Wait and Hope

Since the fall, suffering has been a universal part of human experience. While the specific trials we face change, we all long for hope in the face of many burdens. No group of writers in church history grasped this better than the Puritans. In Wait and Hope, Jacob Tanner reminds us how the Puritans endured immense suffering in various aspects of the Christian life— from facing persecution and death to pursuing assurance through trials. By looking at the lessons they learned, suffering pilgrims today are invited to join the tradition of waiting in hope.

Endorsements

“Jacob Tanner has given God’s people a valuable gift in this book. All the followers of our crucified Lord will suffer. We will not all, however, suffer well all the time. Seasons of trials and difficulties are fraught with temptations, and giving in to them inevitably robs us of the comforts and encouragements that are found in Christ. This book, as the title exhorts, is an aid to resist such temptations by reminding us of all that God has given His people in Christ. Enriched with insights from Puritan writers and borne out of his own considerable trials, Tanner expounds key passages of God’s Word with pastoral wisdom and sensitivity. The result is a book that can be placed in the hands of anyone who is suffering. To read it carefully is to be led to Christ and by Christ through trials of every kind.”
—Tom Ascol, pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Cape Coral, Florida

Contents

Introduction

1. The Trial and Triumph of Mortifying the Flesh
2. Fighting for Faith and Assurance When Battling Unbelief
3. Remembering God’s Sovereignty When the World Spins Out of Control
4. Following the One Who Endured the Cross, Despising Its Shame
5. Passionately Living for Christ under Persecution
6. Living as Outcasts, Vagabonds, and Pilgrims with Joy
7. Clinging to God’s Promises in Sickness
8. When Death Calls Us Home
9. When Weeping Tarries for the Night
10. Joy Comes in the Morning

Conclusion: The Puritan Hope of Triumph in the Midst of Suffering
Bibliography