Hope in the Dark: Believing God Is Good When Life Is Not
5/5
()
About this ebook
Can God be good when life is not? Rediscover faith in the character, power, and presence of God. Even in the questions. Even in the hurt.
"I want to believe, I want to have hope, but . . ." Pastor and bestselling author Craig Groeschel hears these words often and has asked them himself. We want to know God, feel his presence, and trust that he hears our prayers, but in the midst of great pain, we may wonder if he really cares about us. Even when we have both hope and hurt, sometimes it's the hurt that shouts the loudest.
In Hope in the Dark, Groeschel explores the story of the father who brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus, saying, "I believe! Help my unbelief!" In the man's sincere plea, Jesus heard the tension in the man's battle-scarred heart. He healed not only the boy but the father too, driving out the hopelessness that had overtaken him. He can do the same for us today.
As Groeschel shares his pain surrounding the health challenges of his daughter, he acknowledges the questions we may ask in our own deepest pain:
- "Where was God when I was being abused?"
- "Why was my child born with a disability?"
- "Why did the cancer come back?"
- "Why are all my friends married and I'm alone?"
He invites us to wrestle with such questions as we ask God to honor our faith and heal our unbelief. Because in the middle of your profound pain, you long for authentic words of understanding and hope. You long to know that even in overwhelming reality, you can still believe that God is good.
Hope in the Dark is also available in Spanish, Esperanza en la Oscuridad.
Craig Groeschel
New York Times bestselling author Craig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of Life.Church, which created the free YouVersion Bible app and is one of the largest churches in the world. He has written nineteen books and hosts the top-ranking Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast. As a widely respected leader in the Church, Craig speaks frequently at leadership events and conferences worldwide. Craig and his wife, Amy, live in Oklahoma. Connect with Craig at www.craiggroeschel.com.
Read more from Craig Groeschel
Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Power to Change: Mastering the Habits That Matter Most Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Think Ahead: 7 Decisions You Can Make Today for the God-Honoring Life You Want Tomorrow Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Divine Direction: 7 Decisions That Will Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dangerous Prayers: Because Following Jesus Was Never Meant to Be Safe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living As If He Doesn't Exist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fight Bible Study Guide: Winning the Battles That Matter Most Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fight: Winning the Battles That Matter Most Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lead Like It Matters: 7 Leadership Principles for a Church That Lasts Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5From This Day Forward: Five Commitments to Fail-Proof Your Marriage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning the War in Your Mind Workbook: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5WEIRD: Because Normal Isn’t Working Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Altar Ego: Becoming Who God Says You Are Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Daily Power: 365 Days of Fuel for Your Soul Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to Hope in the Dark
Related ebooks
Gods at War: Defeating the Idols that Battle for Your Heart Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hard Good: Showing Up for God to Work in You When You Want to Shut Down Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When Making Others Happy Is Making You Miserable: How to Break the Pattern of People Pleasing and Confidently Live Your Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAltar Ego: Becoming Who God Says You Are Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Goliath Must Fall: Winning the Battle Against Your Giants Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Liking Jesus: Intimacy and Contentment in a Selfie-Centered World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fight: Winning the Battles That Matter Most Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5WEIRD: Because Normal Isn’t Working Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Soul Detox Bible Study Participant's Guide: Clean Living in a Contaminated World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living As If He Doesn't Exist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning the War in Your Mind Workbook: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How's Your Soul?: Why Everything that Matters Starts with the Inside You Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Christian Atheist Bible Study Participant's Guide: Believing in God but Living as If He Doesn't Exist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table: It's Time to Win the Battle of Your Mind... Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Grace of God: The Gift We Don't Deserve. The Love WE Can't Believe. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unashamed: Drop the Baggage, Pick up Your Freedom, Fulfill Your Destiny Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Daily Power: 365 Days of Fuel for Your Soul Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How Did I Get Here?: Finding Your Way Back to God When Everything is Pulling You Away Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When Faith Fails: Finding God in the Shadow of Doubt Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Never Too Far: Come Back from Defeat and Disappointment to Purpose and Power Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From This Day Forward: Five Commitments to Fail-Proof Your Marriage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fight Bible Study Guide: Winning the Battles That Matter Most Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5At the Table with Jesus: 66 Days to Draw Closer to Christ and Fortify Your Faith Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Through the Eyes of a Lion: Facing Impossible Pain, Finding Incredible Power Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jesus Over Everything: Uncomplicating the Daily Struggle to Put Jesus First Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Undaunted: Daring to Do What God Calls You to Do Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Restless: Because You Were Made for More Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unexpected: Leave Fear Behind, Move Forward in Faith, Embrace the Adventure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Christianity For You
Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Law of Connection: Lesson 10 from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Screwtape Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Boundaries and Goodbyes: Loving Others Without Losing the Best of Who You Are Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mere Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Enoch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries with Kids: How Healthy Choices Grow Healthy Children Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Boundaries Workbook: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5NIV, Holy Bible Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex: Creating a Marriage That's Both Holy and Hot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Start Again Monday: Break the Cycle of Unhealthy Eating Habits with Lasting Spiritual Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table: It's Time to Win the Battle of Your Mind... Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Confessions Of Saint Augustine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better (updated with two new chapters) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for Hope in the Dark
5 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Hope in the Dark - Craig Groeschel
If you’ve ever doubted God or wondered whether he was with you in the midst of your hardest moments, Hope in the Dark is the biblical encouragement your heart desperately needs.
