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Desperate for Hope: Hanging On And Finding God During Life's Hardest Times
A hopeful and encouraging message for readers experiencing suffering that assures them God is deeply in love with them, no matter what they go through.
224 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 31, 2023
bible study read
Very much appreciated this book. It was a surprisingly easy and engaging read and I loved the scripture sprinkled throughout and the relatable message.
Very much appreciated this book. It was a surprisingly easy and engaging read and I loved the scripture sprinkled throughout and the relatable message.
August 5, 2019
It seems that many in the Christian community want to shy away from the topic of suffering. Bruce Martin addresses it head on. The book is peppered with stories of people who have suffered for seemingly no reason. By studying the book of Job, Martin shows how sometimes we don
t know what is going on behind the scenes of our suffering, but that God is looking to to perfect us not punish us through suffering. Using scripture that reminds us that we are to identify with Christ in our suffering Bruce offers hope that our suffering is not in vain and that we have One who identifies and walks with us in it. Such a great book to read if you are in the midst of difficult circumstances or know someone who is.
t know what is going on behind the scenes of our suffering, but that God is looking to to perfect us not punish us through suffering. Using scripture that reminds us that we are to identify with Christ in our suffering Bruce offers hope that our suffering is not in vain and that we have One who identifies and walks with us in it. Such a great book to read if you are in the midst of difficult circumstances or know someone who is.
July 29, 2012
Desperate for Hope
Hanging on and Finding God during Life's Hardest Times
by Bruce W. Martin
There are times when we feel we are caught in the perfect storm with everything that can go wrong going wrong at one time. But these times of testing are God allowing us to be perfected rather than protecting us from the storms of life. But when we are in the midst of our storms we ask “Why?”
Sometimes the storms we find our-self caught up in is one of our own making because we made an unwise choice. Jonah is an example of this reasoning. Instead of going to Nineveh Jonah went another direction and found himself in the midst of a storm and then a very large fish. When we make wrong decisions God disciplines us because He loves us! Sin has consequences but God continues to love us.
Sometimes we get caught in the in cross winds of bad decisions and sins made by someone else but we still have to pay the consequences. But this a chance for God to prepare us for something else that is coming into our life. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and accused of a crime he didn't commit. But God used these times to strengthen Joseph and to prepare him for the role he would soon hold in Egypt. But Joseph didn't allow himself to be embittered by his storm, he weathered it and he forgave those who put him in the storm's path.
Life happens and we are not responsible for the trouble that comes our way. Sickness. An accident. Job loss. Sometimes we never can point to an exact cause for our troubles they just develop. Other times there is a spiritual factor to our troubles, Satan is waging war against us and he is stirring up a storm to trouble us and to turn us away from God.
God and Satan use the same situations in our lives to try to achieve different results in our lives. God is perfecting us and Satan is enticing us. Don't allow the unanswered “Whys” in your life to erode your trust in God.
Having a relationship with God does not protect us from the storms of life, but it to strengthen our relationship with Him. Job was greatly tested by Satan and provides us with a look at the spiritual issues we can face. Satan wants to test us, to drive us from God and salvation, but we must cry out to God to strengthen us.
When life doesn't go the way we expected, we draw back from God. When the worst happens we pull into ourselves and try to push God out. We want safety and stability and we are unsure if we can get this from God. We avoid praising or worshiping God for what He has done for us because He let pain or loss into our lives. But this is when we most need God and when our witness can be most powerful as others watch us weather our storms. In the midst of our storms if we can still worship God through our sorrow we know that our soul is on the right path.
Life can always get worse, just look at Job he lost everything except his life. When we hit the rough patches we can do one of two things – continue on or to take the path of least resistance away from God. A pain-free, trouble-free is not normal, throughout the Bible we see examples of suffering and pain and we are told to expect it.
God never promised us that we would be happy, healthy, and wealthy. We feel that God owes us. But God's greatest gifts often come to us through our suffering. And when we can find joy in the midst of our sorrow we have hope.
And our hope rests in Jesus' promise that He will be with us always until the end of our current age. God provides us with what we need when we need it. The perfect life is a matter of the soul and the grace God extends to us.
I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher for the purpose of this review and all opinions expressed are my own.
Available August 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
Hanging on and Finding God during Life's Hardest Times
by Bruce W. Martin
There are times when we feel we are caught in the perfect storm with everything that can go wrong going wrong at one time. But these times of testing are God allowing us to be perfected rather than protecting us from the storms of life. But when we are in the midst of our storms we ask “Why?”
Sometimes the storms we find our-self caught up in is one of our own making because we made an unwise choice. Jonah is an example of this reasoning. Instead of going to Nineveh Jonah went another direction and found himself in the midst of a storm and then a very large fish. When we make wrong decisions God disciplines us because He loves us! Sin has consequences but God continues to love us.
Sometimes we get caught in the in cross winds of bad decisions and sins made by someone else but we still have to pay the consequences. But this a chance for God to prepare us for something else that is coming into our life. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and accused of a crime he didn't commit. But God used these times to strengthen Joseph and to prepare him for the role he would soon hold in Egypt. But Joseph didn't allow himself to be embittered by his storm, he weathered it and he forgave those who put him in the storm's path.
