God Never Gives up on you by Max Lucado 

If you like Max Lucado’s style, you will enjoy this book tracking the life of Jacob – if he is unfamiliar to you, it is a good place to start

God Never Gives up on you: what Jacob’s story teaches us about grace, mercy, and God’s relentless love
By Max Lucado
Thomas Nelson
ISBN 978-1-4002-4571-0
Reviewed by: Jeannie Kendall

 
Max Lucado is a prolific writer and, I suspect, one to whom we are either drawn or not. His style is punchy, often with striking turns of phrase and an ability to conjure up a new way of looking at something quite familiar. He begins this exploration of the life of Jacob declaring that if you are a super saint, this is not a book for you. Since none of us are, that is a promising start!

Anyone who is familiar with the Bible stories will know Jacob’s CV: the schemer who found himself outmanoeuvred, the one who wrestled in the night, and the one who ultimately is blessed by God and given the new name: Israel. Throughout we are encouraged to see the ways in which, despite it having its origin in a very different time, the story is undiminished in its relevance for us.

This book tracks through Jacob’s eventful life in a number of helpful sections with titles to draw us in – such as The tilted halo society, Life with a louse, and one which summarises the overarching theme of the book, Grace will bring us home. At the end of the book there are reflection questions which make it very useful for small group or individual use.

If you like Max Lucado’s style, you will enjoy this book – if he is unfamiliar to you, it is a good place to start.
 

Jeannie Kendall is a ‘retired’ Baptist minister, a current tutor on the Pastoral Supervision course at Spurgeon’s College, and the author of Finding Our Voice, Held in Your Bottle, and Heroes or Villains? which was released in July 2023.