Nine amazing stories of faith that give us hope for our own challenging setbacks.
We all experience setbacks and disappointments in life. Sometimes those setbacks become entire seasons of life. Businesses fail, relationships falter, discouragement and doubts set in and circumstances overwhelm us.
This book uses nine amazing "comeback stories" from the Bible to show how God provides everything needed to get through challenging setbacks.
Rather than showing people overcoming hardship through simple grit, the stories of Moses, David, Abigail, Esther, Joseph, Jonah, Elijah, Hezekiah and Peter tell of extraordinary changes of heart and how God works in all things for the good of those who love him. Readers will be given a new perspective on their struggles and will be encouraged to trust God in them.
Author John Meador uses his 35 years of Bible-teaching ministry, as well as his own experience of suffering permanent hearing loss, to write with faithfulness, compassion and authenticity. He says:
“These stories are real-life events that often brought more drama, heartbreak and tragedy, and had more at stake than most any other situations in history. They show us greater and more meaningful outcomes than we can possibly imagine.”
This is a great book for anyone looking for answers to life’s challenges. It is a useful ministry resource for pastors and church leaders searching for stories of faith to encourage others. Coming back from regrets, adversity, hopelessness, discouragement, anger, moral failure, disillusionment, physical crisis, grief and oppression are some of the themes covered.
Introduction
1. The Past Need Not Define You
2. The 50/20 Principle
3. God Gives Hope
4. Saying Yes to God
5. After Darkness, Light
6. Difficult People and the Goodness of God
7. After You've Blown It
8. When God's Ways Seem Anything but Perfect
9. When God Takes Us to the Brink
10. What God Began, He Will Complete
| Contributors | John Meador |
|---|---|
| ISBN | 9781784988869 |
| Format | eBook |
| First published | April 2023 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | The Good Book Company |
"What a great book! Reading it reminded me of my own story of setback, and the similar stories of many who I pastor. This book will be a wonderful encouragement and blessing for those for whom confusion or pain is loud, and who need to hear that God’s not done with them."
“I’m already making my list of loved ones to send copies of this book to. The comeback stories from the Bible apply so aptly to crises they’re facing: depression, disobedience, disillusionment, difficult people to deal with, debilitating health challenges… Here is a direct, inspiring message from an authentic voice.”
“John Meador knows something about struggles and facing great odds. Robbed of his hearing as a young boy as a result of illness, he does not even hear himself speak, yet he has mastered the art of preaching without hearing even his own voice. His own struggle makes it natural for him to speak up for those who are facing various challenges in their lives. The pages before you will encourage you, thrill you, challenge you, and confront you with your own need for a second chance in life. God is not through with you yet!”
I'm a big fan of Old Testament bible stories and this is a really helpful, fresh take on some big characters who seemed like they were down and out or never going to be who they needed to be, and yet God turned their lives around. The stories of characters like Moses, Jonah and Joseph are explored and we see the power of what God can do in any situation! My one slight gripe is that for a short book, there is almost a little too much attempted. I'd have liked a bit more detail on each story and a bit more application, which would have either meant the book needed to be longer or just fewer stories needed to be attempted. However, it's still a really helpful book and worth a read!
As one on life's encouragers, I was attracted this book. A book that shares the stories of a number of characters from the Bible who were faced with difficulties and tragedies that tested their faith. Each situation is relatable, compared to experiences that the author has had in his own family or from a lifetime of pastoring and counselling others. It shows that normal, everyday people face similar circumstances and that God is faithful and consistent. He is the same now as He was in those Bible stories and despite where we are in our life journey, He is never finished with us. He always has something more. Even if we despair and cannot see a way back, that is OK. Because Jesus will seek us out. He will find us even if we have lost hope.
Is God still good when life seems disappointing? In God’s Not Done with You, John Meador shares encouragement from the Bible’s greatest comeback stories. This inspirational book examines nine moving biblical stories from the angle of setbacks and disappointments. Viewing them from this perspective allows Meador to teach the truth that God is faithful in our failures.
