{"id":301,"date":"2022-08-23T14:43:21","date_gmt":"2022-08-23T21:43:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandilangston.com\/?p=301"},"modified":"2024-07-25T15:20:35","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T22:20:35","slug":"book-review-embracing-trust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandilangston.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/23\/book-review-embracing-trust\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Embracing Trust"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Every Christian can grow in trusting God. Let’s dive into “The Art of Letting Go and Holding On to a Forever-Faithful God.”<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Embracing Trust: The Art of Letting Go and Holding On to a Forever-Faithful God<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Author: Joanna Weaver<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Published in 2022 by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Author Website<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

If you have been longing to grow in a deeper trusting relationship with God, you need to read Embracing Trust<\/em> by Joanna Weaver! I am 100% behind this message. I was so excited to discover the book that I even joined the launch team (my first one ever) and it was a lot of fun. It\u2019s the kind of book you can come back to again and again and each time be inspired and challenged by something different.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I love the subtitle The Art of Letting God and Holding On to a Forever-Faithful God.<\/em> It tells exactly what the book is about. As an art, trust is a beautiful and messy journey. Joanna helps us with stories and practical tips to let go of the things that are holding us back from fully trusting God: our illusions of control, the things we turn to for comfort or confidence, our idols, offenses, fears, and other things. And she helps us grasp more firmly onto belief in God\u2019s character and His word. She comes alongside like a good coach: encouraging, challenging, and cheering us on toward greater trust in God.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It is written to Christian women who want to grow deeper in trusting God. I would think most of her readers are at least a little familiar with the Bible, but this is not necessary as Joanna presents each Bible passage she uses clearly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Throughout the book Joanna \u201cweaves\u201d (pun intended!) the story of King David. We learn from his trust in God and from how he handles his sin. Another recurrent character is the humorous but all-too-relatable \u201cFlesh Woman.\u201d Like Joanna says, \u201c\u2026 Nothing awakens our Flesh Woman like injustice. Without the power of God at work within us, we will naturally default to the patterns of our fallen nature,\u201d (p105).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Joanna is candid about her own shortcomings, and she is clear that trust is a supernatural grace given to us by God; we can\u2019t conjure it for ourselves. Her consistent trust in God over the decades through thick and thin (evident through her stories and the fruit of her life) gives her the authority to write on the topic. That is not to say there is not a place for doubt. Joanna addresses doubt and unbelief and helpfully distinguishes believing doubt from unbelieving doubt. \u201cHonest doubt doesn\u2019t cancel honest faith,\u201d she writes (p165). This is a comfort to many \u2013 but also an invitation and a challenge.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Almost every chapter has practical steps that are easy enough to do right away but still grounded in God\u2019s grace rather than our own effort. For example, Chapter 12: The Gift of Discipline<\/em> lists \u201c8 practices for spiritual maintenance\u201d including, \u201cAsk the Holy Spirit to increase your spiritual hunger.\u201d Chapter 7: Smashing Idols<\/em> has some really good questions for uncovering idols in our lives.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Some of my favourite things about this book:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n