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Is God Really In Control?: Trusting God in a World of Hurt
From devastating natural disasters to deadly highway accidents, tragedies occur every day around the world and in our own lives. As we face death, grief, loss, we become angry and our faith is tested as we ask, “Is God really in control?” Navigator author Jerry Bridges helps answer that question positively in this topical Bible study, offering comfort and hope by exploring the greater purposes and character of God. Useful for men, women, and teens, the book includes discussion questions.
164 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 11, 2006
110 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Bridges
121 books690 followersJERRY BRIDGES was an author and conference speaker. His most popular book, The Pursuit of Holiness, has sold over one million copies. Jerry was on the staff of The Navigators for over fifty years, and currently served in the Collegiate Mission where he was involved primarily in staff development, but also served as a speaker resource to the campus ministries.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 3, 2024
Very captivating & has so many good truths about the sovereignty of God! He is trustworthy — Lord, help me to be reminded of that. A perfect timing for this book in my life… I see you God :)
June 26, 2018
Can you and I really trust God?
Where is God when there is tragedy?
Is God always in control?
This books answers most affirmatively that you can trust God all the time, in all circumstances.
This book is especially written for those who are going through difficult times or in a world of hurt and wonder if God cares. Bridges reminds us God does, as He personally tells us and assures us in His Word.
This book is a walk in encouragement, through good times and bad, giving us verses of promise, examples of inspiration, and lessons of hope and perseverance.
“When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
In God, whose Word I praise,
In God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?”
Psalm 56:3-4
Please read it if you have any questions whether God is in control and is aware of your personal struggles. I do highly recommend.
Where is God when there is tragedy?
Is God always in control?
This books answers most affirmatively that you can trust God all the time, in all circumstances.
This book is especially written for those who are going through difficult times or in a world of hurt and wonder if God cares. Bridges reminds us God does, as He personally tells us and assures us in His Word.
This book is a walk in encouragement, through good times and bad, giving us verses of promise, examples of inspiration, and lessons of hope and perseverance.
“When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
In God, whose Word I praise,
In God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?”
Psalm 56:3-4
Please read it if you have any questions whether God is in control and is aware of your personal struggles. I do highly recommend.
October 13, 2025
100% would recommend for those who are wrestling with the big question of “if God is so good, then why is the world so full of pain and suffering?” Just an overall good book on suffering in general.
October 13, 2021
I recently read and discussed this book with a few friends. God brought this older book by a trusted author along at just the right time, as a few of us were dealing with significant adversity in our lives.
Bridges tells us that the book is written for the average person who has not necessarily experienced major catastrophe, but who does frequently encounter the typical adversities and heartaches of life. The purpose of the book is twofold: First, he desires to glorify God by acknowledging His sovereignty and His goodness. And second, he desires to encourage God's people by demonstrating from Scripture that God is in control of their lives, that He does indeed love them, and that He works out all the circumstances of their lives for their ultimate good.
The author tells us that in the arena of adversity, the Scriptures teach us three essential truths about God-truths we must believe if we are to trust Him in adversity. They are:
• God is completely sovereign
• God is infinite in wisdom
• God is perfect in love
The author defines God's providence as His constant care for and His absolute rule over all His creation for His own glory and the good of His people. If we are to trust God, we must learn to see that He is continuously at work in every aspect and every moment of our lives.
The author writes that God always has a purpose for the grief He brings or allows to come into our lives. God never wastes pain. He always uses it to accomplish His purpose. And His purpose is for His glory and our good.
Bridges states that the Bible teaches both the sovereignty of God and the free moral choices of men with equal emphasis. There is no conflict between trusting God and accepting our responsibility. There are times when we can do nothing, and there are times when we must work. In both instances we are equally dependent upon God.
Bridges tells us that most godly character traits can only be developed through adversity. Sometimes afterward we can see some of the beneficial results of adversity in our lives, but we seldom can see it during the time of the adversity. But God promises specifically to be with us in our sorrows and afflictions. He will not spare us from the waters of sorrow and the fires of adversity, but He will go through them with us.
As with all of Bridges’ books (which I recommend to you), Is God Really in Control? is bathed in scripture, written in a warm style, and practical.
Below are some of the most helpful quotes from the book:
• It is only from the Scriptures, applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit, that we receive the grace to trust God in adversity.
• What should distinguish the suffering of believers from unbelievers is the confidence that our suffering is under the control of an all-powerful and all-loving God; our suffering has meaning and purpose in God's eternal plan, and He brings or allows into our lives only what is for His glory and our good.
• Prayer assumes the sovereignty of God. If God is not sovereign, we have no assurance that He is able to answer our prayers.
• We must be transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ. That is the purpose of discipline.
• An unreserved trust of God, when we don't understand what is happening or why, is the only road to peace and comfort and joy.
• We must see our circumstances through God's love instead of, as we are prone to do, seeing God's love through our circumstances.
