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Title: Seeking God's Hidden Face: When God Seems Absent by Cecil B. Murphey ISBN: 0-8308-2292-5 Publisher: Intervarsity Press Pub. Date: May, 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00

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Average Customer Rating: 5 (4 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: The journey out of darkness
Comment: Cecil Murphey has structured this book as a quest--a journey through a dark time when he could not sense God's presence. He leads his readers to explore, with him, the possible reasons for the darkness. Some applied to him, some didn't. Some will apply to his readers, some won't. Like the journey out of the depths of a cave to its entrance, each step brings him closer to the light.

Cecil Murphey asks some of the deepest questions I've wanted to ask God, but couldn't because I didn't know how to put them into words. Not only that, he even points to some of the answers.

Rating: 5
Summary: Playing Hide and Seek With God
Comment: We may call it a dark valley, a loss of God's presence or just a tough time. Whatever we call it, we've all been there. Cecil Murphey -- theologian, former missionary and former pastor -- tackles the issue in Seeking God's Hidden Face.

Unlike many spiritual self-help titles -- fortunately -- Murphey's book doesn't try to reduce the search to an artificial one-two-three formula or shape the complex subject into the confines of a catchy, memorable phrase. No one key concept here, no six simple steps, but Murphey packs meat into every one of the 21 short chapters, covering many principles needful for healthy Christian life and growth.

He confesses his dark times have not necessarily been preceded by great tragedy or crisis. They just happen. Many of the frustrations he expresses may make readers think he's been reading their minds. For example, at one point he writes, "I wanted to know the truth about myself, but I didn't want it to hurt."

In a chapter titled "Old Wounds" he writes of being a pastor: "At various times members of the church had coldly rejected me. The worst was a man who screamed, 'You're the worst pastor I've ever known, and if anyone doesn't belong in a leadership role, it's you!' " He says those kinds of wounds stay with us for years, and we may have to revisit them to heal from them. He calls it the "I have to feel them to heal them" principle.

Life's valleys may not be easy, but the author reminds us of this truth: "It's only in hindsight that we truly value the difficult times we've gone through."

Rating: 5
Summary: Playing Hide-and-Seek With God
Comment: We may call it a dark valley, a loss of God's presence, a dry spell, or a tough time. Whatever we call it, we've all been there, some of us many times. Cecil Murphey - writer, theologian, former missionary and former pastor - tackles the issue in Seeking God's Hidden Face.

Unlike many spiritual self-help titles, Murphey's book doesn't try to reduce the search to an artificial one-two-three formula or shape the complex subject into the confines of a catchy, memorable phrase. It's not always a comfortable read, but Murphey packs meat into every one of the 21 short chapters, covering many principles needful for healthy Christian life and growth.

The author says the book was prompted by dark times in his own life. "I call it God's hidden face," he says, "a term that appears [in scripture] a number of times, especially in Psalms." Again and again, he points the reader to Psalms because there he found comfort and encouragement. Murphey says his dark times have not necessarily been preceded by great tragedy or crisis. They just happen.

From chapter to chapter, he is transparent about his own experience, and like the biblical psalmists, his transparency touches his readers. In fact, many of the frustrations he expresses will make readers think Murphey's been reading their minds. For example, at one point he writes, "I wanted to know the truth about myself, but I didn't want it to hurt."

Selected gems gleaned from other chapters include: "Afflictive Providences" - "Briefly, providence is God's working with his people to fulfill the divine purpose in their lives. If we focus on the idea of God's providing, we stay close to the meaning." He cites Joseph sold into slavery and the longsuffering Job as examples of godly men who endured afflictive providences.

"Old Wounds" - He writes of being a pastor: "At various times members of the church had coldly rejected me. The worst was a man who screamed, 'You're the worst pastor I've ever known, and if anyone doesn't belong in a leadership role, it's you!'" He says those kinds of wounds stay with us for years, and we may have to revisit them to heal from them. He calls it the "I have to feel them to heal them" principle.

"Unhealed Places" - In this chapter he addresses how difficult it was for him to begin praying this simple prayer: "Heal the parts of me that don't want to be healed." But, he says, it is a necessary step if we are to find God's face.

The valleys are not easy, but Murphey reminds readers of one more truth: "It's only in hindsight that we truly value the difficult times we've gone through." Seeking God's Hidden Face will bring insight and light to the seeking reader.