What would happen in your life if you could forgive God?
Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not suggesting God has done anything wrong. But my guess is that there is some pain, some wrong, some loss, some unanswered prayer… there’s something you may be holding against God and chances are you need to forgive him. By forgive I simply mean you need to let go, to release Him from whatever it is you’re holding against him.
What would happen in your life if you could forgive God?
Could you experience joy again? Would you feel near to him again? Could you experience friendship & closeness with others again?
Chances are, whatever you’re holding against God is holding you hostage from the life God wants for you. So how about we lay that down, forgive God, and see what happens next?
Does God love us?
I think this could be a powerful idea for us as we think about all the stuff God gets blamed for when, in reality, no one could love us more than our Heavenly Father. Yet, we live in a broken world where we experience hard things.
The apostle Paul struggled with this very idea when he wrote these words, “Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?” (Romans 8.35, NLT)
That’s a great question that many of us struggle with when facing the hard things in this life. We wonder if God loves us when we’re facing the diagnosis, when we get the call that someone we love is hurting, when bad things happen to good people, when the job goes away, when loss happens, when we suffer, when we’re hurt.
Does God love us? Is He really there? Does He really care?
Paul reminds us that God is near, He does care & that nothing, in fact, could ever separate us from His great love for us.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about this idea at Riverside church where I am blessed to serve. Here are some of the books I’ve been reading and re-reading as we’ve been talking about these incredibly difficult topics.
If you’re going through a difficult time or if you have tough questions and you’re weary of the bumper sticker answers, may I suggest you consider some of these books. They’ve been helpful to me.
6 Books to Help You When You’re Suffering, Hurting and Waiting on God:
(in no particular order)
1 // It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered
by Lysa TerKeurst
Lysa writes a beautiful book sharing her own story of personal pain and longing for God in the middle of it all. I can’t recommend this book enough. Here’s a brief quote…
“When His timing seems questionable, His lack of intervention seems hurtful, and His promises seem doubtful, I get afraid. I get confused. And left alone with those feelings, I can’t help but feel disappointed that God isn’t doing what I assume a good God should do.”
2 // Hope in the Dark: Believing God Is Good When Life Is Not
by Craig Groeschel
As a pastor, Craig not only has personal stories of walking through difficult times, he’s walked through those same waters with others. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find much more of in this excellent book…
“Even when we’re forced to wait, God often reinforces his promises to us and reminds us of his presence. It might be through his Word, by a whisper, through a person, or simply through our believing by faith that he is with us. He makes it clear that he is not overlooking over our needs. In return, he asks that we live by faith, trusting him and serving him during our season of waiting.”
3 // Disappointment with God: Three Questions No One Asks Aloud
by Philip Yancey
If you need a conversation partner to work through the difficulty of understanding your disappointment with God, there may be no one better than Philip Yancey. He’s written extensively on this subject and offers such wisdom to those willing to wade into these waters. Here’s just one example…
“Kierkegaard said that Christians reminded him of schoolboys who want to look up the answers to their math problems in the back of the book rather than work them through. I confess to such schoolboy sentiments, and I doubt that I am alone. We yearn for shortcuts. But shortcuts usually lead away from growth, not toward it. Apply the principle directly to Job: what was the final result of the testing he went through? As Rabbi Abraham Heschel observed, “Faith like Job’s cannot be shaken because it is the result of having been shaken.”
4 // Swallowed Up: A Story About How My Brother Died. And I Didn’t.
by JL Gerhardt
Gerhardt has a painful story but, in her own words she explains that her “grief isn’t special.” She lost someone she loved very much. Maybe you have too. If so, this might be a great read for you as you struggle with your loss and your faith.
“When Jesus hangs on the cross, the sky goes black, as if God weeps in ink. At the precise moment of Jesus’ death, the earth shakes and the veil in the Temple is torn. And I wonder if that’s not God “shaken” like David, tearing His clothes in grief like Jacob.
Is it okay to say that I’m glad God grieves? I am. Somehow, knowing that I and God have grief in common, it makes the grief right. Because if God grieves, if death makes even God sad and angry, my sadness and my anger make sense.”
5 // The Power of Crying Out: When Prayer Becomes Mighty
by Bill Gothard
I’ve had this little book on my shelf for a long time and go to it often. It’s a powerful reminder to cry out aloud to God as so many have done throughout the centuries. Bill Gothard points out the distinction in scripture between “prayer” and “crying out to God.”
“Psalm 102 is titled “A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the LORD.” Those words afflicted and overwhelmed may not carry much weight for you at this moment; they’re easy to read over lightly. But the hour comes in each of our lives when words like that leap out at us and catch exactly our heart’s condition. In that very moment, we can confidently call out to God, just as the psalmist did:
Hear my prayer, O LORD,
And let my cry come to You.
Do not hide your face from me in the day of my trouble;
Incline Your ear to me;
In the day that I call, answer me speedily.”
6 // The Land Between
by Jeff Manion
This is another book that’s been a companion of mine for a long time. Jeff shares stories from his own experience along with powerful insights from scripture.
“It is in saying yes to God again and again when little seems at stake that we prepare our hearts to ay yes to God when everything is at stake. In this way, steady, incremental growth prepares the bheart for seasons of extreme disruption – not just to weather these seasons but, in the midst of them, to be transformed.”
Remember, God is near
If you’re going through a difficult time, I pray you remember that God is near. I pray that you will draw closer than you ever have to your Heavenly Father who loves you more than you could ever know. And perhaps the words of one of these books will be helpful to you as you walk through your own story of heartache and pain with God.
These books have been helpful to me. I would love to hear what books have helped you? Share in the comments below.
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