Forgiving God by Hilary Yancey

We love to read stories about when someone pleads with God and He comes through with some amazing deed. But what about when God doesn't do something wonderful to fix the situation?

That's what happened to the Yanceys. The excitement of pregnancy was tempered with the news that the child would be deformed: a cleft palate, missing an eye and an ear. Hilary shares with us her experiences and her struggles.

This is a book of raw emotions. Hilary writes in an almost poetic way about her anger at God, being mad at His promises, pleading, begging. She shares her deep feelings of God robbing her of what she most wanted and of developing a faith seasoned with suffering, doubt and anger. She combines her own thoughts with her study of philosophy, developing a theology of disabilities with the ideas of God's providence and provision.

This is an emotional book. At times I was overwhelmed with Hilary's honest account of her pain and suffering. It made me think about how I would maintain my faith in the face of similar struggles.

I do recommend this book to those who are struggling with their faith as they face struggles and suffering. Hilary helps readers work through concepts like God's sovereignty and man's freedom as they related to her own experiences. There are lots of details in the book to the point I thought it too much information. Nonetheless, her writing style helps make a very difficult subject easier to read.

You can read or listen to an excerpt here.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Hilary Yancey is a PhD candidate in philosophy at Baylor University. She lives in Texas with her husband and their two children. You can find out more at http://www.hilaryyancey.com/.

FaithWords, 224 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.