“Where is God?” is the default question man asks in times of adversity, whether rhetorical or honest manner. While it is almost a given that people suffer the consequences of their actions, there are also people who had no hand in their circumstances at all. Inasmuch as we would have the problems in our lives analyzed in percentages, as Dr. John Townsend explained in Chapter 3 – Pie Chart (e.g. let’s say you get laid off from your job. The problem may be 10 percent your doing, 30 percent others’ fault and 60 percent due to the world), we can actually go beyond the “Where is God?” question and come to understanding, then take action from there.
Dr. John Townsend’s “Where is God?” is a life changing book – another to my list of favorites. It was thoroughly interesting how Dr. Townsend was able to biblically address our innermost longing to know where God is when we are in the midst of life’s most difficult challenges. The book challenges us to get into our heart of hearts during adversities – which is hands down the most vulnerable moments in our lives. Essentially telling us how we can actually get into a place where we can find the reasons for our struggle and why we ask the “Where is God?” question and brings us back to the fact that God is for us, regardless of our circumstance: how much we hurt and all the array of emotions that can rather get the best of us when we are engaged in adversities.
I just love how Townsend was able to articulate the intimacies and dynamics of the human heart and uses his personal experiences to get his message across. This particularly appeals to me amongst other manners of teaching – always. Whether it be by the person behind the pulpit or the person writing the book I’m reading.
Without pretenses, Townsend confesses that he definitely has not got everything figured out. He too is still learning to trust God in his own life on a daily basis. I definitely felt God’s anointing on him through this book as he ministered to my very heart.
“Where is God?’ goes around three themes:
First, is that God is for you. This is one of the fundamental truths of the universe that we need to be reminded of.
Second, our experience matters. At least it does to God and it should to us as well. Recognizing our pain will help us move ahead towards healing.
And Third, the Bible is our source for understanding God’s ways in hard times. That basically just explains itself right there. There is no other manual God has provided for man that will minister to our hearts more than His Word.
I personally recommend this book to anyone who wants to find God’s presence, purpose and power in difficult times. The practical applications shared in Dr. John Townsend’s Where is God? will allow us to see how God’s presence in our lives will make all the difference.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
