This is a question that many people are asking, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the last few months our TV screens, mobile notifications and conversations have been full of the number of infections, spreading rate and deaths. It has been a horrible time for so many people and sadly many families will never be the same again. So, quite rightly, the question on many people’s lips is “Where is God in this Messed-up world?”
This is not a question to be answered by a lecture-like summary of the facts, it is not to be answered with a cold-hearted ‘such is life’ kind of attitude. The question of suffering must be addressed from a perspective of a fellow sufferer and it must be addressed out of a genuine care and love for the individual asking the questions.
In this book Roger Carswell takes you to the Bible, he asks the hard questions that are on your mind and he points you to the only person who can bring you true, secure and every lasting hope; Jesus Christ.
Here’s how the book starts…
“I don’t have an answer for all the ‘whys’ that I ask, and which people often ask me. But I do have absolute confidence in the character of God and His words to humankind as expressed in the Bible. I have studied what the Bible says about God, and I have seen His transforming power in my life and that of others. As a result, I am convinced that we do have an explanation for why the world is as it is; about why God doesn’t put an immediate end to all that is wrong with the world; and that we can find comfort and hope in Him. Christians don’t have to be silent on the subject of suffering, even though we cannot explain every individual situation or why one person suffers so much more than another.”
This book is about 150 pages long, so it deals with the topic to a degree of depth. There are three sections in the book. The first section focuses in on the question ‘why?’, why we ask that question, where we look for answers and if we can find a satisfactory answer to that question. The second part explains the world from a Christian perspective; how it was created, what went wrong and God’s solution to that problem. The third part is all about the Christian’s approach to suffering; it’s about facing trials and suffering but standing firm in Jesus.
Roger writes with a theological depth that is necessary for such a difficult topic, but he also writes with a warm heart and a caring voice for his readers. It’s as if Roger is sitting down with you and wanting you to see the beauty of the good news of Jesus and build you up as you ask one of the most common questions around.
I could go on and fill this post with quotes and snippets of stories that you’ll find in these pages, but I would be robbing you the joy of reading it.
You can buy the book here for £6.99, or even better today you can buy 10 copies for £0.99 each! That is an absolute steal!
This is an ideal book to give away to a non-Christian, or to a Christian who is asking this question. I would highly recommend that you take advantage of this amazing pre-order deal and get a good number of this book. Buy some and keep them at your door to give to friends and family. Buy some and post them to loved ones and neighbours who might have extra time to read about the important things in life.
Buy one for yourself and be blessed by the ministry of Roger Carswell as he tackles a difficult topic in such an accessible way and points you to true hope, which is only found in Jesus.
Roger Carswell works full-time speaking to students and adults about the believability of the Christian faith and its relevance to the modern world. He is married to Dot and they have four children.
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