Book Review - When God Turned Off the Lights

Book Review and Book Winner Announced

Imagine total darkness. No street lights. No moonlight. Not even a firefly. You reach out, but can’t feel anything. Uncertain of which way you should go, you choose to wait—wait for a little crack of light and the hope it represents.

Now, imagine that you’ve been plunged into a deep spiritual darkness and you aren’t sure how or why it happened. It’s as if someone turned off a switch and left you fumbling and wondering when you’d find a small beam of light. 

Cec Murphey writes about these times when it feels like we are waiting on God in “When God Turned Off the Lights.” We may wonder, how does a man of God, a pastor who has been a faithful follower of Christ find himself wondering where God went? Readers will discover that no Christian is immune from the possibility of going through a spiritual blackout.

I finished reading my free advance review copy of the book recently and at first I felt like the darkness was long and drawn out for the reader, as though we were never going to get to the hope or solution. But then I realized that this brought me into the author’s darkness and helped me understand it much better. As the book progressed, I felt a sampling of how Cec must have felt in a time in his life when God seemed absent. Frankly, I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the sense of abandonment. I didn’t like waiting. I didn’t like the long unanswered requests for light from God. However, I liked the book very much and I was very glad to discover hope and joy along with the author. 

One thing that inspired me about the book was that Cec Murphey kept pursuing God. He kept reading scripture, kept praying, and kept attending church even when his feelings didn’t line up with his faith. He used his time of spiritual emptiness as an opportunity to grow and learn. Anyone who feels as if God has turned his face away, and who feels the despair of spiritual darkness needs a copy of this book.

Book Winner

I’m giving away my free copy of the book. I did a random number drawing and the blog reader who wins the book is the reader who goes by the identity:

Transmetteur fm (from blog post on October 29)

If this is your ID, please send me an e-mail with your mailing address by the end of November to win your free copy.