Reaching for the Invisible God: What can we expect to find?

About the Author
Philip Yancey serves as editor-at-large for Christianity Today magazine. He has written nine Gold Medallion Award-winning books, including Where Is God When It Hurts, Disappointment with God, and The Gift of Pain. His books The Jesus I Never Knew and What’s So Amazing About Grace? won Book of the Year awards. He is also the author of the current best-seller The Bible Jesus Read.

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Evaluation and Recommendation
Yancey’s courage to explore his own doubts and struggles in believing the existence of an invisible God gave birth to a book that validates every rational being’s unique, both plain and profound, experience of God who never shows up his face. He allows us to question him right on his face without even saying or doing anything against us. The book encourages us to express our faith in God using our own personality.

Besides the Bible, it is a manuscript that will help us connect to a God that hides his face and seem, by his silence, does not care to listen. But that’s only as far as we, finite human being, can comprehend. The song with a line that says “love moves in mysterious way” can be attributed to God as he works in mysterious and meticulous ways!

I am afraid that I could never measure up to the high standards of a Holy God because a flawed person like me gets stumble to sin from time to time. I would even not dare to ask tough questions or even just a simple question of faith because it is an act of irreverence to his supremacy over me.

Fortunately, this book gives me hope and encouragement to explore my spirituality and to cultivate my relationship with God deeply. While aware of his presence, I will develop a discipline that will remind me to think about God as much I can. It has also prepared me in advance if I would be experiencing a season of dryness or pruning, I could still enjoy his “ministry of absence”. It has moved my faith to the next level!

This book is worth recommending!

The Dynamics of Spiritual Formation

About the Author

Mel Lawrenz is the senior associate pastor at Elmbrook Church in suburban Milwaukee and also serves as the director of the Elmbrook Christian Study Center. He has degrees from Carroll College, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and Marquette University (Ph.D). Among Dr. Lawrenz’s books are Why Do I Feel Like Hiding? and Life after Grief: How to Survive Loss and Trauma.

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Evaluation and Recommendation

Dr. Lawrenz lays the foundations of spiritual formation by revisiting the history of Christianity and connecting it to the modern world. His book recapitulates the ministries of evangelical churches today and revitalizes them to become spirituality formative for every believer and the church. The center of the field of ministry is the realm of the soul- the common ground of human beings. We can sense that Bible reading, prayer, worship, fellowship, preaching, and service are common elements in every local church across the world. Our concern for the souls of human being is universal but our approach to them is contextual. This perspective in ministry crosses beyond age, gender, nationality, culture, language, time, and context.

He provides also practical insights for universally common elements like promoting a formative prayer in the church (cf. 79), practical steps to planning formative worship (cf. 94, 95). For the culturally variable elements like Bible reading, fellowship, worship, and service, a theological framework is presented. However, the latter have already stood the test of time (cf. 13). The final goal is metamorphosis- a complete transformation. I agree with him that metamorphosis is both a present and an eschatological reality (cf. 139). Most of the time I was disappointed with a little progress (or no progress at all) in young people’s spirituality, which I realize that it is me who needs to be transformed! Just like how God is being patient with me, so shall I be with them. No amount of human efforts can spiritually transform human. It is the powerful work of God in the lives of individual that will transform them.

This book not just gave me insights but it really shaped me. After reading the chapter “Formative Prayer” I couldn’t help but reflect on my prayer life. I have even published my reflective prayer on my blog . I intend to apply the principles I got from this book to my ministry. It’s definitely worth recommending to other people as well.

Where is your faith?

A Reflection from the passage Luke 8:22-25

22One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. 23As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
24The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!"
He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25"Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."

Can faith be missing? Or, could it just be dead, like what James 2:17 says? But actually, everyone has faith. We believe those people who are important to us. They have a special place in our heart.

In fact, even the most evil person can put his trust to someone and could be trusted by some. Our faith is the most important thing to God. He looks at the core of our being, if, like our loved ones, He has a special place in your life.

The Atheist chose not to believe God. They deny the existence of a Supreme Being. They deny the evidences that point to the Mighty Creator.

Those who have no knowledge about God are Ignorant, because how could they possibly believe the things they do not know. So someone must reveal to them the knowledge about God (Romans 10:14). Sometimes it’s God who makes the self-revelation (Romans 10:20).

The other one refers to Christians, those who believe in God through his son Jesus Christ. Those who put their faith in him are called children of God (John 1:12).

However, we see from the passage that Jesus questioned the faith of his disciples. Despite Jesus was with them, they were shaken by the strong wind. They were afraid. So fear is the opposite of faith. That’s what the disciples have felt at the middle of stormy waters.

Where is your faith? What does this question imply? The Bible says,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Heb. 11:1)

In other words, faith means believing in God we do not see, feel or touch! Faith in God gives us peace in the middle of the storm or problem.

There is nothing to fear, beside God, when we have entrusted our lives to him. Faith means putting your complete trust to the object of your faith.

So when Jesus said to his disciples “Where is your faith?”, I would say he was actually asking “Who is the object of your faith?”. To simplify it further, he probably would say, “Who do you trust most?”.

And then he would continue to say, I thought you trust me, how come you are afraid of the storm. I thought you knew me already. You were my witnesses to the miracles I did.

You were there when I healed the sick, raised the dead, driven out demons, gave sight to the blind, and when I fed thousands of hungry people. I can command the nature. I am your Lord!

See, it is not about our faith. Instead, it is about to whom we have faith. We put our trust, hope, energy, and our life to the object of our faith. So we must be sure that those we trust are trustworthy.

Jesus has proven himself worthy of our faith, though he doesn’t have to, so that you and I will believe that he is son of God, he is God, and through him we can be saved. It takes only your faith that what he has done on the cross, he did it for you. Just accept it, just believe that he died for your sins, and he paid it once and all.

I can draw out some realizations from the passage that speaks about our faith.

Some of us may have not yet put their faith in Jesus. At one point in your life you will have to make decision. Who else can save you besides Jesus? He forgives everyone whose heart is ready to receive him as Lord. You can trust him all your worries and fears.

And also, some of us may have placed their faith in Jesus, but have not completely trusted him. What holds you back? Does following him fear you? Or, are you afraid to give up something for him?

Whatever your “relationship status” with God, simple or complicated, you have to realize that Jesus can calm the storm in your life.

You have to put your faith in him or bring it back to life if it has been lost or dead. Faith is both believing and trusting.