What do you do when God’s timing seems questionable, His lack of intervention hurtful, and His promises doubtful?

Life often looks so very different than we hoped or expected. Some events may simply catch us off guard for a moment, but others shatter us completely. We feel disappointed and disillusioned, and we quietly start to wonder about the reality of God’s goodness.

Lysa TerKeurst understands this deeply. But she’s also discovered that our disappointments can be the divine appointments our souls need to radically encounter God. In It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way, Lysa invites us into her own journey of faith and, with grit, vulnerability, and honest humor, helps us to:

* Stop being pulled into the anxiety of disappointment by discovering how to better process unmet expectations and other painful situations.
* Train ourselves to recognize the three strategies of the enemy so we can stand strong and persevere through unsettling relationships and uncertain outcomes.
* Discover the secret of being steadfast and not panicking when God actually does give us more than we can handle.
* Shift our suspicion that God is cruel or unfair to the biblical assurance that God is protecting and preparing us.
* Know how to encourage a friend and help her navigate hard realities with real help from God’s truth.


Several years ago, my pastor spent several weeks preaching on perspective — seeing the world and circumstances as God sees them instead of through our own interpretation.

Lysa TerKeurst’s book reinforced that message and does a great job of showing how the Bible instructs us to respond to and interpret circumstances in our lives. She doesn’t sugarcoat or negate anyone’s struggles or pains. She even admits that the truth of Scripture will likely hurt more than it helps … at first. Buth her book continues to present truth and provide encouragement for anyone reading it who might be struggling to wonder what’s going on.

Interestingly, I read this at the beginning of 2021, when it’s oftentimes hard for a Christian to look at what’s happening in America and the world and see where God’ moving, This book was written to encourage women through personal struggles, but I found many of her words to be encouraging and spot-on on a national level as well.

Rated G. Get your copy here!