GOD IS WILLING

Murray emphasizes the primacy of God’s will in this debut nonfiction work.

As a Christian speaker, blogger, and spiritual counselor, the author notes how her willingness to “always listen to God” and follow his will rather than her own personal desires has allowed her to know that “he knows what’s best.” Her book, born of a lifetime of prayer and study of Christian Scripture, seeks to impart the author’s spiritual wisdom to readers. Though the text is nondenominational in its theology, its approach is decisively charismatic, particularly in its emphasis on spiritual warfare. Demons (who “can guide you to make bad decisions”) and angels play central roles in its narrative. Entire chapters are devoted to helping readers “discern the difference between demons and honorable angels” and describing “how Satan and demons defiled the kingdom of heaven” before the Earth was created. Other chapters focus on more conventional Christian themes, such as wisdom, recognizing God’s will, and the dangers of material wealth. Murray is unafraid to tackle some of the paradoxes of Christianity, such as how a loving God “allowed Sin and Destruction” to prosper on Earth. The book’s arguments are centered around “God’s word,” with Bible verses adorning nearly every page, as well as God’s personal revelations to the author during her multiple decades as a faithful Christian. Readers may find the book’s absolute confidence in its answers to difficult questions comforting, though non-Christians may not find its arguments convincing. More scholarly-minded readers may look skeptically upon a book that lacks references, citations, or any meaningful engagement with the thousands of years of Christian scholarship and theology that have grappled with the same complicated questions as this work. Those looking for Christian-informed commentary on divining God’s will as it relates to contemporary social issues, from systemic racism and reproductive rights to sexuality and LGBTQ+ issues, will not find answers here.

A confident, if not always persuasive, guidebook to following God’s will.