Spiritual Guidance needed.

Master -

Freak us out? How so, when we have been where you are? A sword untempered by fire is worthless; it's brittle and breaks under stress. Manys the time I've asked, 'Why me, God? Why do I carry this burden?' Yet, why not me? Since I am able to carry that which others are not.

And why not you? That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

It's a hard place where you are and it seems as if it lasts forever but it doesn't. There will be good days and bad. Pick the nuggets of good, hold them, share them and remember this is not our home. We are but tenants here and waiting.

Two books I would recommend: The Traveler's Gift & The Lost Choice - both are by Andy Andrews. Yet, just because they spoke to me, doesn't mean they will speak to you, but they are both very good.

You are not forsaken. You are much loved. Even by me, though I know you not. Why? Because if you're good enough for Him, (and you are); you're good enough for me.

The following is from a devotional, The Cherokee Feast of Days (much used, ragged and torn) for December 14th:

"We cannot see everything from beginning to end. Life is too large to see that far. Sometimes it seems we have to give more than we receive. We sometimes have to reach beyond what we really want to do, or take part of someone else's load rather than see them break down.

Sometimes we forgive more than we are forgiven, and work harder to believe in the goodness of the Great Spirit. We may lose sight of God, but God never loses sight of us. And then there is a burst of sunlight, a new day when we know that giving more is blessed. The scales balance out and we see that we cannot get less than we give when the gift is our best. It is impossible. We cannot love more than we are loved."

I wish you well in your walk. Don't let others steal your faith; pray for them that spitefully use you. It may not change them, but it will change you.

Not to prosletyze or anything but Joseph Smith translated a most incredible book over 100 years ago. It is called the Book of Mormon. Whether you are mormon or not it is well worth the read

I am an athlete and when I was going through a particularly sticky patch in life I also read Jeff Millman's Warrior Athlete and Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior. Both these books helped me. Hang in their Master Bedroom...Life always gets worse when it seems it can get no better, then you trip over a pebble in the road, just miss getting run over by a herd of Clydesdales, and poof everything starts to look better again

Master Bedroom said:

I hope this doesn’t freak anyone out to much…


I am at a point in my walk where I need some, serious shedding of light, on some things.

So I am looking for a book that may help me, something that will help me get through this particular hard period in my life.


These are my circumstances,


Currently unemployed, Single, no friends, lonely, suffer persecution wherever I go, even from family members. My neighbors are giving me absolute hell. I am becoming disillusioned with God, beginning to fear that maybe he hates me? Becoming very weary and starting to see no point in going on.


Can anyone refer me to some good book (Biblical based) that may help me through these times, for I am in a deep spiritual crisis and fear where it may be leading.


I know that it says, that in all things God works for the good, but I am having a really difficult time seeing that, I just see no good in it and God seems to be not talking rite now. Essentially, I feel forsaken by him.


Any help would be nice?

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Dear MB,

My heart goes out to you; I've been in that pit, and it's not a good place. I'm sending you a PM, but also want to offer a few things here which I hope will help you or anyone else in a similar place.

First of all, concerning God 'working all things together for good'... It took me 2 years of Christian counseling (I was in a serious clinical depression) to finally get some personal insight into that verse. At that time my 5-yr. old daughter was crippled with juvenile arthritis, my sister's marriage had shattered, my own marriage was rocky, my son was failing school, and I was in physical therapy after surgery for a skating injury. There was no 'good' to be seen, and the faith that I had had for 40 years was no longer enough. It was during this time that I remember thinking that if I couldn't have a faith that made a difference now, I didn't want it at all. I needed more. I wanted to have whatever it was that led martyrs to the stake. In actuality, what I needed was to know God, not just what I believed about Him.

