The Way of the Brave

Susan May Warren is one of my absolute favorite authors! She has great characters, intriguing story lines, and spiritual lessons woven throughout. She writes her books in series, and The Way of the Brave is the first book in her latest series, Global Search and Rescue. The story centers around Orion (Ry) Starr, a former pararescue jumper, who is dealing with failures and injuries from a rescue gone wrong while serving in Afghanistan. He and two friends are called upon to rescue three female climbers lost on Denali in Alaska. Suspense, endurance, and brokenness surround the characters as they struggle to survive and get off the mountain safely.

Ry is angry at God, struggling with issues of acceptance at what’s happened to him in the past and anger at God for not answering his prayers the way he expects. His friend, Ham, tells him, “You’re mad because God didn’t answer your prayer back in the cave the way you wanted him to. You asked Him to rescue us—but you meant without any wounds...But you might consider that God uses our wounds to heal us. Make us stronger. And give us compassion for those who are also wounded.”

One of the female climbers is Jenny Calhoun, a former CIA profiler and psychiatrist Orion served with in Afghanistan. They had a brief relationship, which adds to Ry’s problems during the rescue.  She is one of the wounded, dealing with her own issues of suffering and disappointment in God. One of her friends who’s stranded with her, tells her, “What if God lets us suffer so we can reach out to Him for comfort and in that moment receive everything He wants for us? Freedom. Hope. Love. The things we wouldn’t have if we didn’t have Him. He is just that relentless in His pursuit of your heart. Maybe it’s time you let Him catch you.”

At one time or another, we’ve all struggled either with understanding why God answers some prayers and not others, or how He answers our prayers, often in ways we never expect. He understands the emotions we experience: anger, frustration, discouragement, etc. He also understands our reaction to the suffering and sorrows we experience. It all boils down to trust, though—do we trust God to know what’s best for us, despite our circumstances, or do we limit Him to only what we can see?

Ry comes to realize “we don’t stop living life just because bad things can, or will, happen. We just keep going forward, trusting in God’s plan for us, even if bad things happen. God is still there, still in control. Still saving us. Still protecting us.”

John 16:33 tells us Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” It’s amazing to think in the midst of tribulation, we can find peace. That peace comes from Who we put our trust in!

I Peter 1:6-7 gives us the reason for trials and suffering: “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Faith without testing isn’t really faith at all, is it?

We never know who is watching us, observing how we live out our faith, especially during difficult times. Our suffering can be used in in the lives of others as Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Once I started reading The Way of the Brave, I literally couldn’t put it down. If you take the time to read it, I know the characters will draw you in, but I hope you will see the wonderful lessons to be learned to help you deal with tough situations you find yourself in. My prayer is that instead of blaming God and thinking He’s let you down, you’ll recognize His loving hand on your life and not lose heart.

I’ll leave you with another of my favorite verses: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:1b-3a)

Blessings to you, and may you let Him catch you!
Lori

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