Our Ultimate Refuge: Job and the Problem of Suffering

If you are a fan of "My Utmost for His Highest", you will love this book. It was written during World War 1 and it definitely goes into great depth about God and our relationship with Him during difficult times. Oswald uses the book of Job as an example of extreme trials and isolation. This is a smaller book, broken up into short chapters which would make it an easy devotional type book. The reading is not for the "faint-of-heart"; it contains some real wisdom and amazing depth.

I think Mr. Chambers's book is exciting because unlike most people, he actually read the book of Job. He uses Job's experiences not as a springboard in to general, vague, and platitudinous ramblings about suffering in general, but he discusses Job's suffering in specific. His loyalty and love of the text is reason enough to buy this book.The book is divided up into several small lessons which takes several chapters and provides several paragraphs of commentary and sermons about the subject matter. I love Chambers's prose. It is powerful and direct. You do not get the marshmallow emoting, and greased truism that you would find in other books. If you do not know what good doctrine tastes like, buy this book an feast.A last piece of advice: if you loved this book, and are electrified by chamber's power, then I strongly exhort you to buy the "Complete Works of Oswald Chambers." You will love running along side this man's mind and heart.

Sometimes the healing process can hurt. Job was a person like us and all of us can see a little bit of Job in us. Chambers masterfully brings out the fact that suffering IS NOT the curse of God or because we have committed wrongs. Job is shown to be moving CLOSER to God in his tribulation rather than further from God [which some modern commentaries do]--suffering, trials and problems ARE a part of human existence and better is the person who will see God ABOVE it as they must travel through it.Baffled to Fight Better is EXACTLY what postmoderns need to lessen the anger against God when rough times come. God is NOT the author of confusion.

This book is incisive and speaks life into the heart of a bewildered Christian who is at a loss to grasp the "higher ways" of God; a prophetic perspective on suffering that may ease the pain and add grit to the soul...