If you're familiar with the story of Elijah and his depression after the miracle with the prophets of Baal, you'll remember how it is sometimes the way of God to meet us in the wilderness, and reveal Himself to us there (1 Kings 18:16-1 Kings 19). In fact, the name of the wilderness was "Mt. Horeb"--which means 'the mount of God'--but Horeb also means 'destruction, wilderness.' Sometimes it takes the stripping away of everything else to get a clear picture of who God really is. And God wants to be known intimately by His people. "Therefore I am now going to allure [you], I will lead [you] into the desert and speak tenderly to [you]. There I will give [you] back [your] vineyards and will make the Valley of Trouble a door of hope. ..In that day...you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master'..." (Hosea 2:14-16).

Paradoxically, God used a time when I couldn't concentrate well enough to even read the paper to get me to finally read the Bible I professed to believe. Depression messes up your sleep patterns; those mornings when I couldn't sleep I began reading the One Year Bible, and I continued to do so every morning until I'd finally read it cover to cover. And that year, within those pages I finally encountered in a personal way the God I needed to know relationally, the God-who-sees-me. To my great amazement, I discovered that this God was not watching in judgment, but with mercy; not with disappointment, but with hope; not with anger, but with compassion. He wanted to give me His strength in exchange for my weakness, and His peace for all my unrest. I also read the writings of many pre-reformation Christian saints that year, and discovered a Christianity that contrasted sharply with my 20th century Christianity--one that mirrored Christ's radical claim, "He that would fiind his life must lose it". A God-centered Christianity instead of a self-centered one where God exists to be at my beck and call. This Christianity called for 'dying to self' as the way to the abundant life (Galatians 2:20). And this Christianity required that I love God with ALL my heart, strength, mind, and soul (Deuteronomy 10:12, 13 and Luke 10:25-28).

Which brings me to that verse about God working all things together for good... I've come to believe that that verse should always be read in conjunction with the verse after it:

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

I believe that we may not always see the 'good' that God is working out of the bad in our life--because much, if not all, the good He's interested in is that purpose of our being conformed to the image of His Son. In other words, He is working for the good of transforming us into people that are more like Christ. Like a raw gem being put through the tumbler, He uses the bad to knock off our rough edges, and to polish us (close) to perfection. He uses it to give us more humility, more prayerfulness, more patience, more strength--all those things Christ exhibited during His times of persecution and hardship. We might have our eyes on good physical outcomes (and sometimes He'll bring these to pass), but God's eyes are primarily on the spiritual outcomes. When we can get to the point of valuing God's idea of 'good' over our own, then we may begin to see even the Valley of Trouble as a door of hope, because this union of wills produces an incredible peace and happiness despite the circumstances. It brings communion with God Himself, which is, in fact what the martyrs died for...the Pearl of Great Price.

I hope this hasn't sounded like a sermon...I just feel bad for you, and wanted to share my experience in hopes that it might help. Whether or not these words have helped, I know that prayer does, and want you to know I'll pray for God's grace in your life. Though sometimes He seems silent, know that He treasures you, gave His best for you, and is watching over you for your good.

Almost forgot...some books:

Intimate Faith, by Jan Winebrenner
The Grace of Catastrophe, by Jan Winebrenner
The Problem of Pain, by C.S.Lewis

You've had some wonderful answers already, but I would add to the list of books
"The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence. It's a classic.

I didn't read this myself..but it was recommended to me when I was in my own despair as a christian, by someone who had gone thru her own "valley". I myself turned to a core group of supportive friends and submitted myself to their prayers and nurturing, and survived that questionable time. The book is Hinds' Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard.
Hang in there, there is always hope (but you already KNOW this.)

Both of those books are wonderful classics; another is Pilgrim's Progress which is now available in an updated version (put out by Bridge Logos).

