Book Review: Trusting God

At the end of 2021, I found the G3 Ministries Network on Instagram when they announced a reading challenge for 2022–I participated last year, and really enjoyed the book category suggestions, so when I saw this year they had new categories in their challenge, I jumped right in. This year, one of the categories is a book about the sovereignty of God. This is not a topic I have really read about before–other than what is said in the Bible. I was immediately intimidated–it seemed like such a huge topic to tackle.

When I was looking at the list of suggested books, I saw a familiar author–Jerry Bridges. Last year, I read his book about identity and how we should only really be finding our identity in Christ, so I immediately began looking for the suggested book, Trusting God.

While reading this, I found it interesting that it felt so incredibly timely. Our family was facing some difficult moments and events, and I certainly was feeling like I was being tested. It’s easy to say we are content in our lives and to say that we trust God and His timing, and it’s an entirely other thing to actually be content and trusting.

Jerry Bridges, acknowledged that we serve a good God who allows bad things to happen knowing that those bad things can still be used for our benefit in His glory. He rejected the idea that God is a good but limited God that can’t control every aspect of our life–God is instead, completely sovereign and in control of every single aspect of the world. Free will does not mean that He has voluntarily limited Himself in the events of our life. On the contrary – “His sovereign direction in our lives even precedes our births.”

God isn’t just sovereign over our lives, but over all people, over all nations, and over all nature. He prompts and restrains people, believers and unbelievers, in order to orchestrate His will and His ultimate plan. He determines who governs, and the decisions they make–even when we humans can’t see His hand in them. He controls all of nature–both destructive and productive, whether we like it or not.

After Bridges explains, and supports with Biblical evidence, God’s complete sovereignty, he explains that Satan will use every opportunity to convince us otherwise. When we struggle with our own doubts, “Satan seizes these occasions to whisper accusations against God, such as, ‘If He loved you, He wouldn’t have allowed this to happen.”

This was convicting for me. I have often questioned the “why?” in various difficult circumstances. I have often wondered what possible reason He would allow something to happen. I have complained about bad weather, about a sore back, about difficult moments with my children–all not realizing that these were also complaints against God.

He orchestrated the weather for a reason–rain helps plants to grow and sustain us; good can even come from floods and other disasters. Just because I can’t plainly see it, doesn’t mean that it wasn’t reasoned by God before it occurred.

My back may bother me for reasons beyond my knowledge–but even at the simplest thought–either I need more exercise or I need to rest–God allowed this.

My kids may be difficult in various moments, but so am I with God and with others. Those moments are moments I can take to lean into God and ask for help, to teach my kids about God’s way, and to let myself learn something more about God.

But I have to open my eyes to see that God’s love is bigger than my circumstances and that the proof is in the pudding–His sending of His Son to die for the sins of humanity.

This book helped me to begin to understand God’s sovereignty, and even more importantly, to trust it.

In moments of struggle with contentment with my family makeup, I am realizing that God isn’t preventing growth in our family as a punishment or to torture us. I am starting to understand that He has sovereignly designed my family, and His timing and decisions are better than mine and my husbands. Perhaps this is the size, or perhaps it isn’t, but complaining about it is complaining about God, and I do not wish to do that.

Recently, our family experienced a death we weren’t expecting nor were we ready for. As upset as we all are by this death, I am trusting that God is using this difficult circumstance for His glory. I trust that He is using the events that have transpired to eventually win more for His kingdom. I trust that He planned this, not to harm us, but to give us another opportunity to trust him, to see His sovereignty, and to realize that we are not victims, but part of a bigger picture.

I really can’t recommend this book enough. The content will challenge your thinking, and push you to really reflect on where your trust is. It will help you to understand a topic that can feel far-fetched. If you are like me, it will push you deeper in love with our good, good God, and inspire you to dive deeper into your Bible to learn more about God and how to trust Him.

I definitely am glad that this book was suggested. It has definitely made a big impact on me and my relationship with God. I hope it will do the same for you.

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