“Walking with God” - Book review

This book reads as an autobiography. John Eldredge dissects a year of his life with the readers. It’s a journey that begins near burnout, and ends near restoration.

Along this walk, he tells stories of his encounters with God. He shares how he learned to listen for God’s voice – by asking simple questions; by repeating the question silently in his heart to God; by bringing himself to a posture of quiet surrender.

He encourages the reader to not approach Scripture apart from an intimacy with God. Without relationship, the knowledge gained through study can lead to religious pride.

The Bible is meant to be read in fellowship with God. Things can get really weird if we don’t.

Eldredge is as quick to share his failures as he is his successes. That is actually encouraging, as we’re all apt to have quite a few failures ourselves. But he doesn’t try to force meaning out of each and every event. We’re not meant to understand everything.

When it comes to crises or events that really upset us, this I have learned: you can have God or you can have understanding. Sometimes you can have both. But if you insist on understanding, it often doesn’t come.

A nice website accompanies the book – WalkingWithGod.net – with John’s blog, book extras, a video tour, study guides, daily prayers, and a special section for readers to write in their own stories. Together, all these would make a great personal or group study.

However, the book itself was a little too rambling for my taste. About halfway through, I began skimming instead of reading word-for-word, especially through the prolific details of stories.

But I’m still glad I made it through to the end. Eldredge is definitely a pilgrim with a heart for the Lord, and walking side by side with a fellow sojourner, even briefly, is always uplifting.

I find I need to be restored and renewed in Jesus at the end of the day…So I begin at bedtime by offering myself to Jesus once more, coming back under his authority and covering. The only safe place to be.

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