Finding God When You Need Him Most

Chip Ingram

Description

In this encouraging book, Chip Ingram reveals how readers can meet God in the midst of their most difficult circumstances. Chip's candid discussion, personal stories, and solid guidance will allow readers to move from "knowing about God" to profoundly experiencing his presence and power in their lives. Whether they're struggling with rocky relationships, unexpected crises, depression, or injustice, Finding God When You Need Him Most will remind readers that the Lord is faithful to hear their heart's cry and will be there for them, time and again.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 février 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441212955
• Langue: English

Extrait

© 2002, 2007 by Chip Ingram
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www . revellbooks .com
Spire edition published 2014
Finding God When You Need Him Most is the revised and updated edition of I Am with You Always (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002).
Published in association with Yates & Yates, LLP, Attorneys and Counselors, Orange, California.
Ebook edition created 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-1295-5
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture marked NASB is taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture marked NLT is taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Acknowledgments 6
Introduction 7
1. When You Get a Raw Deal 11
2. In Times of Crisis 35
3. When You Feel like a Nobody Going Nowhere 61
4. When You Are Troubled and Depressed 89
5. When You Are Gripped by Fear 121
6. When You’ve Blown It Big Time 144
7. In Times of Confusion 174
8. God Is with You Always 208
Notes 223
About the Author 224
Other Books by Chip Ingram 225
Back Cover 227
Acknowledgments
F irst and foremost, I want to acknowledge the kindness and grace of a sovereign and good God who has allowed pain, suffering, and difficulty to enter my life at strategic points to draw me into a deeper, richer, and more intimate relationship with himself and his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am also deeply indebted to my wife, Theresa, and our four children, Eric, Jason, Ryan, and Annie, for their love, example, and encouragement during my times of need.
The project would have been impossible without the contributions of Connie Neal, Neil Wilson, and Vicki Crumpton, who helped me turn tapes, outlines, and manuscripts into clear, readable chapters.
Closer to home, Annette Kypreos, my former executive assistant, and Sealy Yates, my friend and literary agent, were both instrumental in taking a “great idea” and bringing it into reality.
My final acknowledgement is to those who pick this book up and read it in “their time of need” and meet God in a powerful way. My reward and joy is knowing I had the privilege of being a small part of that divine encounter.
Introduction
A moonless Texas night had settled on our neighborhood. It must have been a Saturday evening because I remember sitting on the living-room floor with my wife and kids while we folded the church bulletins for the Sunday service. Suddenly, ferocious barking erupted down the street and footsteps thudded up the walkway. Someone pounded on our door. I jumped up, ran to the door, and threw it open. There stood Michael, a friend of my older boys. He was sweaty and breathing hard. He looked like he’d just seen a ghost.
“Let me in! Let me in!” he pleaded, gasping for breath.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“There’s a huge dog. It’s after me. It’s going to kill me.” Michael’s body shook as he turned around to look for his assailant.
By now my whole family was at the door. The barking grew louder. We all stared, waiting for Michael’s ferocious attacker. As I flipped on the porch light, a tiny dog bounded into view. His bark was bigger than his height! We all burst out laughing.
Now remember, it was pitch dark. Michael thought he was in grave danger because he couldn’t see anything. The moment a little bit of light corrected his perception, he changed. He was relaxed and laughing with embarrassment.
At that moment I remember thinking how our perceptions always determine our actions. Michael thought he was in danger; he felt a desperate need to find a safe place. He knew he could take shelter at our house, so he dashed to our door.
We all have times like these. Most people run to God—almost instinctively. Even people who aren’t too sure about God. Why? Somehow, we know deep down—or at least hope—that God will be our shelter.
I wrote this book to encourage you to run to God whenever:
you get a raw deal and life just isn’t fair,
you’re going through a crisis or a major life transition,
you feel like a nobody going nowhere,
you’re troubled and depressed,
you’re gripped by fear,
you’ve blown it big time, or
you’re confused.