• He has a purpose in every pain He brings or allows in our lives. We can be sure that in some way He intends it for our profit and His glory.
• A mark of Christian maturity is to continually trust the Lord in the minutiae of daily life. If we learn to trust God in the minor adversities, we will be better prepared to trust Him in the major ones.
• Trusting God for the grace to accept adversity is as much an act of faith as is trusting Him for deliverance from it.
Bridges tells us that the book is written for the average person who has not necessarily experienced major catastrophe, but who does frequently encounter the typical adversities and heartaches of life. The purpose of the book is twofold: First, he desires to glorify God by acknowledging His sovereignty and His goodness. And second, he desires to encourage God's people by demonstrating from Scripture that God is in control of their lives, that He does indeed love them, and that He works out all the circumstances of their lives for their ultimate good.
The author tells us that in the arena of adversity, the Scriptures teach us three essential truths about God-truths we must believe if we are to trust Him in adversity. They are:
• God is completely sovereign
• God is infinite in wisdom
• God is perfect in love
The author defines God's providence as His constant care for and His absolute rule over all His creation for His own glory and the good of His people. If we are to trust God, we must learn to see that He is continuously at work in every aspect and every moment of our lives.
The author writes that God always has a purpose for the grief He brings or allows to come into our lives. God never wastes pain. He always uses it to accomplish His purpose. And His purpose is for His glory and our good.
Bridges states that the Bible teaches both the sovereignty of God and the free moral choices of men with equal emphasis. There is no conflict between trusting God and accepting our responsibility. There are times when we can do nothing, and there are times when we must work. In both instances we are equally dependent upon God.
Bridges tells us that most godly character traits can only be developed through adversity. Sometimes afterward we can see some of the beneficial results of adversity in our lives, but we seldom can see it during the time of the adversity. But God promises specifically to be with us in our sorrows and afflictions. He will not spare us from the waters of sorrow and the fires of adversity, but He will go through them with us.
As with all of Bridges’ books (which I recommend to you), Is God Really in Control? is bathed in scripture, written in a warm style, and practical.
Below are some of the most helpful quotes from the book:
• It is only from the Scriptures, applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit, that we receive the grace to trust God in adversity.
• What should distinguish the suffering of believers from unbelievers is the confidence that our suffering is under the control of an all-powerful and all-loving God; our suffering has meaning and purpose in God's eternal plan, and He brings or allows into our lives only what is for His glory and our good.
• Prayer assumes the sovereignty of God. If God is not sovereign, we have no assurance that He is able to answer our prayers.
• We must be transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ. That is the purpose of discipline.
• An unreserved trust of God, when we don't understand what is happening or why, is the only road to peace and comfort and joy.
• We must see our circumstances through God's love instead of, as we are prone to do, seeing God's love through our circumstances.
• He has a purpose in every pain He brings or allows in our lives. We can be sure that in some way He intends it for our profit and His glory.
• A mark of Christian maturity is to continually trust the Lord in the minutiae of daily life. If we learn to trust God in the minor adversities, we will be better prepared to trust Him in the major ones.
• Trusting God for the grace to accept adversity is as much an act of faith as is trusting Him for deliverance from it.
June 4, 2019
The author does a good job of making the content approachable. He espouses the traditional view of God's sovereignty, reaffirms prayer, and provides some Biblical basis for his arguments. The tone of the writing is tender and inoffensive. This book is a good starting place for people exploring the concept of sovereignty in the light of suffering. It touches the tip of the iceberg about theodicy, but it does not discuss it directly.
My one problem with this book is that the author takes scripture very, very literally. I don't think all of scripture is meant to be taken literally, so some of his scripture references fell flat for me.
My one problem with this book is that the author takes scripture very, very literally. I don't think all of scripture is meant to be taken literally, so some of his scripture references fell flat for me.
June 15, 2023
I've spent the last several months studying through this book with a group of ladies I work with and it has been so beneficial to all of us. I wish the questions at the end of the chapter had a bit more depth (we took turns leading the discussion and ended up adding plenty more questions and Scripture study on our own), but this was such a helpful, thought-provoking, convicting, and encouraging book! It is very accessible (not too academic) and is easy to read and digest, but doesn't sacrifice theological robustness for readability.
February 11, 2025
I didn't quite get on with the writing in this book and I ended up skimming big chunks of it. Bridges presents a primer on the sovereignty of God and supports it with lots of Scripture, but I found his style to be a bit too straight-forward without much depth to the discussion. To be fair, the book isn't advertised as being a dense treatment of the subject, but I was hoping to have more to chew on.
March 12, 2019
Masterful book by Bridges. He deals with complex problems and doesn't dodge the hard questions about evil, free will, suffering, and many more. He does a great job of simply explaining Biblical truth and pointing us to the character and nature of God (Wisdom, Goodness, and Sovereignty). Recommend to anyone but especially those in the midst of tragedy or suffering.
