BOOK REVIEW
Book: Searching for Certainty: Finding God in the Disruptions of Life
Author: Shelly Miller
Our lives have been turned upside down due to the current worldwide pandemic. Much of what was familiar to us has been put on hold and the term “new normal” has never been more real. I share this because never has our future seemed so insecure and our need for certainty so palpable. Because of this, Searching for Certainty by Shelly Miller, is not only a relevant read, but necessary as we navigate the days ahead.
Miller writes from a time of transition in her life as she and her family move to London for new ministry opportunities and leave a daughter behind in America and all the familiar trappings of her American life. She magnificently dovetails this journey of uncertainty with the story of the Children of Israel leaving slavery in Egypt and their wilderness trek to the Promised Land.
We are encouraged to reframe uncertainty and turn our knee-jerk reactions of self-protection and control into trusting that God is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. We all desire security and familiarity, yet things often don’t go as we thought they would. We face illness, job loss, woundedness in relationships and a myriad of other struggles. Miller states, “Being safe isn’t wrong and seeking security isn’t sinful, but according to God, achieving comfort isn’t a priority to him.”
This book challenges the reader to go deeper in the area of faith and trust in the Almighty. Shelly Miller underscores “the fear of uncertainty is rooted in this belief: God won’t meet me in the way I am desperate for him to show up. And our greatest certitude is this: God is already in the room.”
Wherever you are in your walk of faith, this book will conjure a desire within you to give total abandon to the God of our tomorrows.
