It was rather striking how much of the book paralleled things I’d been thinking of over the years—all the way to the illustration of God’s power being like playing a master chess player: do what you please, resist as much as you like, he’ll use your best moves as part of his far more skillful plan.
The book’s organization leaves a little to be desired, but since most people aren’t going to read it straight through that is probably an advantage.
Three prominent themes in the book are:
- The Christian life often has dry times when God doesn’t seem to be around. Often it gets harder instead of easier.
- God seems to work more through suffering in our lives than anything else.
- Jesus said that we were better off with the Spirit (and therefore the Church) than we would have been with Him still here. That means the Church is immensely more important than we let it be.
This isn’t an apologetic work, nor one that claims to clearly explain the ways of God to man. It is the observations of suffering brothers and a reminder that hope does not disappoint—if you hope for God. If you expect God to magically adjust the world for your comfort, you’re begging for disappointment.
Read it. Yes, you.
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