A short-but-sweet review of Dave Furman’s Kiss the Wave: Embracing God in Your Trials.
In Kiss the Wave, Furman reminds us to find comfort in knowing God and knowing that He sees and knows us. Trials should turn us toward Christ, not away. As Spurgeon wrote, we must learn to “kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages,” embracing our suffering instead of endlessly fighting against and complaining about it.
Kiss the Wave is a challenging read, not because it’s difficult to read (it isn’t) but because applying its lessons involves dying to self. Furman’s reflections on his attitudes toward suffering are simultaneously relatable and convicting. He is the right author for this book, as someone who currently deals with chronic pain and disability and has faced the ensuing depression.
Furman doesn’t try to appear a hero who never falters from the course God has laid out for him. He is painfully honest about his own falls from steadfast endurance. And yet his final take on suffering as something that can bring us closer to Christ and make us more like Him have placed my own small sufferings in their correct context. Could I hand this book to someone in very difficult circumstances? I’m not sure. But I will be re-reading it when trials feel like a wave that might overcome me, and I urge you to do the same.
Favorite Quotes from Kiss the Wave:
“The blaming finger should never be pointed at our circumstances…but always at ourselves.”
ch. 8
“Growing in holiness doesn’t start by trying harder, but by believing better….We need to rest in His finished work on the cross.”
ch. 8
What to Read Next?
Furman refers to a wonderful little treatise by J.I. Packer called Weakness is the Way, which I read a few years ago. I recommend it as a follow-up to Kiss the Wave. You might also enjoy some of Dave’s wife Gloria’s books, such as Glimpses of Grace.
Need more book recommendations but don’t have a lot of time for reading extended reviews? Check out more of my series of mini reviews.
To view current prices for this book, click on the image below. You can find a copy of Weakness is the Way HERE, or perhaps in a local library.
