Trusting God

Another great work by Jerry Bridges.

A great book, that every Christian should read, especially if they are having difficulty trusting God, but not only then, as the content of this book helps us to be prepared to trust God when the trails come, and shows us how to trust in God to come through them.

Not only a book that has benefit for Christians, but also for the curious non-Christian who does not understand how or why Christians can trust God, or indeed 'why' they should trust God.

The premise of the book is that you must understand the nature of God, His sovereignty, His wisdom, and His grace. It is not possible to trust God fully until you get a deep understanding of these attributes.

For the author, this was no theoretical work, he and his wife were learning to trust God as his wife was battling cancer, and finally succumbed to it. The author shares his doubts and fears, and also how trusting God has seen him through it.

(Posted on 3/30/12)

Jerry Bridges, likely known for his popular book "The Pursuit of Holiness," is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. After thorough enjoying (and being convicted by, in a good way) this title, I came across "Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts" as a free audiobook download from ChristianAudio.com. Needless to say, it's one of my favorite books in its category and one that I can immediately recommend to any Christian reader.

Trusting God is a very practical book with a wide application to many different life scenarios. While Bridges admits from the onset that he does not intend this book for deep suffering and trauma, it does boast a broad reach for nearly any other difficult circumstance that life can experience.

In the way of narration, I would caution that it's not very good - though it's also not terrible. I found it bearable mainly by setting it to 2x the speed because he reads too slowly. The narrator's voice was okay and he read easy enough to understand, but there are far better out there that I prefer to listen to. That said, the content of the book was well worth it.

The author starts out with a question asked two ways: "Can you trust God?" and "Can you trust God?" He then gives reasons why we can answer "yes" to both with confidence and certainty. The basis of trusting God, according to Bridges, is threefold: His sovereignty, wisdom, and love. These are three threads that weave throughout the book as he examines a breadth of content areas we often have difficulty trusting in to show that God is worthy of our trust.

As is the case with his other work I've read, Bridges is very easy to read and is even surprisingly engaging. He writes almost like an old friend writing a letter addressed personally to you, with warmth and honesty. Yet at the same time, I never found him intellectually shallow or wanting. It's clear from the first pages that he knows God deeply and personally, and he rests firmly in Scripture to determine whether his ideas and application are true.

While there are too many specific points to discuss in this review, I will highlight several points I took away that I thought were unique in Bridges' book:

First, God is sovereign over disasters and He does not leave anything to chance or fate. This is something that modern America has difficulty comprehending, simply because of its lack of knowledge of God. Bridges argues that, like Jesus speaking to the wind and sea, nature obeys God's commands. He is sovereign over the weather, and has a purpose for every sun-soaked or rain-drenched day. Here in the rainy and cloudy Pacific Northwest, this is a challenging issue that has the potential to affect many people who struggle with seasonal affective depression.

Second, the balance of free will with God's sovereignty is done very carefully in this book, which I very much appreciate, and is a strength of Bridges' (he walked the same line very effectively in The Pursuit of Holiness). While we trust God's sovereignty, He does not absolve us of responsibility to obey His voice. Likewise, while we are taking action we are in no way interfering with His supreme knowledge or control in our lives or in the entire world. There is nothing we can do that surprises God, which is a comfort to us, yet we will still be held accountable for our actions, which is humbling.

Third, the area of self-acceptance is addressed by acknowledging that God created us as we are and that He allows deformities and limitations; these are not outside of his sovereignty, wisdom, and love. Bridges forces the difficult, but necessary question, "Is God's glory worth my deformities and sufferings?" He then confidently answers "yes" in that adversity produces endurance and endurance helps us face adversity, which produces the holiness than God seems for all of us. Instead of rejecting adversity, Bridges argues for the rejection of anxiety and acceptance of the trials in life.

Finally, in a thoughtful and compassionate manner, Bridges admonishes the reader to store up these truths about God so that when troubles arise, we can rest securely in them. When we are faced with life's difficulties, it can be a great challenge to begin the work of exploring the sovereignty, wisdom, and love of God because we may not have the motivation, the desire ("I don't feel like doing it"), or the energy to do so. Instead, we ought to seek out His character in the good times so we are prepared to look for and respond to the trials with confidence and victory.

Ultimately, this exposition on trust God has opened up my prayer life and promoted a greater confidence in God to whom I am entreating. As bottom line, Bridges has shown me that trusting is about God pursuing His own glory and our good. We can struggle through hardships in ways that we can make sense of that retain God's holiness and glory, but that also address our need for holiness that is ultimately our good.

(Posted on 3/27/12)

I have read this book 3 times and counting and every time it changes me. I have learned so so so much about God and how He always knows what is best, always wants what is best and always has the power to bring it about. SO I can ALWAYS trust him. Can YOU trust God? That is always the question Thank you Mr. Bridges for this book I highly and often recommend and gladly have passed on.

(Posted on 3/23/12)

This book surprised me several times over. Having heard Jerry Bridges speak in the past, this book meant a lot to me.