July 20, 2022
It's OK. I decided I couldn't take the book quite as seriously when the author said that to complain about the weather is to sin against God... but otherwise it had clear biblical theory for why trusting God in adversity is both good and important.
October 1, 2024
I didn't get to finish this book as my Kindle Unlimited subscription expired, but I would actually really like to buy a paper copy to mark up! I did get to exactly 50% and was appreciating it more and more the further I got.
November 2, 2022
Great job explaining the truths of God's Word re His trustworthiness. Knowing the circumstances in our lives are for God's glory and our good.
April 2, 2024
Wow. Jerry Bridges has done it once again. Biblically sound truths, written in an easy to understand way, and a way that really pierces the soul. This is an essential book for all Christians!
April 29, 2024
This book challenged me and refined me in ways I didn’t even realize I needed—one to revisit each year. An absolute must-read!
April 23, 2025
3.5 stars, rounded up
December 12, 2023
He lost me when he said even sexual abuse is under the sovereign control of God. (Page 143)
January 1, 2009
In the last chapter of the book there is a paragraph that struck me:
“...I seek to look beyond the person who is only the instrument to see God, who has purposed this adversity for me. ‘Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it’ (Laminations 3:37). If God has ordained to allow this trial in my life, it is because He has in His infinite wisdom deemed it to be good for me. Through the adversity, wrought by the other person, God is doing His work in my life. One part of humbling myself under His mighty hand is to resist any tendency of bitterness or resentment in my heart toward the other person. Though his actions may be sinful in themselves, God is using those actions in my life for my good.”
Everyone comes into our life for a reason. Everyone serves a purpose, good or bad, in our lives. On the flip side this also means I was put into other people's lives by God to change them as well, be it good or bad. How wonderful it is to know that life hasn't just happened, that it has been all part of God's great plan for my life.
“...I seek to look beyond the person who is only the instrument to see God, who has purposed this adversity for me. ‘Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it’ (Laminations 3:37). If God has ordained to allow this trial in my life, it is because He has in His infinite wisdom deemed it to be good for me. Through the adversity, wrought by the other person, God is doing His work in my life. One part of humbling myself under His mighty hand is to resist any tendency of bitterness or resentment in my heart toward the other person. Though his actions may be sinful in themselves, God is using those actions in my life for my good.”
Everyone comes into our life for a reason. Everyone serves a purpose, good or bad, in our lives. On the flip side this also means I was put into other people's lives by God to change them as well, be it good or bad. How wonderful it is to know that life hasn't just happened, that it has been all part of God's great plan for my life.
May 20, 2015
The reason I picked this book is because I have enjoyed Jerry Bridges before. Another reason was the title. I bought this at our church weekend away and very soon afterwards we had the first earthquake in Nepal. Because of the ministry I am involved with and meeting people from different nations of the world and especially those from Nepal I hoped that it would be very easy to read and understand I wished to use it a my main book on my visits. I was not disappointed the author took the subject of God's Sovereignty over all things and being true to the Scriptures showed from God's Word how God is in control even in what we call natural disasters.
This is a real wee gem and one that I will be referring to time and again.
I would recommend this book to all those in leadership or ministry as it gives many insightful thoughts and illustrations which can be used to bring comfort to those we minister too and also when we need the ministry of God's Word in our own circumstances and when we as the children of God question if God is really in control.
This is a real wee gem and one that I will be referring to time and again.
I would recommend this book to all those in leadership or ministry as it gives many insightful thoughts and illustrations which can be used to bring comfort to those we minister too and also when we need the ministry of God's Word in our own circumstances and when we as the children of God question if God is really in control.
January 22, 2010
I wasn't really asking the title question of this book. I was asking something similar. How can God be in control, put me through so much pain, and still love me? That answer is in there too. I highly recommend this book for people who are going through difficult times and beginning to question God. It's helpful. Just don't get stuck on separate chapters. This book must be taken as a whole because it intends to give a whole picture of how God deals with adversity in people's lives.
October 23, 2012
Don't let the little size of this book for you: it is powerful and deep. Jerry writes clearly of the sovereignty, wisdom, and love of God. His focus is upon how these truths change how we live in all of life and especially in suffering. This is a fantastic book to read especially if you're not suffering: that is because suffering is inevitable, and these truths will help prepare you to grow through it.
April 28, 2009
Excellent book on God's sovereignty. Again Jerry Bridges hits it out of the park! All things do indeed work together for our good and more importantly for God's glory. Definitely recommend this one.
February 10, 2014
An excellent book regarding the sovereignty of God and man's responsibility.
May 14, 2016
Overall this book has good content and a good message. There is a lot of repetitiveness that could have been removed to make the book more meaningful for me.
January 9, 2017
Helps to make sense out of adversities and calamities...builds faith in God
May 2, 2017
Wrestling the sovereignty of God into our hearts is essential to knowing a life of peace and rest!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews