Customer Reviews

Beginning at the End: Finding God When Your World Falls Apart

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Beginning at the End chronicles the life of Job, highlighting aspects of his trials, his questions and his faith. The author describes how Job was tested and brought to a place where his life appeared to be in ruins, or at "The End." Like Job, we face similar feelings of hopelessness and abandonment when circumstances in our lives also resemble ruins. The author points out that it is during these times that our faith can be shaken, as we doubt whether God is even aware of our suffering.

"In our ashes...we allow Satan to plant the seed of doubt that: God could have saved us and He didn't - He could have been there and He wasn't. We find ourselves consumed with disappointment and waging war in a fight for our faith." (pg. 54)

Our perceived "lack of action" on God's part, assaults our faith and makes us feel that God is indifferent to our trials instead of understanding that he is allowing them for reasons of his own. He does not always share his reasons with us, but we do know that he understands our questions and wants us to come to him with them.

Just as in Job's situation, the author reminds us that God wants communication with us.

"Nothing that you're feeling or saying will shock or surprise Him. Don't overlook the fact that in the book of Job, God also revealed to us that He's a good listener! Not once did He interrupt Job in all the chapters of Job's conversation with Him. God waited to speak...when Job was finished talking. Only when Job was silent, did God's silence come to an end." (pg. 279)

Heavily backed by Scripture, the author addresses many human emotions that accompany suffering: Hopelessness, despair, anger, un-forgiveness and doubt, and encourages the reader to find answers in God's Word.

One passage I found particularly poignant was the story of the silversmith, and the correlation with the verse in Isaiah. It was a wonderful reminder that not only is God with us at every moment in the valley, but that he knows just how long we will be there. His goal is not to leave us in the fire until we are destroyed, but to hold us there just long enough, until he sees himself in us.

Beginning at the End will provide Scriptural answers to questions generated during times of trial, and will encourage those who are suffering to see God's hand in the center of their circumstances.