work.
Lament for a Son by Nicholas Wolterstorff (Eerdmans) is a firsthand account of grief. Wolterstorff is a Christian philosopher and theologian whose son died unexpectedly in a mountain climbing accident. This book is his raw, unfiltered lament through the first year of his grief journey, and it will resonate deeply with anyone thrust into the sorrow and confusion of death.
The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope by Curt Thompson (Zondervan) illuminates the invitation to allow God to transform our grief into lasting peace that surpasses all understanding. Uniquely focused on the formation of durable hope, this book explores the redemption that can be found in suffering.
Every Moment Holy, Volume II: Death, Grief and Hope by Douglas Kaine McKelvey (The Rabbit Room) puts words to the often unspoken, inelegant groans of our hearts. Whether you’re currently grieving or are helping someone who is grieving, you need this collection of liturgical prayers. Writing for almost every occasion leading up to death as well as the aftermath of loss, McKelvey models biblical lament.