How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
- Psalm 13:1-4 (NIV)
It's no new question; it's no new plea...the question "Where is God?" has been the cry of people for millennia. From Job to David to Christ himself on the Cross, to you and me today. We see injustice, we see sin, we see sin - or worse, we experience it. The problem of pain lies at the core of Christian theology and countless volumes have been written about it. Where is God? is psychologist and author Dr. John Townsend's attempt to grapple the problem of pain.
Using stories and personal anecdotes, Townsend weaves an easy to understand theology of the problem of pain and reminds us of several excellent truths. Perhaps the greatest point Townsend makes is in the the chapter "Freedom in the Service of Love," where he reminds us that love cannot be forced, for forced love is rape, and rather love must come from a desire to love. In other words, love requires a choice, and if following God is a way to show love, then there must choice to not follow God. This is called sin, and it is this decision that results in the pain of the world.
Past this and through story and Scripture, Townsend paints us a picture of a God who is there, a God who cares, and God who suffers with us, a God who transforms us, a God who does more behind the scenes than we can fully realize, and a God who is loving. Filled with practical advice and Scriptural truths, Where is God? is a great reminder that God will never leave us, and when we cannot see Him, we must have faith - a faith rationalized by what we know of His character. Overall, Where is God? is a great introductory look into the problem of pain and focuses on the practical side of this complex theological question. It's a great look at the problem from a psychologist's perspective. Townsend teaches us that we can stand with David and complete his psalm:
- Psalm 13:5-6 (NIV)5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.
1 comments:
This is good, Josh. Another one I must add to the list...
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