I know you asked for a Christian based book to help you during this time, but I thought scripture that has helped me through many times might be of comfort too.
Psalms 34:18-19. My interpretation of these is that God is aware when you hurt for whatever the reason. He will save you if you ask for it. Even if it is due to your mistake or not if you have an honestly repentant heart. He wants us to remember that even if we have done no wrong and do the very best we can to live the right kind of life, we will still have problems. BUT the good news is that He is with us and will take us through it and out of whatever problems we have. Not 99.9% but all of our problems.
The one thing to keep in mind is that our mortal eyes are not God's eyes, the way and the timing is not always what we think it should be, but it will be for the best. Sometimes we can see this now and sometimes we see it later. Just keep turning it over to God. God can also surprise us and solve things in a way that is beyond our wildest dream.
I love what Max Lucado said in one of his books (which are all good I think by the way) that we should try to live as a living scarifice for God, but the only trouble with a living sacrifice is that it keeps crawling off the alter. He has a humorous way to say, we have to keep drawing near to God. We are going to fail or have a bad day, etc., just keep close to God.
Get the book, 31 Days of Praise by Ruth Myers. This book is a little different angle but one that blessed me during hard times also. It is a book of praise. Sometimes we focus so much on our problems that we aren't focusing on God and His power to handle it. Turn it over to God and give him praise. Try not to crawl off the alter. LOL! Hang in there. I've prayed for you and I'm sure others have too.
I also like Stormie O'Martian's, Just Enough Light For The Step I'm On. This helps you understand that God wants us to walk with Him daily - constantly. We don't need to worry too much about yesterday or tomorrow. He'll help us with each step to see our way - His way.
How about Joel O'Steen's, Best Life Now? He focuses on a positive out look and faith.
Keep us posted. All the best! God bless you!

MB, regarding reading the Bible in a year...there are many ways to go about it, but I finally actually did it when I used the One Year Bible (New International Version). This one is organized by date, and gives you a daily reading of Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. I found the mix easier to read; even if one of the passages was obscure, God would invariably speak to me from another one. (I'd tried for years to read the Bible chronologically, but always seemed to get bogged down in Leviticus, and lose my resolve.) Reading a mix each day also helped me see some amazing parallels between OT and NT passages.

Books I recommend

First of all, the Bible. That is the best place to start (and finish) to learn how God really feels about you and what He really expects. It is God's Word, full of comfort and love and instruction and exactly what you need to hear, when you need to hear it.

Then, I'd read

Where Is God When It Hurts? - Philip Yancey
Disappointment With God - P. Yancey
When God Doesn't Make Sense - James C. Dobson

These are three of the books I read when our 21 yo daughter died; they really helped me. I hope they help you, too.

God bless you during this time of trial.

It's Not About Me by Max Lucado

Believing God by Beth Moore

Mere Christianity, CS Lewis

Out of the Comfort Zone by Ray Comfort

Radical Gratitude by Ellen Vaughn

Thinking of You -

These are some links I have bookmarked that may be of interest to you on your journey.

Answers in Genesis

Ravi Zacharias - there are radio links here - maybe one where you are.

David Jeremiah - we are listening to a multi-tape set of his sermons on Revelations in Sunday School - absolutely fascinating.

Inteview with God - This is just beautiful so I like to share it - the music is good, too - so don't forget the volume!

[font=verdana,arial,helvetica][size=-1]The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? -- by Rick Warren[/size][/font]
I believe there's a reason for everything and anything we incur in life. The reasons may not reveal any sensability to us, but the answer is always right there. Here's wishing you many blessings of inner-peace and happiness.

It's not a Christian book, per se, but this book saved me after a tragedy in my life had me wondering how to go on, "Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor Frankel.

sarah s said:

It's not a Christian book, per se, but this book saved me after a tragedy in my life had me wondering how to go on, "Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor Frankel.

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I read that book in college, and just recently started reading a book called "Jesus and the Quest for Meaning." It references Frankel's book quite a bit, stating that Frankel believed in God but stopped short of equating God with values. Interesting stuff.

Many good recommendations here, so I will mention something other than a book.

Sometimes the best way out of this type of thing is to go forth in service to others and fill your cup. That worked for me, and through helping those who were even less fortunate than I was at the time, I reconnnected with God.

I will pray for you, and wish you peace and God's comfort.