Originally Posted by Lacey (Post 596341)

When Ye Pray by Joy Haney

Originally Posted by Timmy (Post 596252)

Yep!

Said I had more to say about The Shack. Here's something:

In the book, we have "God" going to extraordinary lengths to help one particular fellow who's having a hard time. He's depressed. Can't seem to recover, after a horrible tragedy. This singling someone out for a miracle reminds me of the "real" God's behavior in the "real" world, as some claim. There are millions of unlucky folks in situations like Mack's who never hear a peep from God, and some live out their lives in darkness, some end their own lives. But once in a while, we are expected to believe, God reaches out, maybe sends an angel, maybe a vision, maybe a "healing", and that lucky one lives to tell of God's wonderful mercy. "Isn't God good?" we hear, and we must agree! OK, sure, God is good to a select few (apparently). Those that God is "especially fond of", I guess (a recurring theme of the book, but God is especially fond of everyone -- in the book's universe).

And yet, we are expected to believe that God is no respecter of persons (and the book reminds us of this). I guess the rest of those folks are just supposed to kind of absorb some of the wonderfulness of those lucky ones' miracles, and climb out of the darkness themselves. Or they are reprimanded, told they must just trust God (as we are told in the book, many times).

No excuses. God's healing power is available to all. Just have to reach out and accept it.

Originally Posted by crakjak (Post 613443)

Timmy,

I recommend Phillip Yancy's books to you, he deals with the depths of the very proposition that you set forth in this post.

In a fallen world we are all products of all kinds of extenuating circumstances that are complicated by our heritage, temperament and culture. Each of our lives are puzzles or test that we are given the task of figuring out, God has a purpose far greater than our current circumstances and therefore he has given us the responsibility to work them out. It is comforting if we can find a close connection to the Lord in our circumstances, some seem not to be able to find this connection. Tough circumstances make some better and some bitter, I don't have an answer as to the reasons why.

I believe this life is harder by design than most folks are willing to admit, and somehow we each have to find a way to walk thru it. It is infinitely more bearable when we are convinced that it is purposeful to equip us for the life to come.
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