Having risen from poverty to the halls of power, Barry C. Black has discovered that wealth and prestige do not offer immunity from difficulties—nor do they necessarily make it any easier when tough times do come.

Rather, suffering is universal and demands the same response regardless of circumstances or station, if someone is to find hope and meaning, he says in The Blessing of Adversity (978-1-414-326801-1, $14.99), released this month from Tyndale House Publishers.

Subtitled "Finding Your God-given Purpose in Life’s Troubles," Black’s book draws from his 30-plus years in ministry, including his duties since 2003 as the 62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate. He shares what he has learned serving as a counselor to the rich and powerful, as well as from his own impoverished childhood and military service.

"I’ve seen enough anguish to convince me that evil is real; sin is pervasive, and death is a regular and frequent intruder on humanity," he writes. "Yet in spite of the brokenness and suffering all around me, I believe that God can use our pain and enable us to benefit from affliction."

Black’s six-point road map through painful territory directs readers to guard their tongue, stay positive, be constant, grow up, follow God’s Word and control their doubts. He finds wisdom from the Scriptures, including the story of the Prodigal Son, Daniel and Nehemiah’s rebuilding of Jerusalem and in the words and actions of a wide-ranging cast, from Roman Catholic Archbishop Fulton Sheen and Martin Luther King to former Alabama Gov. George Wallace.

Black also quotes William Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Coldplay and recalls stories from his own life. Among them his mother’s resilient faith despite the family’s being evicted for being unable to pay the rent, her determination in seeing her children enjoy good education and his remorse on being caught bullying. He also tells of listening as a child to recordings of then-Senate Chaplain Peter Marshall, reciting them for friends little realizing that one day he would hold the same office.

With boiled-down action steps such as "Live with praise," "Be tenacious" and "Refuse to rationalize" anchoring the lessons in each of 23 chapters, Black encourages Christians not to try to wiggle out of hardships but to trust God in the midst of them and look for the lessons and foundations He wants to lay for their future.

Failure can become "a teacher whose instruction will produce positive dividends for years" for those willing to learn even from self-inflicted difficulties, he says. "The knowledge that I am able to overcome something that would have beaten me in the past allows me to celebrate my troubles in victory."

Humility, generosity and confidence in God’s goodness are powerful antidotes to the poisons of self-reliance, self-centeredness and self-defeating doubt, Black maintains. Prayer and study are vital, too, he says, telling how when asked to deliver the eulogy for someone he does not know, he asks to see the deceased’s personal Bible because he can get to know them through what is written in it.

Black also offers glimpses into his service on Capitol Hill, including conversations with some leading decision-makers—who sometimes need help knowing what to do in their own lives. Great or small, every life has purpose, Black asserts.

To order, call Tyndale House at 800-323-9400 or visit www.tyndalebooksellers.com.