Book Review - For the Tough Times by Max Lucado

For the Tough Times, by Max Lucado
ISBN 9780849921445

At about 80 pages, Max Lucado's "For the Tough Times" is an easy afternoon read. Not a great fan of Lucado's contagious brand of faith-based optimism, I approached this book with a bit of trepidation. Was this going to be another sticky-sweet tome telling me to trust in God and all will be OK? Well, the answer is Yes and No. The small format book (fits perfectly in a cargo pocket) is woven with the popular themes of newfound faith and the ever-present optimism in God's love for his children. However, hidden inside are a few gems. Central to Lucado's message is that our day-to-day troubles pale in comparison to the challenges of the martyrs who went before us, and they also are small and insignificant in light of God's larger plan for his children and His Kingdom. The reminder that it's really not "about us" was useful and helps us build bridges over the troubled waters that we often encounter in our lives.

The chapters, entitled Where is God?; God's Great Love; Eyes on the Father; Good Triumphant; The Bitter Taste of Revenge; In the Silence, God Speaks; In the Storm, We Pray; and From God's Perspective build a recurring theme of God's unending love for us, his children and his hopes and dreams for us. Lucado uses clever analogies of real life situations we might encounter along with well-matched references to scripture to reinforce his message of Hope. Several of the scriptural references are to the paraphrased Message Bible, which can be a bit off-putting to those more accustomed to a more traditional translation of scripture, but other references to KJV and NIV translations are more familiar.

The book ends with "Do it Again, Lord - A Prayer for Troubled Times." This prayer, adapted from another originally written for the post-9/11 America Prays prayer vigil, evokes an image of our Lord more akin to a hip and friendly cartoon Jesus than a glorious savior seated on the throne of heaven, but the message is clear - faith in God at all times (not just the tough times) will carry us through the fires. That said, maybe the book should be re-named - but if it brings seekers to peace and love during their darkest hours, the name should remain.