The Crook in the Lot: God's Sovereignty in a Christian's Afflictions by Thomas Boston

The Crook in the Lot: God's Sovereignty in a Christian's Afflictions Reviews

• 
  Patty

  ‘Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s learning to Dance in the Rain’. God is good ALL THE TIME! Praise God for this excellent treatise on God’s Sovereignty!
• 
  Blue Morse

  Amazing exposition of Ecclesiastes 7:13, Proverbs 16:19, and 1 Peter 5:6 by the great puritan Thomas Boston regarding the sovereignty and wisdom of God in our sufferings and afflictions.
  
  This was such an encouragement. Must read for anyone (which should be everyone) suffering from the myriad of “crooks” in their “lot” of life.
  
  He really brings it home in the last 20-30 pages with some of the most practical wisdom for us in the midst of trials.
  
  I love his “10 directives”:
  
  1. “Assure yourselves that there are no circumstances so humbling that you are in, but you may get your heart acceptably brought down to them (1 Cor 10:13).”
  
  2. “Whatever hand is or is not, in your humbling circumstances, do you take God for your party, and consider in yourselves there in as under His mighty hand (Micah 6:9).”
  
  3. “Be much in the thoughts of God’s infinite greatness, consider His holiness and majesty, fit to awe you into deepest humiliation (Isaiah 6:3-5).”
  
  4. “Inure yourselves silently to admit mysteries in the conduct of Providence towards you, which you are not able to comprehend, but will adore, ‘O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!’ (Rom 11:33).”
  
  5. “Be much in the thoughts of your own sinfulness, ‘Behold I am vile, what shall I answer thee? (Job 40:4).”
  
  6. “Settle it in your heart, that there is need of all the humbling circumstances you are out in (1 Pet 1:6).”
  
  7. “Believe a kind design of Providence in them towards you. God call us to this, as the key that opens the heart under them (Rev 3:19).”
  
  8. “Think with yourselves, that this life is the time of trial for heaven (James 1:12).”
  
  9. “Think with yourselves, how it is by humbling circumstances the Lord prepares us for heaven (Col 1:12, 2 Cor 5:5).”
  
  10. “Give up at length with your towering hopes from this world, and confine them to the world to come (Isaiah 57:10).”
• 
  Mamikie Mmky

  This book is full of hard truths. Worth reading over and over again!
• 
  Kalman Buterbaugh

  A very difficult read for essentially only a couple key points repeated. The main premise is that when we experience suffering, we should recognize it as the hand of God and endure it contentedly with a trust in His character. However, I do find the repetition helpful to really hammer in the point. Overall, Boston provides a very helpful Christian perspective on suffering.