What in the world is God doing? This is a question many people ask. Whether it’s about a pandemic or the meaning of life, it’s important to know what God is doing and why.
I wrote this book to explore this question as the Bible explains it. God created everything for His glory. He is calling out a people for His name so that they might praise Him for the manifold display of His grace.
You can order on this website here. Most of the time it is cheaper on Amazon here.
Why write a book? …and why now?
One of my passions in life has been to get to know as much about God as I could. I’ve always been inquisitive, and it’s been important to me to understand why the world is the way it is, why people act and react the way they do, and why there is so much joy and yet so much sorrow, heartache and despair. Why is there so much beauty in nature and yet so much violence and destruction?
I’ve spent a lifetime studying the Bible and its message in order to find out more about the God it describes, what he is trying to do, and how the existence and character of this God answer our deepest questions.I wrote a book because I wanted to pass along what I have learned to my children and grandchildren, and any other people who might want to “listen” in, and hopefully gain some new insights into what God is doing and why.
Why now? Because I’m in my early seventies, and felt like if this project was ever to be completed, it needed to be completed now.
Roger, in a few sentences tell us what your book is about. As I’ve read and studied the Bible, I have noticed that there is a unity to God’s plan and that He doesn’t have a plan B or C. I’ve also noticed that the Bible claims that God never fails at anything and that all of His plans succeed. Then I look at the world, it’s fallenness and brokenness, the general rebellion of mankind against God, and I ask myself, “How can His plans be succeeding? It often looks like His attempt to get people to follow Him is failing.” Thus, the question: “What in the World is God Doing?”
The Bible says God is gathering for Himself a people from every nationality and language to bring Him praise and glory. The Bible describes the idea that He is calling people out of darkness into the light. So, why the darkness? Is everyone in darkness? How did they get there? What does it mean to be in the light and how do we find it? Then there is the matter of living out a life in harmony with God and His ways. I fall so far short. Is there forgiveness? Is there a way to be more victorious over my failings? How does God want me to live life as part of a family – as husband or wife, parent, child? How does church fit in? And the final question: Where is history going and how will it all end?
I know that is more than a few sentences, but I guess that’s how I would answer the question concerning what the book is about? It’s about those questions and the answers I have found over the years. I wrote it primarily for my children and grandchildren so they would be able to find what I have discovered. But I will be encouraged if other people find the book helpful in their own spiritual journey. I don’t expect everyone to agree with everything I’ve written, but I do try to follow what the Bible says as closely as I can.
“Some people stumble over the fact that God created everything for his own glory and enjoyment. God doesn’t want us to seek our own glory, so why should God be like that? When we do things for our own glory, we are trying to elevate ourselves above our peers. We are saying we are better than they are. But God actually is far superior to his own creation. He has no peers. He is the origin, center, and focus of all that is. There is nothing wrong with God doing whatever he wants for his own enjoyment and glory. When you create something, a painting, a piece of music, a backyard patio, do you have any problem suggesting to your creation that you own it? You made it, and so you can change it, take it apart, get rid of it altogether, or whatever you want. It’s your creation. It is the same with God. If we were to ask God to value someone else’s glory more than his own, whose glory would that be? Some human’s? Some angel’s? Wouldn’t that make God an idolater to bow in submission to the glory of someone else? He wouldn’t really be God then, because whoever he was bowing to, or whoever he was praising, would be greater than he is.” ~Excerpt from “What in the World is God Doing? pg 27.
We could not have invented a God like the one revealed in the Bible. The revealed character of God is so different from our own that we could never have invented a being like him. The character of God is what it is, not because we want him to be that way, but because that is the way he has described himself in the Bible. We’re “stuck” with the God we have, not with the god of our own imagination. Most of us are not comfortable with a God who knows everything and who owns everything, including us. Such a God can do with us what he wills, and that is not a comfortable position to be in for most men and women. If God had not created us, we wouldn’t be here. We owe our existence to him. Man is not the center of the universe. ~From What in the World? page 26
An excerpt from “What in the World?” – For billions of years, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were loving, communicating, and sharing their common life together. There is meaning in the universe! Personality, love, communication, and fellowship are not figments of our imagination. They are not just electronic brain waves as some would have us believe. On the contrary, personality is part of the fundamental nature of God, and hence the fundamental nature of the universe. And since we are created in his image, our personalities are real and not just electro-chemical impulses.
Isaiah 40:28 tells us that “The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” He is always there and always alert. He understands everything perfectly. He knows how all of our modern inventions work. He knows how our minds function. He knows everything you think and the motivation behind everything you do.As difficult as this is for us humans to understand, this is the way it is. This is the nature of the universe we live in. The Bible is claiming that this is the truth, the way things really are. These claims require a response. Are they true or false? Will we believe them or not?~From What in the World is God Doing? page 21
An excerpt from “What in the World?” Personality, love, communication, and fellowship are not figments of our imagination. They are not just electronic brain waves, as some would have us believe. On the contrary, personality is part of the fundamental nature of God,, and hence, the fundamental nature of the universe. And since we are created in his image, our personalities are real and not just electro-chemical impulses.
I wrote “What in the World is God Doing?” for one particular reason – to pass on to my children and grandchildren the essential teaching of the Bible as it relates to God’s purpose in creating the world. My prayer is that others, outside my family, will find the book helpful as well. Many Christians view God as trying to accomplish His agenda but running into the barrier of unwilling human beings. I believe the Bible teaches that God has had a plan from eternity past and is pursuing that plan day by day as time unfolds, unhindered by rebellious humans. The ultimate end of that plan is that God will be glorified forever by His people before a vast audience of onlookers (Eph. 3:10). And ultimately, He wants His human creation to live with Him.Through 11 chapters in the book, I use the Bible to show how God has dealt with the sin and guilt problem, how He provides the means of victory over sin, how He works in our lives to make us more Christ-like, and how He has designed the family and the church specifically to advance His purpose in the world. Finally, I ask the question, “Where will it all end?”If these topics resonate with you, perhaps this book will help you to develop a deeper faith and confidence in God’s ability to work in your life in profound ways and prepare you for that great day when it will all be made clear.