The Bible clearly states that God loves the world. Over and over again, we read of His love for His people. Yet many times, we somehow feel excluded from that love. Perhaps we feel unworthy of His love or we simply don't understand God's love. For whatever reason, the process of getting God's love from our heads to our hearts is a complicated one. Enter: Lazarus -- the perfect example for understanding and interpreting God's love.

In her newest book, Lazarus Awakening, Joanna Weaver explores the deep friendship between Christ and Lazarus of Bethany. The third book in Weaver's Bethany series, Lazarus Awakening uses the tomb of Lazarus to symbolize the tombs we often find ourselves in: tombs of unworthiness, unforgiveness, and unbelief. Just as Christ called Lazarus from his tomb, He is calling us from ours. Will we, as Lazarus did, heed His call and cast off our grave clothes?

Since Lazarus has such little mention in the Bible, he is often overlooked. However, Weaver does an excellent job of reminding us that God can use anyone to do anything. No matter how small or insignificant we may feel, God has a powerful role for us to play, just as He did with Lazarus. Weaver's unique viewpoint is eye-opening and convicting.

I found the book to be an enjoyable and compelling read. The mixture of deep theology sprinkled with humor was refreshing and urged me to continue reading. As a writer myself, I especially enjoyed Weaver's commentary on the difficulties she faced in bringing the book to life. I can relate to her struggles. My favorite comment about the process was this: "I feel like I'm holding a pregnancy test stick, and it says I'm expecting a book, but I have absolutely no symptoms. No movement, not even a tummy bump to tell me it will be born." Oh, how I can relate!

When I first read the excerpt for this book, I wasn't sure that it was something I needed to read, but having read Weaver's other two books in the series, I knew it would be worth the time. It was and so much more! I didn't even realize how much I doubted God's love for me until I buried myself in the pages of this book. I'm looking forward to going through it again with the study guide that is included in the back. If you're feeling dead in any aspect of your spiritual life, Lazarus Awakening is for you!

I received this book as part of the WaterBrook Multnomah Blogging for Books program. My opinions are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.