Life happens and we are not responsible for the trouble that comes our way. Sickness. An accident. Job loss. Sometimes we never can point to an exact cause for our troubles they just develop. Other times there is a spiritual factor to our troubles, Satan is waging war against us and he is stirring up a storm to trouble us and to turn us away from God.
God and Satan use the same situations in our lives to try to achieve different results in our lives. God is perfecting us and Satan is enticing us. Don't allow the unanswered “Whys” in your life to erode your trust in God.
Having a relationship with God does not protect us from the storms of life, but it to strengthen our relationship with Him. Job was greatly tested by Satan and provides us with a look at the spiritual issues we can face. Satan wants to test us, to drive us from God and salvation, but we must cry out to God to strengthen us.
When life doesn't go the way we expected, we draw back from God. When the worst happens we pull into ourselves and try to push God out. We want safety and stability and we are unsure if we can get this from God. We avoid praising or worshiping God for what He has done for us because He let pain or loss into our lives. But this is when we most need God and when our witness can be most powerful as others watch us weather our storms. In the midst of our storms if we can still worship God through our sorrow we know that our soul is on the right path.
Life can always get worse, just look at Job he lost everything except his life. When we hit the rough patches we can do one of two things – continue on or to take the path of least resistance away from God. A pain-free, trouble-free is not normal, throughout the Bible we see examples of suffering and pain and we are told to expect it.
God never promised us that we would be happy, healthy, and wealthy. We feel that God owes us. But God's greatest gifts often come to us through our suffering. And when we can find joy in the midst of our sorrow we have hope.
And our hope rests in Jesus' promise that He will be with us always until the end of our current age. God provides us with what we need when we need it. The perfect life is a matter of the soul and the grace God extends to us.
I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher for the purpose of this review and all opinions expressed are my own.
Available August 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
August 18, 2012
Bruce W. Martin in his new book “Desperate for Hope” published by Revell Books helps us Hanging on and Finding God during Life’s Hardest Times.
From the Back Cover: There is hope after life falls apart.
A single phone call can change your life.
There’s been an accident.
You have cancer.
The company’s downsizing.
Your spouse wants out.
All of a sudden everything spins out of control.
At some point, we’ve all felt painful loss, bitter disappointment, embarrassing failure, unthinkable betrayal, and the seeming randomness of suffering. Some of us have faced death. Sometimes it all happens at once. And we have quietly wondered (or maybe even screamed), “Why is this happening to me? Where is God in all of this?”
The answer may surprise you.
With sincere sympathy and ready encouragement, Bruce W. Martin takes you through a grieving process that will help you reconcile your deep suffering with your beliefs about God. A unique and compassionate take on the age-old question of suffering, this book is for anyone who has experienced life-shattering pain.
Trouble comes to everyone. Let’s face it there is no getting around it. Pastor Martin tells us that “God is more intent on perfecting us through trouble than on protecting us from trouble”. But thee is Hope. Webster’s Dictionary defines Hope as “To desire with expectation of fulfillment”. “Desperate for Hope” is divided into four sections: The Divine Setup, Your Worst Nightmare, The New Normal, and Searching for Meaning. At the end of each chapter is a section called, “Your Story” where there are questions that will help focus your attention on the lessons that were taught in that chapter. All of which are designed to bring hope in time of tremendous pain and trouble. Let’s face it we all face real trouble and we all are desperate for Hope. This book will help in the midst of those troubles. I recommend it highly.
If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.
To listen to 24 hours non-stop, commercial free Christian music please visit our internet radio station www.kingdomairwaves.org
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Available August 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group
From the Back Cover: There is hope after life falls apart.
A single phone call can change your life.
There’s been an accident.
You have cancer.
The company’s downsizing.
Your spouse wants out.
All of a sudden everything spins out of control.
At some point, we’ve all felt painful loss, bitter disappointment, embarrassing failure, unthinkable betrayal, and the seeming randomness of suffering. Some of us have faced death. Sometimes it all happens at once. And we have quietly wondered (or maybe even screamed), “Why is this happening to me? Where is God in all of this?”
The answer may surprise you.
With sincere sympathy and ready encouragement, Bruce W. Martin takes you through a grieving process that will help you reconcile your deep suffering with your beliefs about God. A unique and compassionate take on the age-old question of suffering, this book is for anyone who has experienced life-shattering pain.
Trouble comes to everyone. Let’s face it there is no getting around it. Pastor Martin tells us that “God is more intent on perfecting us through trouble than on protecting us from trouble”. But thee is Hope. Webster’s Dictionary defines Hope as “To desire with expectation of fulfillment”. “Desperate for Hope” is divided into four sections: The Divine Setup, Your Worst Nightmare, The New Normal, and Searching for Meaning. At the end of each chapter is a section called, “Your Story” where there are questions that will help focus your attention on the lessons that were taught in that chapter. All of which are designed to bring hope in time of tremendous pain and trouble. Let’s face it we all face real trouble and we all are desperate for Hope. This book will help in the midst of those troubles. I recommend it highly.
If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.
To listen to 24 hours non-stop, commercial free Christian music please visit our internet radio station www.kingdomairwaves.org
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Available August 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group
August 2, 2012
Great message for all experiencing the ups and downs of life, a message of Hope! I can't put this book down!
July 29, 2015
My favorite book!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews