The Voice from the Whirlwind: The Problem of Evil and the Modern World Book

This is a WONDERFUL book! It takes a minute to adjust to Elder Maxwell's writing - he is so smart and there is so much to everything that he says. He shares so many important insights about God, the importance and reason for suffering and trials, the importance of service, love, communication, honesty, correction, prayer, following our leaders and basically becoming a true disciple of Christ.

There were so many important reminders for me in this book. Elder Maxwell teaches so clearly how we must know who God is - He is omniscient, omnipotent and omni-loving. We should see suffering and trials as opportunities to grow. We must be humble and realize our dependence on God. I particularly loved his words about serving and loving those around us and being a humble and genuine communicator with others and with God through prayer. He finishes with an important reminder about the importance of obediently and humbly following our leaders. There are so many wonderful and important reminders in these pages. I'm glad I read it today. It gave me a renewed perspective of what's really important in this life.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

"God's omniscience is not solely a function of prolonged and discerning familiarity with us--but of the stunning reality that the past and present and future are part of an "eternal now" with God (p. 8)."

"It never quite strikes home to most of us that to give two hours in church or neighborly service would not even be possible if God did not give us breath itself from moment to moment and did not keep that tiny but marvelous pump, the heart, working from second to second (p. 25)."

"Life is a school in which we enrolled not only voluntarily but rejoicingly; and...the school's Headmaster employs a curriculum...and examinations that would truly test our ability...in his absence, many of the schoolchildren tore up their guiding notebooks and demanded that He stop the examinations since these produced some pain. There is..no way to "CLEP" the examinations of the second estate; one learns by taking the full course (p. 28)!"

"God, as a loving Father, will stretch our souls at times...the soul is like a violin string: it makes music only when it is stretched. God will tutor us by trying us because He loves us, not because of indifference (p. 29)!"

"In keeping the second great commandment, the most significant and basic service we can regularly render unto others will emerge from our most basic roles--as brothers and sisters, as parents, as neighbors, as disciples. What we do vocationally and professionally matters, of course--and sometimes very much. But those of us who try to escape from, or neglect, our basic roles will find that we have only made the effective keeping of the second great commandment even more difficult (p. 55)."

"We...should carry jumper and tow cables not only in our cars, but also in our hearts, by which means we can send the needed boost or charge of encouragement or the added momentum to mortal neighbors (p. 59)."

"Our capacity to grow and to assist each other depends very much upon our being "willing to communicate." Communication includes proper measures of counsel, correction, and commendation. Since we depend upon each other to supply these ingredients in our lives, our insensitivity in communicating can be far more damaging than we realize. When we "pass by" others and "notice them not," a degree of deprivation occurs. One of the ways, therefore, we will be "proved herewith" is our determination as to whether or not we love others enough to give and to receive such vital communications....Are not the people proximate to us our tiny portion of humanity, given to us by God as our social stewardship (p. 75)?"

"As we come to understand and experience God in all His perfected attributes and as we struggle to develop these same attributes in ourselves, we move from appreciation for Him to adoration for Him (p. 132)."