Bob Russell - Acts of God: Why Does God Allow So Much Pain?

Acts of God offers practical, biblical answers for lifes toughest questions. With a seasoned pastors heart and a masterful grasp of Scripture, Bob Russell guides us through the life of Joseph, adding here-and-now stories to bring each point home. I was moved, challenged, encouraged, and convicted. No pat answers or Christian clichs here: Acts of God speaks the truth, wrapped in Gods mercy and love.

LIZ CURTIS HIGGS

Bestselling author of Bad Girls of the Bible and The Girls Still Got It

I never refuse an opportunity to read the words of Bob Russell. He is a humble, wise, and gifted teacher. I receive this book with great excitement!

MAX LUCADO

Pastor and New York Times bestselling author

Bob Russell is simply one of the most gifted, faithful, and amazing pastors I have ever known. This book is just one example of what has made him such an effective preacher, teacher, and guide: he knows how to bring the Bible into everyday life, and in this book he brilliantly does so through the example of Joseph. This book will be of great assistance to every Christian at every stage of life because it is established in eternal truth and in its enduring power.

DR. R. ALBERT MOHLER JR.

President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Bob Russell was our pastor for eight years. Everything we admired most about him is evident in this book. It is honest: the difficult questions of life are faced head-on without sentimentality or fluff. It is biblical: godly wisdom leaps from every page. It is practical: Russell offers concrete advice to help us overcome temptation and endure testing. It is hopeful: I finished the book with tears of praise and gratitude for a God who is faithful, who loves us, and who will never let us go.

REBECCA MANLEY PIPPERT

Author of Out of the Saltshaker and Love Has Its Reasons

Trusting God through every situation and season in life is a difficulty we all face. How are we to know how and why God acts when we dont understand? Bob Russell takes on the toughest of these challenges with wisdom and grace, and offers a clear perspective for finding a lasting faith. This is a great book!

JACK GRAHAM

Pastor, Prestonwood Bible Church, Dallas

Tragedy strikes each and every one of us. And we have ALL questioned God at times. So this book is for everyone youve ever met or will meet and for you. Theres no one I trust more to bring Gods Word to life in a practical way than Bob Russell.

DAVE STONE

Senior pastor, Southeast Christian Church

The problem of human suffering presents one of the great challenges to faith. It is as old as Job and has been asked throughout every generation. Bob Russell tackles the question head-on, drawing upon his pastoral experience, his knowledge of the Scriptures, his familiarity with other writers conversant with the issue, and his own personal encounters with unjustifiable suffering. The book provides a valuable resource for personal study and reflection as well as group discussion.

DR. GARY WEEDMAN

President, Johnson University

In this honest and readable meditation on some of lifes most difficult and enduring questions, Bob Russell teaches us how to see beyond suffering to Gods purpose and plan for each of us. Based on a lifetime of study, prayer, and personal reflection, Acts of God will deepen the faith of all who read it. Over the years, I have benefited from the wisdom and counsel of Bob Russell. With this book, many more will find reason to be grateful for his practical approach to a great trust in God.

HON. MITCH MCCONNELL

Republican Leader, United States Senate

In the midst of Acts of God, you need someone to stand with you who has a heart after God. There are few Id trust my hurting heart to more than Bob Russell. Profoundly wise, deeply biblical, and always gentle, Bob Russell is a man who writes with a heart of a pastorand the healing love of his Savior.

ANN VOSKAMP

Author of the New York Times bestseller One Thousand Gifts

Bob Russell has a unique way of illustrating how biblical truth intersects with human need. In Acts of God, Bob shows how Gods hand was at work throughout the life of Joseph amid the prideful immaturity and alluring enticements of youth, the pain of rejection and unjust suffering, the subtle temptations of power and success, and the sobering realities of aging and preparing for death. I will use this book as a reference for my own teaching and preaching, and I will recommend it to others who face painful situations that make them wonder about the goodness of God.

DR. DAVID FAUST

President, Cincinnati Christian University

Author, Married for Good

Life and business throw us some high hard ones. Bob Russell brings a commonsense perspective on how to persevere and even triumph in the toughest trials. Every successful business has a plan and this book will help us all understand God has a master plan for our lives.

DAVID NOVAK,

CEO of YUM! and author of Taking People with You

2014 by
BOB RUSSELL

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Edited by Elizabeth Cody Newenhuyse

Interior design: Ragont Design

Cover design: Erik M. Peterson

Cover photo of storm clouds copyright 2013 by Izabelha/Stock.XCHNG. All rights reserved.

Author photo: Lisa Russell

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Russell, Bob, 1943

Acts of God :why does God allow so much pain? / Bob Russell.
pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-8024-1197-6

1. Theodicy. 2. SufferingReligious aspectsChristianity. 3. Providence and government of God--Christianity. I. Title.

BT160.R87 2014

231.8dc23

2013041559

We hope you enjoy this book from Moody Publishers. Our goal is to provide high-quality, thought-provoking books and products that connect truth to your real needs and challenges. For more information on other books and products written and produced from a biblical perspective, go to www.moodypublishers.com or write to:

Moody Publishers
820 N. La Salle Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60610

3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Printed in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to
the memory of Pastor Gerald Comp,
whose untimely passing at age thirty-eight
was deeply painful to all who loved him.