Readers may be familiar with the heroic stories of Moses, David, Abigail, Esther, Joseph, Jonah, Elijah, Hezekiah, and Peter — but Meador treats them as fallible humans with real emotions. Meador weaves in examples from his own life as well as stories from his work as a pastor. He does an excellent job of taking familiar stories from the Bible and applying their lessons to your own faith.
Moving and Inspirational
I was most pleased to read about Peter, as I was preparing a message on the exact same passage he used. Peter had denied Christ, and was feeling like a failure. But Jesus reached out to him, calling him to trust him again. I also learned from Hezekiah’s story - one that I did not know as well as the others. God has a reason for our time on earth, and we must rely on his grace to get us through.
This will be a moving and inspirational read for anyone going through a challenging season. It will strengthen your faith in God’s goodness, and help you see the big picture of his plans. Pastors and leaders will find this book helpful in pointing others to hope. God’s not done with you. He who began a good work in you will complete it.
I received a media copy of God’s Not Done with You and this is my honest review.
Life doesn't always work to plan. In fact it often doesn't. Things can go from bad to worse and it's hard to see where God is in it. It's even worse when it's your own fault.
John Meador does a great job of taking a whole host of different setbacks through scripture, and shows God working to His glory and the good of His people through them. God doesn't always do things in our time, but as he takes us through both the biblical stories and relates them through accounts from today, John shows the grace of God, the faithfulness of God and the kindness of God through the pain and gives hope to those in dark times.
I found myself encouraged, spurred on and pointed back to Jesus.
Yes, it could go deeper as others have noted. But it's only 176 pages. And that's in part why I'd recommend it - it's quite an easy read and gives hope for the discouraged. That hope is needed before you can go deeper.
Definitely a book I'm recommending to others.
John Meador's message for those facing tough times is that God’s still working in them. He explores this through nine stories from the Bible. Moses, Joseph, Esther, Jonah, Elijah, Abigail, David, Peter, and Hezekiah each have very different stories and, as John Meador unpacks them, we see clearly that God was working in them and through them. And so, when we face hardship, we can trust in God.
It's a beautiful premise which Meador demonstrates well in each story. I was particularly struck by Hezekiah's story, in which the King completely fails to grow through tough times because he's too proud. In the space of just a few verses, he goes from being a wonderful example of humble prayer, to a devastating story of pride destroying a legacy.
Meador interweaves modern stories of people he's met or counselled in his ministry, along with some from his family, to demonstrate that this isn't just a Bible thing. God really does work in and through hard times today.
I had two small issues with this book:
A lot of the chapters feel unfocused. Meador picks a bible story and compares it with a modern story, but often tries to draw so many points from them that I found myself ending chapters unsure of the lesson. None of the points are BAD, but Meador races through enough material for a whole book in every chapter.
The second issue comes with a caveat. I have no doubt, from the stories in this book, that Meador has experienced and witnessed immense suffering, grief, and doubt. But the tone and delivery of this book leads me to think it would be of benefit to people who had experienced BAD times, but not DEVASTATING times, if that makes sense?
Essentially, I'm not sure this book is really long or deep enough to fully explore the worst struggles people can face, and how meaningless scripture, prayer, and faith can feel in those times.
A good book though, and one that I would happily put in the hands of friends who wanted encouragement during difficult seasons.
I enjoyed reading through the encouragement of this book. Meador journeys through several biblical stories to display the power of God's hand when we least expect it.
The book is structured with ten chapters, eight of which detail the stories of specific men or women throughout the Bible. Meador discusses Joseph, Esther, Jonah, Elijah, Abigail, David, Peter and Hezekiah. These are all very beautiful, wonderful stories to read through but also powerful displays of God's grace, mercy, and sovereignty.
I was hoping for a bit more practicality in regards to implementation but sometimes we can complicate that piece when in reality it's as simple as believing, trusting, and praying.
We often see shortcomings and setbacks when in reality they are God's way of catapulting us into an opportunity to glorify Him. We simply have to change our perspective along the way and trust his sovereignty.
I received a copy of this book from The Good Book Company in exchange for an honest review.
