Abba's Child by Brennan Manning
Week 7: Chapter 7 — The Furious Longing of God
Read Chapter 7 of Abba's Child. Key Scripture: Hosea 11:1–9; Luke 15:20; Romans 5:8.
Previewing Week 7 of Abba's Child
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 10-week guide when you’re ready.
This chapter may be the most emotionally charged in the book — Manning takes us into the heart of God and asks us to sit with a love that is not calm and distant but fierce, pursuing, and almost scandalous.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Manning uses the phrase "the furious longing of God" to describe a love that is not polite or measured but passionate and relentlessly pursuing. How does this image of God compare with the God you imagine when you are at your lowest? Which image feels more real to you, and why?
2.Manning turns to Hosea 11, where God speaks with astonishing tenderness and anguish over Israel — "When Israel was a child, I loved him...How can I give you up?" What does it do to your understanding of God to read Him expressing what sounds like grief and longing?
3.Manning argues that the reason so many Christians live in quiet spiritual despair is not that they disbelieve in God's love intellectually but that they have never been *moved* by it emotionally and experientially. Do you think that emotional engagement with the love of God is necessary for genuine faith? Why or why not?