Also by this author: You Are Never Alone: Trust in the Miracle of God's Presence and Power, Begin Again: A Journey of Restoration and Renewal Awaits You, Where'd My Giggle Go?, 3:16: The Numbers of Hope
Published by Thomas Nelson on August 2018
Genres: Christian Life, Non-Fiction
Buy on Amazon
What feels shaky in your world? Are you overwhelmed by the problems you’re facing or the pain you’re feeling? Maybe you feel hurt by the past. Disappointed by the present. Worried about the future. If so, you are not alone, but there is hope. You can live with security and purpose. In Unshakable Hope, Max Lucado unpacks 12 of the Bible’s most significant promises, equipping you to overcome difficult circumstances by keeping your focus on the hope found in the promises of Scripture rather than dwelling on the problems in front of you.
Turn on the news. Panic and chaos abound.
All the popular novels? They’re of a dystopian future.
Listen to the televangelists. The world is ending!
(sometimes accompanied by a specific date.)
Everything is getting worse. Nothing is getting better.
40 million Americans have an anxiety disorder.
25 million have some form of clinical depression.
In one Harvard study of young Americans,
67% said they were fearful of the future.
There’s hope. What? Unshakable Hope.
To call Max Lucado’s latest message timely is an understatement. In many ways, we are a people who have lost hope—or placed our hope in things that will not save. Amid all the chaos and panic, Lucado steps in with a storyteller’s vision and a pastor’s voice to remind us of the word of God.
There’s hope.
In fourteen conversational chapters, Max presents us with his tried and true style and down to earth tone. Culled from a lifetime of studying the Scriptures, these pages present to us some of God’s most poignant promises in Scripture.
- You are stamped with God’s image.
- The Devil will not win.
- You are God’s child and heir.
- God hears your prayers and they are powerful.
- God gives grace to the humble.
- He understands you and empathizes with you.
- Christ himself intercedes for you.
- He does not condemn you for your sin.
- He will soon bring joy to all people.
- You have the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Justice will prevail.
It’s not new theology. It’s not a deep teaching. It’s just a deep breath and reminder of what pain and panic and confusion and chaos cause us to forget. This book didn’t teach me anything. But it reminded me of what I already knew, what I believed but wasn’t living.
No matter where you are in life, because it’s life, something has you down. For me, if I can be quite personal, my family is struggling with a failed adoption and a number of impending life changes all thrown into even more uncertainty. I thought I had made peace with it. Reading Unshakable Hope showed me I hadn’t all while showing me how.
However, can I make one small criticism? It’s not even directed at the material, but the layout. The book has a stellar discussion guide in the end matter. It would be more convenient (I would think) to have each chapter’s discussion questions at the end of each chapter. Putting them in the end matter means a lot of flipping back and forth—and also I didn’t even know it was there until I got to the end!
In all, If you find yourself struggling with worry or doubt or a God who seems distant, pick up Max’s pastoral words about God’s promises. It’s a breath of fresh air in a world that thrives on promoting chaos.