My favorite part of this book was its tone. The whole book feels like a humble, wise Pastor who has faithfully walked with God sharing his heart. If I wanted a theology of trusting God I'd grab a Systematic Theology. Through stories, Biblical examples, and sound theology Jerry walked my through and into his walk of faith. He doesn't try to stretch beyond himself to answer the problem of evil; Jerry just walks us into trusting God. This book felt like it was mentor speaking into my life.

While the narration was nothing special, and I found it was redeemed by two things. First, it fit the author, who is a gentle man. That is to say John Haag hit the right tone for the book, he doesn't breath life that isn't in the book itself. Second, because of that it felt natural, sweet, and gentle. I found myself listening even more intently because I wanted to hear the wisdom of a man I respect.

I would also note, like Jerry does, that this book is aimed at those who aren't necessarily struggling right now, but laying a foundation for faithful living right now.

Jerry's encouragement to trust the love of God today was the encouragement I'll leave with the strongest. I'll be recommending this book to several friends, it takes humility to value another's life, experience and wisdom, but to him who has ears to hear, let him hear.

I was given a copy of this title by christianaudio for review purposes. They just ask for my honest opinion. Visit their website here: http://christianaudio.com

(Posted on 2/18/12)

I started reading this book because I'm familiar with Jerry Bridges works and I counsel people with issues oftentimes stemming from their lack of trusting God. In addition, my mother-in-law was going through chemo for her cancer treatment. I thought it would help me give these folks a better insight on really trusting God. During the time I was reading, I contracted strep and staph infections in both inner ear canals. It required emergency surgery and a lengthy recovery in the hospital. Needless to say, my own trust in the Lord was tested during my convalescence. It was almost as if the Lord was emphasizing the very things Jerry was addressing in the book. If you have ever struggled with the sovereignty of God or trusting Him in every aspect of your life, then this book is for you. It will challenge you, and I pray, change you. Enjoy.

(Posted on 2/15/12)

I read Trusting God early in my Christian walk in 1990. I was part of a young singles group that did a number of other Navigator books as group studies. I picked up Trusting God just days before I was told my job was being eliminated and learning a family member died.

Trusting God is a book that has stuck with me for more than 20 years. The truths Jerry talks about are fundamental to our Christian faith - like the sovereignty of God, His Love for us, and his foreknowledge of what's best for us. Trusting God simply made it clear that regardless of my circumstances I could trust God.

I highly recommend this book!

(Posted on 2/8/12)

If you really want to understand where your trust level with God stands read this book! It will cause growth in Him.

(Posted on 2/5/12)

Very faith building and comforting.

(Posted on 2/5/12)

I've begun discovering some of Jerry Bridges' books and I find them somewhat relaxing like classical music or a folding chair on the beach. Although the themes he covers in his books can be somewhat heavy, he writes in such a way that he disarms his reader and instead allows him or her to fully embrace what the Bible teaches. He is biblical, and the amount of study he puts into each books is obvious and refreshing. He seeks to be biblical, and I doubt any Christian author would desire higher praise than that.

In Trusting God, Bridges brings the light of Scripture to some of the more challenging questions that plague our minds in the waning hours of the day when we face the challenges presented to us in our pain and suffering. Through careful examination of Scripture, Bridges shows that God is actively involved in His creation, and all of the sorrow and sadness we experience in our lives serves an ultimate and glorious end. He's not out to advance a theological position, he's out to discover the teaching of Scripture. And his conclusions, namely that God is good and sovereign, that we are responsible creatures, and even sin was part of God's plan, may come as a shock to some. But in the midst of doubts and suffering, the words of Scripture bring comfort and joy.

The narration is superb, somewhat grandfatherly and a joy to listen to.

The opinions expressed are my own. I received an audio book download of this work from christianaudio.

(Posted on 2/2/12)

This book is not about Bridges' experiences in life. It is designed to be a devotional. Yet, listening to his devotions, they are all anecdotes, that is, tales from his life. But we are not supposed to hinge ourselves on his tales, but on the truths we can learn from them. Thus, while listening to this audio edition of the book, listeners will find themselves learning more about Bridges as he pours himself into the pages and empties his heart for everyone to glean from.

Bridges even wrote the book like a journal. During the early stages of writing, he hand-wrote the pages for the book and hired a typist to transfer the calligraphic ink into legible print for a digital, paper, and audio medium. This book, style and timeline of publish, is designed like a handwritten devotional to help us meet with G-d, and let Him write on our hearts.

According to Bridges, this book is not written for the Christians who have had extreme circumstances of strife. It is written for the mainstream Christians who have suffered basic hardship: loss of job, termination of pregnancy, unfair professor scoring exams, inability to pay bills. In other words, there is something in your life that this book can tackle.

"There are no easy answers."
Haag, narrating this book, produces an audio that echoes off the walls, much like an android of sorts. Haag provides enough inflection to help the listener discern sentence structure and follow the text, but it nevertheless feels like a strained reading. This is not a presentation. This is not a performance. Rather, Haag's efforts, while sincere and appreciated, feel more like a student reading aloud in hopes to gain perspective and wisdom through the auditory - yet forgetting to let it feel natural and authentic.

I do not recommend the audio edition for this book.

You can read this review and more reviews like it at scriptedgenius.com.

(Posted on 1/31/12)