Southern In Law: Bookworm Babbles: The God Who Walks Beside Us by David Roper

Book Review - The God Who Walks Beside Us by David Roper - Must Read Books for Christians

I'll be honest... I tend to judge books not based on their cover, but based on their size. I'm a speed reader - I can usually get through 4+ large books per week without a hassle and without being cooped up for hours - so naturally when I see a small thin book with very few pages, I wonder if it's worth it. Can I really get something out of something with so little pages?

The God Who Walks Beside Us totally changed how I think about short books. It may have just 136 pages but the book will stay with you long after you turn that last page.

The God Who Walks Beside Us delves deeper into the story of Jacob and Esau in Genesis. I read it in a single morning because I could not put it down.

As it says in Romans 15:4 "Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us" and this book does exactly that.

You may already know the story - Jacob was deceiving and manipulative, he tried to control his destiny by fooling his twin brother Esau and buying his birth right from him.

Esau was famished and thought he was near death and his brother (Jacob) told him he would only give him food if he first sold him his birth right. Jesse and I joke that Esau had a serious case of hangry because he gave Jacob that birthright without a second though.

But Jacob's destiny didn't turn out the way he planned - he floundered and suffered for his impatient actions - but God still used him despite his flaws.

Why would God use someone who was deceitful, manipulative and conniving? Because God can use all of us, he never gives up on us regardless of what we've done or what we're doing.

The God Who Walks Beside Us uses the lessons from the life of Jacob to help us gain a better understanding of how God can use each and every one of us despite our brokenness. When we feel like we've failed and faced setbacks too many times we can often feel alone, however, we have a God who constantly walks by our side.

God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. He's not shocked or surprised by our sins or our failures because he created us. He's all loving and all knowing - and it doesn't matter how many times you fall down, He will always pick you up and dust you off.

God uses everything - suffering, sorrow and even sin to bring us to Him. All He wants is for us to accept Him and allow Him to shape us and mold us in His hands. It doesn't matter how guilt ridden or sinful or ruined we are - we can be made new if we will give ourselves to God and accept Jesus as our saviour.

It's a crazy thing when you think about it. To think that someone loves you regardless of what you do. When you call Him out, mock him, do wrong by him - but he still walks by your side, waiting for you to give yourself to him and ask for forgiveness. It's a love that we can't fathom because as much as we think we love someone or something - it's humanly impossible to love someone that much. Sure, God allows us to fail - but he remains our advocate and He seeks us out.

Whether you're going through a difficult time or not, The God Who Walks Beside Us is a must read for everyone - and not just Christians. This is the perfect book for those who aren't sure what they feel about Christianity - who may find themselves confused about certain things or unsure whether our God really is an all-loving God. It's a book that I have taken so much from and that I will share with my youth group kids because they need to know this love - because I've seen the relief and joy on their faces when they realise they've got someone who has their back no matter what.

We can't live in the past, dwelling on the things that we have or haven't done - God is right here in the present, walking with us and working in our lives for His glory and our good. We have to submit each day to whatever situation we are given, knowing that He is shaping us into the best person we can be.

SIL Recommended? Definitely - I'd consider this a must read for all Christians and also a must read for anyone who is unsure of Christianity or whether God is really all-loving and all-forgiving.

Where to buy?