WHEN SORROWS LIKE SEA BILLOWS
ROLL:
A Guide for Glorifying God Through
the Loss of a Loved One
By Brad Franklin
Grace Publications. 220 pages. £14.00
ISBN 978 1 912 154 814
Having lost his wife in what the world would term ‘tragic circumstances’, Brad Franklin has written an account of his personal experience of grief and how he was helped to bear his great trial.
He humbly shares his reactions and never once claims to have found the secret of victorious Christian living. Yet his painful journey is full of hope and even joy as he shows how a loving heavenly Father, Biblical truth, and the love given to him by his Christian brothers and sisters made his enormous challenge possible.
His aim, as indicated in the subtitle, is to bring glory to God, and the publication of this book is at least partial proof that he is doing so. Full of Biblical truth both in the quoting of texts and in demonstrating his personal attitude, he provides a guide to the journey through the valley of the shadow of death.
The Scriptural heart of the book is also shown in that some of the 33 short chapters read like psalms in narrative form. His pastoral heart is in evidence as he often poses questions to the reader to help in the development of a conviction that the sovereign God really does work out everything for the good of those who love Him. He also suggests further reading of titles that have proved helpful to him.
One of his goals is to prepare his readers for facing loss themselves, but also to develop a mindset in which we can face our own death. The value of the book extends beyond this single focus, as the framework developed here is one which will be invaluable in whatever difficulty we face. The subtitle could equally justly be The Normal Christian Life. This heartwarming, honest, humble and hopeful book could be used by both young and mature Christians to spur them on to greater sanctification. The testimony of authentic Christian living as an individual and as part of a loving church family could be powerful for anyone wrestling with doubts about how Christianity can ‘work’ in practice.