—Lysa TerKeurst, New York Times bestselling author; president, Proverbs 31 Ministries
If you’re searching for hope, the first step is to look for it in the right places. Craig Groeschel’s new book, Hope in the Dark, not only shows you where to look but will remind you that you’re never really alone—even in the dark.
—Steven Furtick, pastor, Elevation Church; New York Times bestselling author
With mercy, empathy, and deeply rooted faith, Craig Groeschel masterfully touches our hearts by answering Jesus’ unending invitation to be honest and ask our toughest questions. Then, courageously addressing the unexplainable pain we experience when tragedy befalls us and life seems so unfair, Craig walks us through the process of falling back into the arms of Jesus, trusting in God’s character once again, and drawing closer to God than we’ve ever been. He helps us turn our doubts into determination, our fears into faith, and our questions into peace. It’s a message ministered so well, you will never forget it.
—Christine Caine, bestselling author; founder, A21 and Propel Women
Pastor Craig’s words are prophetic, loving, healing, and deeply moving. Being prepared and equipped with truth for those seasons of darkness and hurt and pain is what makes us able to walk through them and stand on the hope we have in Jesus, and Craig lights that path so we are prepared when that time comes. There’s no better reminder than the one in this book—that God is good and he always meets us in our hurt.
—Jefferson Bethke, author, New York Times bestselling Jesus > Religion
Also by Craig Groeschel
Altar Ego: Becoming Who God Says You Are
Chazown: Define Your Vision, Pursue Your Passion, Live Your Life on Purpose
The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living as If He Doesn’t Exist
Dare to Drop the Pose (previously titled Confessions of a Pastor)
Daily Power: 365 Days of Fuel for Your Soul
Divine Direction: Seven Decisions That Will Change Your Life
Fight: Winning the Battles That Matter Most
From This Day Forward: Five Commitments to Fail-Proof Your Marriage (with Amy Groeschel)
It: How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It
Liking Jesus: Intimacy and Contentment in a Selfie-Centered World (previously titled #Struggles)
Love, Sex, and Happily Ever After (previously titled Going All the Way)
Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World
Weird: Because Normal Isn’t Working
What Is God Really Like? (general editor)
TitleimageZONDERVAN
Hope in the Dark
Copyright © 2018 by Craig Groeschel
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546
Epub Edition June 2018 9780310342960
ISBN 978-0-310-34295-3 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-310-34311-0 (international trade paper edition)
ISBN 978-0-310-34882-5 (audio)
ISBN 978-0-310-34296-0 (ebook)
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV
and New International Version
are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®
Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version. Public domain.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible. Copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.
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—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Craig Groeschel is represented by Thomas J. Winters of Winters & King, Inc., Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Cover design: Micah Kandros
Interior design: Kait Lamphere
First printing April 2018 / Printed in the United States of America
Contents
A Letter to the Reader
Introduction: When You Want to Trust, but Life Won’t Let You
Part 1: Hide and Seek
1.1: Where Are You, God?
1.2: Why Don’t You Care?
1.3: Why Aren’t You Doing Something?
