Songs of Suffering: 25 Hymns and Devotions for Weary Souls

“Throughout the Bible and throughout the history of good hymnody, we see that the songs and singing of the church are essential to all of life. They are the sound of our future. They gather in and they send out. They search the soul and they lift up. They teach the word and shape our prayers. They give courage to fight and guide toward green pastures for rest. They are deep wells and high mountaintops. They are a place to bring our children....May you sing with them through the darkness of the night and the breaking of the day. Come and do what we have always loved to do—sing with Joni as she sings to him. Sing wherever you are of the hope that is leading us home.”

“No one in the evangelical world has done more reading, thinking, praying, and reflecting on suffering and faith than Joni Eareckson Tada. She is always ‘must-reading,’ but this particular book is a brilliant addition to her body of work. Music sends theology deep into the heart in a unique way, and Joni’s meditations on these beautiful hymns will make them even more effective in your life. Highly recommended.”

“My friend Joni lives with pain in her body, a tune in her heart, and a song on her tongue. Her faithful ministry to us all comes through the songs she sings, the great example of what Ephesians 5:19 was meant to look like in us all. I aspire to become what I see in my sister. In her prolonged suffering, she worships her loving Father, to proclaim his greatness to a watching world. Joni is a miracle, a spectacle of grace. Who better to lead us through our most precious hymns for the hardest seasons of life?”

“Joni is a pillar of hope to our generation. I’m grateful for her wisdom and for her voice that cuts through the complacency and calls us to hope. This devotional collection is one you’ll reach for when you’re weary.”

“Songs of Suffering is one of those rare books that isn’t intended to be read; it’s intended to be experienced. I sang, cried, smiled, prayed, and worshiped through every page. No matter what you’re walking through, let Joni be your song leader, and your heart won’t be the same.”

“Where would we be without hymns? Where would we be without songs to express our sorest griefs and deepest sorrows? I hope you'll allow Joni Eareckson Tada to introduce you to some of the best and most powerful of them all, to explain how they have been a blessing and comfort to her—and to encourage you to get to know them, to commit them to memory, and to sing them before the Lord, so they can be a blessing and comfort to you as well.”

“If you take the time to open up this book, be warned: It will grow your faith. It will help you fall in love with Christ more, as you learn to sing hymns that will sustain you and uphold you through days of misery and suffering. I was greatly encouraged by Joni’s Songs of Suffering, and you will be too.”

“Joni’s gorgeous writing, as poetic as the hymns she champions and cherishes, helped me stare into the time-honored texts, many of which I’ve sung all my life, and discover depths and beauties I’d not seen before. Reading this book was truly illuminating and inspiring to my heart.”

“Joni has given us a gift: to learn to sing through our sorrows and all the days of our lives. Through historical hymns and biblical reflections, we are reminded to go to our Savior, who cares for us more deeply than we could ever imagine. Join Joni and the choir of those who have gone before us to sing of the excellencies of our God. Your heart will be glad as your tongue rejoices (Ps. 16:9).”

“Once again Joni has found a way to redeem her suffering and to do so in a way that inspires and encourages others. A gorgeous book with a deep message.”