For the Tough Times: Reaching Toward Heaven for Hope

I suffer from bad anxiety attacks. I never know what will bring one on or how long it will last. Some have been known to stick around for as long as a month before. The bottom line is that they are NOT fun at all. A few days ago I could feel an attack bubbling just under the surface. That night I found this book and started to read and didn't put it down until I had read it from cover to cover. Of course, being only 79 pages long didn't make it much of a challenge to read in one sitting. This book covers several different topics, all of which are backed up by scripture and illustrated with several real world applications and scenarios. The topics range from where is God, to God's love for us, to revenge to prayer and even God's own perspective. Reading it reminded me that God is for us. All of us. That He is here in the now and He is in control. A lot of times I tend to think of God in past tense terms. What a wake up call and reminder this book was, especially during one of my attacks. Whenever I have an attack, I find myself wishing I could control it; wishing I could stop them all together. What I neglect to do is realize that all of the worrying in the world isn't going to change a thing. Bad things are going to happen to good people. Good things are going to happen to bad people. The thing that we all need to remember, and what this book tries to remind us to do, is to put our faith in God. To realize that He is in control and that He loves us. I believe that this book was originally written just after the September 11th attacks. But it covers a wide array of topics. From the death of a loved one, to a relationship that has been broken to poverty and hunger. If you need reminding that God is in control and loves you this book is for you.

As usual, Max Lucado delivers exactly what you need, when you need it. Max puts life's problems and situations out there - acknowledging them - but reminds us "SO WHAT"?! No matter what we are going through, God is still on the throne...He is still in control. God can make rainbows out of rainstorms, leaders out of losers, and bring success from shame. All it takes is a little bit of faith, and a whole lot of prayer. Don't be conformed to the things your eyes see and what your brain interprets. But be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds. God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways. This book reminds us of these things as we are going through. Joy cometh in the morning.

I was hooked on Max Lucado's FOR THESE TOUGH TIMES from the beginning because it starts with a question from the Psalms: "When all that is good falls apart, what can good people do?" Questions are a time-honored approach to the mystery of all we don't understand about faith --- and the perfect way to start a book on the difficult problem of suffering and evil. First written as a response to the events of September 11th, FOR THESE TOUGH TIMES has been redesigned as an all-purpose gift book that speaks to any difficult situation: the death of a loved one, the injustice of world hunger, a broken relationship. Christians have long mined the Psalms and the Book of Job for answers to the problems of evil, pain and suffering in the world. And what they've found, as Lucado has found, is that there are no pat answers. Rather, as Psalm 11:3-4 continues, we discover that God is in control. He is over everything. And when we have no pat answers, Lucado compellingly shows that we still have the knowledge that God loves us and cares about what happens to us. Eight short chapters, plus an introduction and a prayer, make up this slim yet meaty volume. In the book, he asks "Who is God? Where is God in the midst of evil? Can good come from evil? And prayer --- is God really listening?" Lucado looks to scripture for examples of biblical characters --- Joseph, Moses, Daniel --- who endured difficult circumstances yet whose tragedies were turned into triumphs. He also looks to creation as evidence of God's power and majesty. "Nature is God's workshop. The sky is his résumé. The universe is his calling card. You want to know who God is? See what he has done. You want to know his power? Take a look at his creation. Curious about his strength? Pay a visit to his home address: 1 Billion Starry Sky Ave." His images are fresh and vivid throughout, whether retelling the story of the nativity or the drama of Jesus calming the storm. "And that was just the beginning of what his sea mates would witness," Lucado writes. "Before it was over, they would see fish jump into the boat, demons dive into pigs, cripples turn into dancers, and cadavers turn into living, breathing people." Lucado points to scriptures such as Romans 8:31 ("If God is for us, who can be against us?") as a reminder of God's personal care for us. "You are protected. God is with you." Nothing can separate us from God's love if we desire it, because of Jesus, he reminds us. One of the toughest ideas Lucado offers is that God uses Satan to refine the faithful and allows us to experience pain to come back to faith, be disciplined when we've sinned, or test the church. This is perhaps the most discussable portion of the book, depending on your theology of suffering. He also discusses the terrible price of revenge and bitterness when we've been victimized in some way and invites readers to consider this: "Would you like assurance that God forgives you? I think you know what you need to do." He urges readers

For These Tough Times: Reaching Toward Heaven for Hope and HealingRead this and learn how to really live life and how to really reach your goal of eternal salvation and to live with God for the eternities. Again, Max writes no "poor" book. He should be considered the "Nora Roberts" of the relgious genre.

It is difficult to write a review for Max Lucado because all of his books are 5 stars. I never hesitate to give one of his books as a gift because I know it will be helpful and there won't be anything that would offend. Max has an intimate relationship with God. God's love fills Max's heart and it spills out in his books.