Remember God
(B&H, 2018)
WHO: Annie F. Downs, a best-selling author and speaker.
SHE SAYS: “Christians love to talk about how ‘God is in control.’ It’s a kitschy thing to say. But it’s a much different thing when you see the train tracks of your life are absolutely not going where you thought they would an you can’t do anything about it.”
THE BIG IDEA: People wrestle with the idea that God is kind when they are in the valley. This book explores how God is kind even when we can’t see it.
THE PROGRESSION:
Through personal stories, reflections and Scripture, the author presents a personal take on how God is writing her story—and ours too—and that we can trust him.
“I have to decide if I love God or if I feel chained to him. I have to decide if he is kind, after all of this, or if he isn’t.”
A CONVERSATION WITH ANNIE F. DOWNS
It’s often hard to accept that the story we believe God is writing for us (from our limited perspective) is always a good one. How have you seen this in your life the past few years?
But honestly, do we really believe he is writing the story? That’s the question I’ve had to ask myself. If I really believe he is writing it, then all these chapters and all these moments and all these stories matter. They all come together, they all line up, they are connected in a way that will bring God glory and bring me joy. That is what I have seen in the last few years—when I really open my heart and eyes to believe that God is who he says he is and he can be trusted, he has shown himself incredibly faithful.
Even if readers aren’t currently wrestling with the “Is God Kind?” question, how can they encourage their friends that are struggling with that?
I think any question we ask about God can probably be simplified down to a question of God’s kindness or love. So no matter what people are struggling with, we can take the conversation there. It’s not a Band-Aid, and it’s not blowing smoke to really sit with a friend and think through ways God has been kind to them. To remember him. To call back to your mind the ways you have been extravagantly loved and seen by God, even if your story doesn’t look the way you thought it would.
What is your hope for readers after they finish Remember God?
I hope they feel known. And seen. And I hope they start to ask a few questions about their own relationship with God that walks them closer to who they really want to be and closer to a God who loves so deeply.
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