Trembling Faith: How a Distressed Prophet Helps Us Trust God in a Chaotic World (Paperback)
And we aren’t alone in those words we lift to heaven.
In fact, our frustrating and exhausting experience with chaos, injustice, and corruption is much like that of the distressed prophet Habakkuk in the Old Testament. He said those very things. When we’re looking for answers or just additional words for our prayers, his book is for us. His story is a prayer session—a surprisingly relevant one—open for eavesdroppers. We follow his journey of wrestling with evil, and we hear from God how to live. Habakkuk doesn’t see “living by faith” as a cliché to be written on a pillow or bumper sticker, but a way to survive.
As you join Taylor Turkington (Bible teacher and former Director of TGC Women’s Training Network) through the timeless story of Habakkuk, you will look at the situation of your own heart and world, and here you will find some of the most powerful chapters of the Bible that both confront and console you. You will learn that the only way to not just survive, but find lasting hope is through gritty, trembling, wrestling faith in the God who works in our chaotic world.
Although it's commonplace to neglect the minor prophets, to the detriment of our maturity, Trembling Faith reaffirms their necessity. In it we will discover that Habakkuk's questions are our own and that where our faith trembles, God is determined to strengthen it. —Jackie Hill Perry, Bible teacher and author of Holier Than Thou
As if the title wasn't arresting enough, the subtitle is all you need to see to realize the value of this much-needed book: How a Distressed Prophet Helps Us Trust God in a Chaotic World. What can be more timely than hearing from a prophet of God who is acquainted with grief and brokenness, and yet rests and relies on his God? Listen and learn from the wise and tender voices of Habakkuk and Taylor Turkington as they take you from lament and injustice to joy and hope.
—Julius J. Kim, PhD President, The Gospel Coalition
The words and wisdom of the ancient prophets are for the present age, too. In Trembling Faith, Taylor Turkington gently brings the righteous fear of judgment and the blessed vision of hope of Habakkuk to bear right where it belongs: in our lives and our faith today.
—Karen Swallow Prior, Research Professor of English and Christianity & Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and author of On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books
Trembling Faith is filled with strong commentary and awe-inspiring exegesis. But more than that, Turkington does something even more profound throughout—she embeds a love for God and his Word that marries joy and trembling before our awesome God. This is it's strength, and it's gift to the church abroad.
—Amy Gannett, Author of Fix Your Eyes: How Our Study of God Shapes Our Worship of Him and founder of Tiny Theologians
How do believers respond to injustice when it comes their way? That's a very important question. In Trembling Faith, Taylor Turkington invites us to follow in the footsteps of Habakkuk as he laments in hope with resolute faith. In this accessible and edifying book, Turkington shows us lament is not passive, but is an act of faith in an active God who is at work accomplishing his sovereign purposes. Readers will be both instructed and inspired.
—Tony Merida, Pastor, Imago Dei Church, Raleigh, NC, Executive Vice President, Acts 29
These are wearisome, demoralizing days for many believers. God, though, has born His children through demoralizing days before, and He will bear us again. In Habbakuk, God has gifted us with solidarity in such times through a prophet who faced harsh judgement for unbelief he did not participate in. God guided him, stood with him, and equipped him with hope that transcended the wearisome times in which Habakkuk lived. Taylor Turkington's Trembling Faith is a book for demoralized souls. It's an honest, helpful map through Habakkuk's prophecy. Taylor helps the reader understand the circumstances behind Habakkuk's cries and is honest about the cries of our own souls as well. Thank God that He has not left us as orphans to navigate such demoralizing days on our own.
—Wendy Alsup, Author of Companions in Suffering: Comfort for Times of Loss and Loneliness (IVP)
In Trembling Faith, Taylor helps us confront the hard questions we often ask in times of trouble, the same questions that Habakkuk asked in his day—Where’s God in times of trouble? Why do things get worse before they get better? Will the Lord hold the wicked accountable for their actions? Why do bad things happen to good people and why does it seem that good things happen to bad people? As Christians, how can we live a life of faith when the darkness of the world casts shadows of doubt over almost every aspect of life? Trembling Faith does not encourage us to turn a blind eye to injustice, oppression, abuse, or any other area of sin in our communities, in our churches, or even in our own hearts. Instead, we are challenged to face these issues with a heart open to seeing sin, lamenting in hope, and trusting God to act in His way and in His time. Taylor helps us to see God’s heart for justice and our need for justice, His disdain for sin and our need for repentance, His resolve to fill the earth with His glory, and our need to spread His glory. I highly commend Trembling Faith as a wonderful resource for bolstering our faith while living in such a fractured world.
—Kristie Anyabwile, Bible Teacher, Author, editor of His Testimonies, My Heritage: Women of Color on the Word of God