Remember God by Annie F. Downs (PDF)

Description

I know God is loving; I know He is good; I believe He is big and powerful. But sometimes I wonder if He is really kind— really deeply always kind. Is He? Christians love to talk about how God is in control, but that’s harder to grasp when things aren’t going like you thought they would, when your life looks quite different than you imagined. For centuries, God’s people have been building altars to Him—to remind themselves and the people around them of His work. His goodness. His kindness. Stacks of stones. Altars. Temples. Cathedrals. Why? Because they believed God and wanted to remember Him. In the back of my mind, God reminds me that He is the same trustworthy God—the One who always finishes the stories he starts. And this is my story—of wrestling with our God who gives a limp and a blessing. A God who is always kind even when my circumstances feel the opposite. God is who He says He is. He is kinder than you imagine. In a world where it is easy to forget who He is, we will not. We will remember God.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Remember God reads like an autobiographical sketch in which the author shares her own testimony of struggles. Those struggles lead to questions about God’s goodness and kindness. Those question set up the premise of the book as the author examines the truth of who God is. Truthfully, there seems to be no order of the book, but instead each chapter is an isolated reflection about the author’s experiences.To be truthful, the style of writing in this book is not of my preference. Yet, that is exactly the point: it is a matter of preference. The author writes as though she is journaling to a close friend. I recognize for some they may enjoy this style of writing and I will not fault them for that. The advantage of her chosen methodology is that Downs is open and vulnerable to her readers, so that they may relate to her and learn. However, with limited time available, readers look to books that will add value to their lives (literally, that will bless them) and her chosen style means that there is little substance. Do not get me wrong; I am not suggesting that her life has no substance (after all this is a work that expresses her own experiences) but instead that she does little to connect those experiences with the truth of Scripture in a practical way for readers. The result is that readers are better off stewarding their time with other books.This flaw combines with a deficiency a Scripture to make it even more unbearable. The use of Scripture is only lightly exercised as evidenced by some concerning positions she holds including the following: Unbiblical View of Baptism: The author shares of her decision to be baptized and equates it to her childhood christening. While recognizing that it signifies new life, she fails to connect it to Christ and an open profession of his work. Unbiblical View of God: Further concerning is that the author relies more on her own words than on Scripture at one point suggesting that God speaks to her as a voice in her mind. She goes further to indicate that in one particular instance when he spoke, he spoke to her suggesting that when she changes, God and her change together. The author does explain that she does not think that God changes but says that her relationship with him changes. Such wording is confusing and contradictory leaving readers perplexed and having to ‘search’ for her true meaning. Unbiblical View of Prayer: I am not even sure what category to throw this into, yet she repeatedly uses her feelings to define truth. At one point she shares of staying in a couple’s home for a period noting that they prayed for her . . . according to her own words they never told her they prayed for her, she just felt prayed for by them. Such an assertion can lead to dangerous fallacies. Unbiblical View of Scripture: The limited use of Scripture is concerning by itself. However, concern is elevated when one recognizes that in the few times she cites Scripture, she does so by spiritualizing the text (most notably Genesis 32 and the story of Jacob wrestling with a heavenly being).Perhaps some will say that I am simply picking on a few specific points. Yet, the times in which she reveals her theological positions, the pattern emphasized is concerning. She repeatedly defines her truth, her joy, and her well-being by the unstable circumstances and people in her life, not by an unchanging and stable God in her life.At the end of the book I remembered little of God and remembered much of her story. As a result, the book is not one that glorifies God, but instead forces readers to fixate more on the author and her story. Therefore, it is not a book that can be recommended to readers.Some better books that can be recommended are “Suffering” by Paul Tripp or “If God Is Good” by Randy AlcornDisclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher at no cost to me for the purposes of review. However, my review was not influenced in any way by the author, publisher, or any other person associated with this book and it is the direct result of my reading of it.

⭐Annie is a great writer. Easy to read, relate-able, enjoyable. So there’s that. She has a way of energizing and inspiring her readers. I appreciate that she points us back to scripture often, though I feel not often enough. It was disheartening to me to hear her speak so derogatory about a fellow Bible teacher. I believe her critical remarks were unnecessary. And honestly, after going through something very difficult in my own life and questioning God’s goodness to me, I believe the “respected Bible teacher” isn’t too far from the truth. We as humans see kindness and goodness and love differently than our heavenly father. I believe even Annie herself see kindness in her own life differently than God see it. God IS kind, he IS good, he IS loving. And not just because he is doing kind, and good, and loving things in our lives. Even when things seem unkind… he is still kind simply because he word says he is kind and we MUST trust that. We must believe that. Even when our circumstances seem to say otherwise. Ultimately I think Annie seems to get back around to this point by the end of her book. In a beautifully artistic way she shows us that God’s kindness and goodness and love are shown to us daily in sometimes amazingly simple ways. And then… the epilogue where she again laments over not getting what she wanted and questioning God’s kindness to her. It’s not about us. It’s about God’s glory and God being magnified in and through our lives. How dare we question God’s goodness when we don’t get our own way. Why do we question? Why can’t we just trust. Trust that God is who he says he is. Regardless of our circumstances. Lysa Terkeurst has a book releasing soon that may deal with this subject a bit more conclusively. “It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way”. I recommend that those looking for another perspective on handling disappointments in life and understanding God when our circumstances are not meeting our expectations to check it out.

⭐I experienced something as I read Annie Downs’ latest, Remember God, that I’ve never witnessed before in Christian literature for women. Within these pages, I found someone willing to share her very intimate, very personal journey through a difficult season with honesty and without a need to defend God’s reputation.Her story of the year in which she wrestled with the question of God’s kindness in the midst of unfulfilled desires was like going on a long walk with a friend you haven’t seen in a while and finding that someone you care about has been through something quite challenging while you were off doing your own thing.Annie lets her readers VERY close in this book, and what I respect most is that she followed the path God and she are on to the present without experiencing the “tied with a bow” resolution she wants and those who have walked with her through her last few books want for her. Yet she details in these pages how she leaned in, purposefully walked toward God, during a time when she could’ve just as easily turned her back. What she reveals in this book is how God met her in the midst of her pain. He did not always relieve it or alleviate it or provide answers for it, but He used and is using it to reveal Himself. And Annie found Him to be what she—and we—need (but may not want Him) to be.I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you are on a journey where you are looking for God in the midst of your disappointment, thinking He cannot be found or that He cannot be known by you as kind, read this.

⭐Well written but didn’t really provide any answers

⭐Beautifully written

⭐I bought the book and the audio book, and was moved by such powerful intimacy, doubt, and honesty. Love Annie’s podcast, and now I have the rest of her books on my wish list.

⭐Read this book on my Kindle but wanted a hard copy because I love it so much and want to have access to it more easily

⭐Loved this book, encouraged my faith

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