When The Hurt Runs Deep is a challenging yet wonderful book full of so many truths and helpful insights. I love that this book is full of scripture to back up the information that is given. The crux of the whole book is to recognize that God is sovereign and He is who He says He is. Ms. Arthur does a great job giving us example after real life example of people who have experienced true pain in their lives and the resulting glory that is given to God. I think this book is a valuable resource and could very well help someone who is having a problem seeing God beyond all the pain in their lives. I enjoy that she recognizes in the book that you may be ready to throw the book across the room but just keep reading, it will be worth it. This is a book that is very well worth it!

I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my review.

Several years ago, my family went through a very dark and trying time of betrayal and pain. Our hurt was so deep that we could not see an end to it. Instead, we just tried to get through one day at a time while we asked God "Why?" So when I saw this new book by Kay Arthur I was very eager to read her thoughts on this subject. I was not disappointed.

By looking at the lives of Job and Joseph, we are able to see that other people have been where we are and that God does have a plan for our lives even in the midst of deep pain.

The chapter on suicide is one that really stood out to me, addressing how a family can cope with this most horrible of circumstances. Also, the chapter on pulling the plug on our pain and letting it go is very helpful. That is something that I had to deal with personally. Even though it has been several years since I experienced my own time of deep hurt, I got a lot out of this book.

In the book, Kay lays out twelve healing truths and expounds on each one:

1. If God has allowed pain in our lives, He has allowed it for a purpose–a good purpose, because he is a good God.

2. Deep and genuine healing will always be tied to an accurate knowledge of God's sovereignty and character. The clearer our understanding of who God is, the more profound our healing will be.

3. Because God is love, and because God rules over all, everything that comes into our lives is filtered through His sovereign fingers of love.

4. Because God is all-knowing, He know the very source of our deepest pain–and He understands exactly how to touch it, heal it, and use it to bring about your highest good.

5. No hurt is so strong that it can separate you from His love. Your hurt is not intended to drive you from God but to God.

6. Nothing that has ever happened to you has escaped God's notice. You can trust that he will bring to account everyone who has hurt you in His time and in His way.

7. Deep hurt can happen to upright, blameless people; it is not always deserved or earned.

8. When we sin, we will find ourselves facing the consequences. But when we submit to God in repentance and seek His help, we can get through those consequences and step onto the path to hope and healing.

9. Wherever you are, whoever you are, whatever you have done, there is hope because there is God. He is a God of hope; redemption is His business.

10. God's grace is brought to fullness in our lives as we release our hurt and draw on His power in our weakness.

11. Deep, exhausting, unrelenting hurt can bring you to the end of yourself–to complete and total dependence on God–which is the best place you could ever be.

12. Whether your hurts have been caused by someone else's actions or by your own sins and failure, healing begins at the cross–the greatest expression of God's love for you.

As she goes on to reveal these truths to us, Kay reminds us that we will have trials but we will not go through them alone. God loves us and He has a plan. We must learn to put our complete trust and faith in Him and let Him be God. Anyone who is hurting for whatever reason needs to read this book. Kay knows what she is talking about and she does not give pat answers to the soul that is hurting. Instead she leads you, step by step, through God's word to see what He has to say about your pain. I definitely recommend this book for your own personal library. I also recommend that you get extra copies. You will want to share them with others.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review as part of the Blogging for Books program.

The author has used her personal experiences and knowledge of the Bible to provide useful commentary to help the reader navigate the hurts of life. I and a group of individual are using this book as a weekly study. The experience of going through this book will hopefully help me and at the same time help others.

One of my favorite bible study authors Kay Arthur, faces these wonderings, ponderings and questions regarding hurt and pain that surround us in the world in her new book When The Hurt Runs Deep: Healing and Hope for Life's Desperate Moments. She offers a fresh, straight forward approach to helping us answer these questions in a way that not only glorifies the Lord but offers healing for the heart. Divided into 18 chapters the book begins with a glimpse at a few biblical lives as they faced trials and hurt that came their way. She has not only seen and witnessed hard times but has walked this road personally, and it shows within the book. Her wisdom is biblical, personal, and applicable.

The book walks through anger, suicide, the question of why, and suffering among others and throughout the book nuggets of wisdom abound to not only comfort the heart but to bring the readers mind to Christ. She mentions in the beginning that the "soveriegnty of God...is the very key that unlocks and heals our hearts (25)" to which I firmly say Amen. And she spends the rest of the book walking through hard issues to which she continues to go back and rest in the place of our Sovereign God.

As someone who has walked through hard things and had my eyes witness hurt and pain firsthand, like so many of you, this book was a great reminder of who I trust in, why I do, and how redeeming and good His love is. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. It's a great resource and the appendix offers a great study guide for two or more.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their book review program Blogging for Books.

Have you ever experienced the kind of hurt that takes your breath away; the kind that makes you want to crawl under the covers and stay there forever, or even end your own life? When the Hurt Runs Deep is written to address that magnitude of pain. The pain of loss, of abuse, of regret over something you yourself have done, of physical illness that makes you wonder "why" and "will it ever go away?". I thought I was going to be a detached, objective reviewer of something that didn't apply to me, and found myself crying and grieving unexpectedly while reading it. It was for me after all. This book is written to those who have put their trust in God but are questioning where He is during this dark time, and wondering what they should do next.

Will this book erase the pain of loss? No way. But it does speak biblically about pain, God's faithfulness, and about moving on through the pain eventually and bringing praise to the Father regardless of circumstances. The author Kay Arthur has experienced pain and loss of her own through divorce and her ex-husband's suicide, and comes across as a friend who has been there and wants to put her arm around your shoulders while you cry. She gives appropriate bible passages that address pain, and also reminds the reader how to continue to trust God and not become embittered. Though this book will not erase the pain, it can be considered a lifeline that draws you back to the giver of life during a time of loss and deep hurt, and for that reason is to be commended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing. The views expressed are entirely my own.