God’s Word, the Bible, will enable you to see your situation in a different way. It will flip on the porch light over your soul so you can see what’s really going on and what God would have you do about it. I’m telling you up front that God is the place to run. He is and always has been a shelter, a safe place where people can take refuge. God is real and ready to open his door to all who run to him in times of need.
Each chapter in this book looks at a specific need in light of one of the Psalms—the songbook of God’s people. The Psalms are God-breathed, so they give truth and light. They were written by real people who didn’t hold back their emotions. These people dared to bring their desperate needs to God.
Each chapter addresses a need common to us all. You may not have experienced all of them, but eventually you probably will. When these needs suddenly invade your life, I’d like you to know where you can turn in the Bible to find truth and encouragement. I also highlight an aspect of God’s character that corresponds to the issue. Along the way you will meet some special people who have taught me by their lives, under extreme conditions, that they know God was with them.
I don’t want you merely getting fresh ideas about God, nor do I want you simply to collect amazing secondhand stories about God’s comforting presence. What I really want is for you to encounter the living God as he reveals himself to you. This is my prayer for you as we begin this journey together: “O L ORD , open their eyes and let them see!”
I’ve borrowed this prayer from the prophet Elisha. He used it on an occasion similar to the tough spot in which Michael found himself. The story is told in 2 Kings 6:8–23. Elisha and his servant were wanted men. The king of Aram had a contract out on their lives. Eventually, someone revealed their location to the king, and he sent an army by night to capture the prophet and his assistant. The soldiers quietly surrounded the village where Elisha was staying.
When morning came, the servant left the house. Everywhere he looked there were armed men on horseback. Chariots, spears, and swords blocked every way of escape. Elisha and his companion were surrounded. In shock and despair the servant called out to Elisha, “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” (2 Kings 6:15 NLT).
Instead of answering his servant’s question, Elisha addressed his terror. “Don’t be afraid. . . . There are more on our side than on theirs!” said the prophet. Before the servant could ask what he meant, “Elisha prayed, ‘O L ORD , open his eyes and let him see!’ The L ORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire” (2 Kings 6:16–17 NLT). The prophet’s assistant caught a glimpse of ultimate reality. He learned a lesson that God allows each of us to learn throughout life: there is so much more to life than what we can see. Unless we can learn to expect God’s continual presence in every part of life, we won’t be able to experience his presence when we need it most. So again, my prayer for you as we begin is, “O L ORD , open their eyes and let them see!”
1 When You Get a Raw Deal
S ome moments in our lives remain forever fresh. Like a scene from a movie embedded in our soul, we can recall with uncanny clarity every nuance of certain events that occurred years, even decades ago. The story I share here is one of those—an unforgettable, dramatic moment in my life when the world seemed very unfair. That moment left me so devastated, I was ready to forsake my relationship with God and quit the Christian life. But God met me in that time of need like never before.
I was twenty-one years old and had recently made the most difficult decision of my life. After months of struggle, I willfully chose to allow Christ to be the Lord of my life. It meant breaking off a relationship with a girl I loved deeply and had assumed would one day be my wife. We had dated for over two years and had done all the things you do when it’s serious. I had visited her family on several occasions, and she had visited mine. We were both believers. We both loved God and loved each other more than anything or anyone we had ever known.
She was beautiful. We connected. We became great friends. She was all I ever dreamed a wife would be. But the more we talked about our life together, the clearer it became that an immovable object blocked our way. The dream in her heart pictured us living in a nice home with a white picket fence across the street from her mom and dad. She was an only child and was very close to her parents. She had a deep sense of responsibility toward them, and they were reaching their twilight years. I knew deep in my heart, even then, that God wanted to use my life in a way that would mean going wherever he called me, whenever he called. As much as I loved her, I knew marrying her was not God’s will for me. The decision to break off our relationship in deference to t