Sparks Fly Upward

why God allows us to suffer

If you, or anyone you know, has suffered pain or loss, or has ever simply wondered how a merciful and omnipotent God can allow such tragedies, Matthews' book offers a unique perspective on this age-old question. Matthews takes a very different approach than other well-known authors on this subject such as Kushner's When Bad Things Happen to Good People, or C. S. Lewis' The Problem of Pain. After suffering his own tragic loss at a young age and watching many others around him suffer, Matthews argues that while God is firmly in control, he neither inflicts nor uses pain as part of his plan for us. Covering topics such as prayer, miracles, comfort, and universal providence, he discusses the problem of pain from a personal perspective that both explains suffering and supports other aspects of Christian life and thought.