1.4: It Seems Unfair
1.5: Crisis of Belief
Part 2: Lost and Found
2.1: Listen
2.2: Write
2.3: Wait
2.4: By Faith
2.5: Faith Tested
Part 3: Hope and Glory
3.1: Remember
3.2: Accept
3.3: Trust
3.4: Hope
3.5: Believe
Conclusion: When You Question and Believe
Questions for Reflection
Acknowledgments
A Letter to the Reader
Adrianne Manning is like family to me. She’s the most outgoing, gregarious, bubbly, and fun person I know. She has served in my office for many years now, and I love her and her family deeply.
One day years ago, she bounced into my office, beaming with excitement. Part dancing, part shouting, she could barely get the words out. She and her husband, Danny, were expecting. It was an answer to our prayers.
We hugged.
We cried.
And hugged again.
But when she lost her baby, we did the exact same thing. Only the emotions were so much different and deeper.
We hugged.
We cried.
And hugged again.
As a pastor, I see so much loss. It’s never easy, especially when it affects someone very close to you. And we did what most everyone does. We asked God, Why? Why did you allow this to happen?
And that’s when I started writing this book. I wrote. Wrote. And wrote some more. And I didn’t tell anyone I was writing. Not my publisher. Not other staff members. Not my friends. I just wrote. With every word, I had Adrianne in mind. And not just Adrianne but everyone I knew who was going through hell on earth and didn’t understand why.
If you’ve read any of my other books, you might notice that this one has a very different tone. I often use humor in my writing because life is so serious. I believe God loves it when we laugh. But you might notice I don’t use much, if any, humor in this book. That’s because, honestly, my mood was much different when I wrote it. I wanted to wade into some of the deeper issues we grapple with in life and face some of the questions we often don’t like to talk about.
After I finished the first draft of the manuscript, I gave it to Adrianne to read. I explained that it was for her. She took the manuscript home and read the whole thing in one sitting. The next day, when she walked into the office, she didn’t speak. Instead . . .
We hugged.
We cried.
And then we hugged again.
It was a long time before we talked about the loss of her child. And it was even longer before I told anyone about this manuscript. For years, it sat silently on my computer, stored in an obscure file, mostly forgotten. Then, years later—when I received some bad news about my daughter’s health—I decided to pull out that manuscript and look at it again, this time for myself. Oddly, the words I had written for Adrianne helped soothe my own soul.
After praying about it, I decided to show the manuscript to my publisher. Their editors felt the depth of my emotion in the words on the pages, and they believed that this message might be helpful to others.
So I dove back into the manuscript. I updated it some, expanded it. This book is the result.
Just to be clear: this book is not for everyone. If you’re living the dream and you’re on a spiritual high, stop and praise God for his goodness. I celebrate with you. But, honestly, this book probably isn’t for you, at least not in this season of your life. This book is for those who are hurting. For those with doubts. For those afraid that their faith may be failing. For those whose world has grown dark.
On the other hand, if life is closing in on you, if your faith feels stretched to the breaking point, then this book is for you. As you read it, I hope you’ll have the courage to enter with me into some of the pain of this world. I hope you will understand why I wrote this with a more serious and reflective tone. I hope you will venture out to the edges with me and wrestle with some of the questions Christians are often afraid to ask. I hope you discover the depths and riches of God’s grace that only the valleys of life can reveal.
This book is first for my good friend, Adrianne.
But this book is also for anyone who is hurting and doesn’t understand why.
Introduction
When You Want to Trust, but Life Won’t Let You
I want to believe God cares about me; I really do," she told me, wiping tears from under her darkened, bloodshot eyes. Under the harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital corridor, Marci barely resembled the vibrant girl I remembered, that kid I’d watched grow up in our youth group at church. When she was a teenager, Marci was outgoing, fun-loving, and full of life, even as she was growing more and more serious about her faith, coming early to youth group and staying late. No one loved to worship and talk about God more than Marci.
Then, in her early twenties, Marci met Mark, a great Christian guy with a charismatic personality. They fell in love practically overnight, marrying almost a year to the day after they met. Mark’s dynamic personality served him well, helping him land a great sales job. Before long, he was making more money than most other professionals his age. They bought their dream home, and as Mark and Marci served God together at our church, they just knew life couldn’t get any better.
But then it did.
After just two months of trying, they learned they were pregnant with their first child. When beautiful little Chloe was born, my wife, Amy, and I joined Mark and Marci at the hospital to thank God for his blessings. Celebrating with them was amazing, all of us thanking God for this