LitPick Review
“Jesus never promised a life without difficulties, but He does promise to guide us along the way, showering us with His presence, love and peace.” With those words, Mary Rooney Armand summarizes this compilation, Life Changing Stories. These thirty-four devotionals, written by different Christian women, show the variety of troubles and afflictions in life. Their genuine stories of heartache and pain also show the varied grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. Jesus answers prayer. Jesus turns bad situations into blessings. Jesus helps His people. And Jesus’ people learn valuable lifelong lessons of trust, patience, humility, courage, hope, and love. God’s Word is our main teacher of God’s grace and love. The troubles and trials of life is a secondary teacher of the same. Many weary and worn readers will find comfort and hope in this collection of devotionals.
Opinion:
Life Changing Stories delivers what it promises. These writers have suffered. Some of them have suffered very difficult times in life. In that way, it’s a compilation of devotionals about God’s providence. He sends sunshine and rain, plentiful harvests and famines, joys and sorrows. He is sovereign and good. As one preacher put it, “providence is a doctrine best read backwards.” It is nearly impossible to understand why things are happening to us while they are happening. It is only later that we get any sense of why God sent us a trial. But with His promises in the Bible, we can learn from those difficult circumstances. I have theological differences with several of these authors, but I recognize what theological background they are coming from. I also don’t think this compilation of devotionals would resonate with most men; it’s really a collection for Christian women. I do believe that women reading through these would find hope and joy in the midst of sorrow. As the Bible says, “He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.”
