Trusting God

In times of prosperity, the grand temptation for any Christian is to forget about God. In times of pain, the grand temptation is to not trust Him. Subsequently, what Trusting God develops is a biblically sound, Scripture-saturated theology of suffering that is firmly grounded in who God is (trustworthy). As a result, the truth that a believer will have their eyes opened to is that God never stops being sovereign, nor does He cease being good. What the reader then walks away with is encouragement and hope knowing that God is in complete control of their lives, even the minutiae. Yes, life can often be tough but only God can bring light out of darkness, and joy out of pain. Yes, life can often be tough but God never wastes pain and while we may lose the sense of God’s presence, we never lose Him. After all, He has promised never, ever to forsake His own. The Christian ought never to forget that the most egregious injustice ever committed was the Crucifixion of the Son God. Yet what did God do with the apex of human wickedness? He used it as a means to set-up the greatest divine accomplishment for man: the Resurrection. In Trusting God, the author does not try to make you “feel better” but rather explains your suffering to you. This explanation does not provide neat, specific, personalized answers to, “Why is God allowing this?” because (like in the case of Job’s suffering), the Scriptures do not undertake to explain mysteries to us. They leave them unexplained. Peace in the midst of adversity does not come from scientific elucidations but does come from trusting a God whose is sovereign, loving, wise and good. Peace and comfort are fruits of faith. What I think any reader will take home after reading this book is a greater understanding of who God is and His purposes. Consequently, persuasion of these truths will empower a believer to appropriate them in their daily circumstances so that they will learn to trust God in the midst of their pain, whatever form that may take. The author has a wonderful ability to communicate profound biblical truths in simple, plain language, making the divine wisdom and practical lessons contained in this text accessible to anyone. This is one of the most powerful theology books I have ever read and I think this classic text deserves a place in every Christian’s library. I encourage all curious readers to read this text and behold the majesty and excellence of the One True God who works all things (whether good or bad) for good for those who love Him.

Trusting God by Jerry Bridges is a great book study to do either by yourself or in a group. I am in a Bible study with one other person, and it has been an excellent study. We have also been through Holiness of God and Practice of Godliness. If you are struggling with trusting God, this book really does a deep dive into God's Sovereignty and how He is worthy to be trusted in the all aspects of life.

I am on my 2nd read of this book. My home collection of religious/faith books is very large, and over the decades I have become disenchanted with how much and how often even established, trusted authors casually interpret God for us. They quote one or two verses of Scripture -- and then write 25 paragraphs about what God meant, with lots of thoughts that I cannot find back-up in my Bible. "Disenchanted" is putting it mildly. Jerry Bridges covers some difficult topics, topics that are deeper and more expansive than some of us want to go. What I love about this book is that even with the toughest issues, Jerry Bridges is not afraid to ask, "Is this Biblical? Where in the Bible are the Scriptural verses to support this?" Then, he finds them and prints them. He will make an assertion and then offer Scripture as its foundation. Often, if the Scriptural reference is Old Testament, he will also "tell the story" behind the verses. Yet -- all of this is EASY reading, or at least I have found it so. He uses the language that us ordinary church-goers use. But he does so with such flair and such specificity that it's impossible to miss his point. I have always thought -- the Bible should be able to stand by itself. It should not require 1,000 books by 30 different authors to "explain" what God meant. God is, after all, clearly capable of making Himself clear. Right???? For me, this book is about more than trusting God. It's about KNOWING God, knowing the One I have chosen to trust with my life and everything in it. Jerry Bridges paints an incredibly detailed portrait of that One, founded on Scripture and exemplified in the experiences of everyday people. As a person with a BIG collection of books (many of which have been donated to resale shops), I can attest to this one. It's a keeper, worth reading more than once.

This is one of those books that you'll read over and over throughout life! And it's a great one to gift, so always have one or two extra copies on hand to share because, again, you'll want to keep your own copy to read again! It's full of sound Biblical doctrine and it even includes homeowrk questions to allow the reader to further dig into Scripture. Besides the Bible, this is my most recommended book! I'm always telling others... Read this book!

There’s freedom waiting in this book. Freedom from fear, anxiety, hopelessness, etc. Freedom from the need to control everything. Freedom to trust in the God who didn’t spare his own son for your sake. He is trustworthy and good and this book goes straight to the source of truth for all those who need to hear it

This book was given to me by my pastor. And I have loved it ever since I started reading it! My pastor's wife also said she had read it more than twice. This book is a great complement to what the Bible teaches about the sovereignty of God and was helpful in deepening my understanding of it! I love the Book of James because without trials and being tested, we won't grow in our faith in the Lord. And boy, have we/I been in one! When our 18.5-year-old son (an honor roll student, valedictorian, and character Christian award recipient three years in a row at his Christian school) decided to leave our home and our church body because he said you don't own me- we couldn't tell him what to do anymore. So he went to live with his grandparents- where there are no rules, no chores- and they aren't born-again, etc. I'm thankful for the Lord’s protection of him (through this) from the world's many sinful lusts. Bc he really only ever works and isn't into all of what the world has to offer. When my son was home and at his conservative Christian school (was in christian school his whole life) - he professed to be a born-again believer, but he realized he wasn't once he was held more accountable. He was meeting with a discipler (older man in the faith) and we were requiring him to do his chores on time etc or he would be fined. Just like in the real world- when you don't pay your bills, you get late charges. Well that was too much for him- but through it all, I am so thankful to the Lord for revealing he wasn't saved - while he is still young! So we could all be in prayer for his soul! Either way- God is in control, and we continue to pray for his soul. So our church family and this book had helped me and my husband to continually stand firm on God’s word and know He is sovereign over all. And God is working out ALL things for His glory and His born-again believers' good. No matter the outcome!!

"All the possible calamities that could occur in this life cannot in any way be compared with the absolute calamity of eternal separation from God." ~ Jerry Bridges Jerry Bridges begins his book by describing all the things that can go wrong in life. And the list is long. We really are living in the "age of anxiety" as the author explains. Just watch the news if you don't agree. So with so much turmoil in the world who can we trust? The author believes we can trust God because he is sovereign. This turns out to be quite a heavy subject. But if you've lived nearly half a century you probably will agree with the author's point of view. When you look back on your life you can see how trials and tribulation affected you on a spiritual level and created a better you. The truth is you may find many conflicts in your mind while reading this book. Atheists would say that because there is evil in the world that proves there is no God. The author however explains how God has an eternal perspective and sees life differently than we do. I feel that if there is no God there is no justice. So I can't deny God's existence on that point. If you have just discovered this book there is probably a really good reason. God wants to comfort you and this book will let you know that he does care about you. We have to trust God one circumstance at a time. If everything went your way you'd never have the opportunity to trust God fully for deliverance. This book was especially meaningful to me as my brother just died and we still don't know why. It was however apparent to me that it was God's will because the movie I watched on the day of my brother's funeral...well the main character had my brother's name. So I know God is with me and is telling me everything is working as planned. That doesn't make all the sadness go away but it gives me hope that God does care and has things under control. ~The Rebecca Review

Have read several times and learn something new each time. Life changing.