Product Description

Author Philip Yancey asks the question How does a relationship with God work? and answers it with an investigation that turns up surprising and satisfying answers about life and communication with an invisible God.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38029 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
In a sea of books that promise certainty, award-winning author Philip Yancey (What's So Amazing About Grace, The Jesus I Never Knew) is not afraid to write about the mystery of belief; about letting risk and faith go hand in hand. Reaching for the Invisible God: What Can We Expect to Find? is Yancey at his best--wrestling with difficult questions and refusing to give pat answers. In our quest to know God, he offers this caveat: "The more personal conception of God we have, the more unnerving are the questions about him".

Yancey quotes extensively from classic writers and sketches scenes of doubting biblical figures as he grapples with making sense of a God who is personal, yet sometimes so elusive. Six different aspects of the Christian life are explored: our longing for God, who God is, the Holy Spirit, our faith, growth, and spiritual transformation. In his explorations, he reassembles the difficult and perplexing events of life around an ability to trust in a loving God. Trust is pivotal. Admitting that God's style "often baffles me", Yancey leaves no doubt that his framework of faith is still in place, that he sees "evidence of [God's] long-suffering, mercy, and desire to woo rather than compel--I have learned to trust God".

Here is the clear, concise writing mixed with deeply personal and authentic insights that won Yancey a string of Religious Book Awards for previous books. Expect some more. --Cindy Crosby

From the Back Cover
"How do I relate to a God who is invisible when I’m never quite sure he’s there?" --Philip Yancey

Life has a way of toppling our presumptions as Christians. Just when we’re confident we understand God, the bottom drops out. We lose a loved one. Our health fails. Or our own intellect begins to shout objections it once only whispered. Where is God with the answers? How are we supposed to relate to him, anyway?

If you’ve sensed a disturbing disparity between God’s promises and life’s realities, between theology and experience, this tape is for you. Award-winning author Philip Yancey articulates the fundamental questions that confront us all: How does this Christian life really work? How do I communicate with God? If God heals, why hasn’t he healed my loved one? If he changes people, why am I still the same? How does God work—and how does he work for me?

With trademark candor, Yancey trims away false expectations of God with the twin edges of Scripture and human experience. If you’re ready for a spiritual journey that reconciles faith with honesty, start here. Reaching for the Invisible God helps you move from tough questions to a deeper relationship with a God you can trust, love, and live for with all your heart.

About the Author
Philip Yancey serves as editor-at-large for Christianity Today magazine. He has written twelve Gold Medallion Award-winning books, including "Where is God when it Hurts", "Disappointment with God", and "The Gift of Pain. His books "The Jesus I Never Knew" and "What’s So Amazing About Grace?" were also awarded the Christian Book of the Year. He is also the author of "The Bible Jesus Read".

Customer Reviews

an honest and much needed book for the thinking Christian
Yancey continues to deliver good stuff, this book being in the same league as 'The Jesus I Never Knew' and 'What's So Amazing About Grace' (which are an absolute must for any Christian reader....).

He isn't just a formulaic and simplistic theologian/preacher that offers easy answers to difficult dilemmas.

In this book he tries to make sense of the whole concept of 'having a relationship with God'. Some of the questions he tries to deal with are: 'What are the things we ought to expect from God? How do we improve our relationship with God? What is going on when we don't 'feel' as if God is there?'

In reading this book. the 'doubting Thomas types' would fnd many of their struggles and questions being affirmed by Yancey's observations and real-life examples. At the same time the possible solutions he suggests are very helpful.

Enough said.....just read it!

Brilliant!
This book is one that everyone who is interested in the Christian faith should have. Yancey really deserves his good reputation as a writer. He introduces so much about God and the way the Christian tradition has related to God. He manages to show the link between teaching and spirituality without sounding dry and academic, something which is very hard to do. He gives a true picture of what being a Christian means and the self-sacrifices involved. I would recommend this book to anybody who feels let down, who feels that God has ignored them or do not understand what is meant by 'the love of God' (also quite difficult to convey and explain). It would be a great pity, not to say a serious let-down, if some very strict groups started disapproving of Yancey's work and discouraging people, especially 'seekers', from reading it, because it is the most comprehensive and enjoyable guide to living as a Christian available.

clear, thought-provoking, reassuring, down-to-earth
True to previous form, Yancey gets to the heart of the struggles of the everyday Christian life in clear but not simplistic language, using as sources all kinds of Christian writing as well as his own insights.

I have almost finished the book and plan to immediately read it again to absorb it more - so much of it could be on refridgerator magnets because it pins down important, yet so easily forgotten, truths e.g. "Question your doubts as much as your faith".

I've read most of Yancey's recent bestsellers and this is definitely my favourite.