Inspire, Fall 2006

20 Fall 2006 A s I sit here writing this article, I have just returned from meetings in the Midwest. On my last day there, I was having lunch with some of the pastoral staff, when the topic of the Christian life came up. After listening to some incidences of stretching times, I made the remark, “You know, the longer you travel the Christian life, the more confusing things become.” This got everyone’s attention, so I continued on. “It seems to me that the longer you know God, the less He makes sense.” This generated a discussion that pretty much affirmed what I had shared. I concluded my remarks by saying, “I believe that you can know the heart of God but never fully know His mind. In fact, He may seem more mysterious the longer you have known Him.” The thought of God becoming more mysterious to us was not a new thought to me. It is something that I have been thinking about for a long time now. In fact, it launched me into an investigation in Scripture to see if there was a pattern and unfolding revelation about this experience. Studying God’s Word about this topic made me more sensitive to my own struggles in this area and more acutely aware of the struggles of others. For much of my 35-plus years of ministry, I have traveled extensively in sharing God’s Word. It has given me the opportunity to listen to many people, especially pastors and missionaries. For the past handful of years I had been hearing stories of Christians who were ready to give up in their walk of faith. I have no doubt that Christians have struggled in the area of faith since the beginning of time, but it seemed like many more were struggling now, especially those in ministry. Therefore, because of my own personal experiences and failures, my research of Scripture, and my investigation into others’ struggles, I decided to put together a Bible study on the topic of “Faith in the Last Days.” I shared this a handful of times in retreat and church settings, and then a unique opportunity came along. I was asked to speak to the executive board of the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA). After I agreed to speak to the CBA Board, they then told me that they wanted me to speak for seven hours! I was shocked that they desired this, since it would be behind closed doors in private sessions around their executive tables. When I arrived at the CBA headquarters that day, I found many of the heads of the publishing world, the music industry, and the Christian Booksellers. Quite a group! I had chosen as my topic “The Fight of Faith.” Little was I prepared for what God did in that room that day. In His grace He decided to meet with all of us and encourage the hearts of the men and the women around the tables. When the day was finished, Greg Thornton, vice president of Moody Publishing, approached me and asked if I would be willing to write on this topic for Moody. He expressed his feelings that this was something that needed to get out to more people. I agreed and joined in a wonderful partnership with Moody. So the book The Fight of Faith was birthed as a result of the vice president at Moody Publishing having a vision to put this material in many people’s hands. But, as I mentioned, the launching of this book goes back much farther than this. In my own life I noticed answers did not come as quickly as they had at one time. God seemed to be slower more often, His silence began to lengthen. I was forced more and more to walk by faith without much affirmation. What was happening? Then among my friends and during my meetings I would hear more and more stories of God’s seeming silence and slowness. Missionaries, pastors, and church members were ready to walk away from God, or at least from serving Him wholeheartedly. Bruce ’69 and Bev Hare McDonald ’72 b y B r u c e W. M c D o n a l d ’ 6 9 The Writing of The Fight of Faith