Copyright ©1996, ProMotion, inc.
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Why does Lucado strike such a chord with readers? Very simply because he is inspired. Other authors may write better, and have more theological degrees, but Lucado puts the Word of God into terms that the common man can understand. In the opening pages, he describes a flight on an airliner that was experiencing turbulence. The flight attendant politely told everyone to return to their seats for their own safety. She repeated it a little more firmly to those who were ignoring her. But it took stern words from the pilot to get the message across: "Let's be very clear about our responsibilities. My job is to get you through the storm. Your job is to do what I say." God is the same way. As Lucado puts it, He is "both kind and stern. Tender and tough. Faithfully firm. Patiently urgent. Eagerly tolerant. Softly shouting. Gently thundering."
Lucado divides A Gentle Thunder into two main parts: His Voice and Our Choice. The first section is a joy to read because Lucado tells of a God who is the Author of all life-including every man, woman, and child; a God who is a Hunter-pursuing his children relentlessly; a God who has perfect timing--meeting needs when He knows they need to be met; a God who is a Savior-sending a part of Himself to die to save us; and maybe most importantly a God who is a Lover. "God's love is not human. His love is not normal. His love sees your sin and loves you still. Does he approve of your error? No. Do you need to repent? Yes. But do you repent for his sake or yours? Yours. His ego needs no apology. His love needs no bolstering."
And it is a good thing for mankind that it doesn't because in the end the choice is ours. "God will whisper. He will shout. He will touch and tug. He will take away our burdens; he'll even take away our blessings. If there are a thousand steps between us and him, he will take all but one. But he will leave the final one for us. The choice is ours." And what a choice! Sounds easy. To choose life over death. To choose eternal salvation over eternal damnation. Seems like a real no-brainer. But every writer in the Bible points out that it is not easy. Take the Apostle Paul-a real man of God, a martyr, a zealot. He called himself chief among sinners. This section is difficult to read because it hits home: God, speaking through Lucado, challenges every reader to make a choice.
This is the beauty of Lucado. He sets you up for it. No matter how skeptical you may be, at some point you have to realize that the man is making some sense. All of Lucado's stories, analogies and retellings of scripture are leading up to one unalterable point: The gospel of Jesus Christ is the Truth, and it is just as real today as when it was being lived nearly two thousand years ago. God is still gently thundering, and He is still waiting for the last step to be taken.
Copyright ©1996, ProMotion, inc.
www@acloserlook.com