Today I welcome guest blogger Natasha Woodcraft as she shares about her latest release, The Wanderer Scorned. Leave a comment to enter a random drawing for a free ebook.

I wonder what you made of the story of Cain and Abel when you were a child? I used to wonder why God rejected Cain's offering—it didn't seem very fair—and I suspect I'm not alone.

I had many questions growing up, and most of the time, I didn't dare ask them. I didn't want to risk sounding like I had doubts about the Bible.

The trouble is, if we don't give each other permission to ask difficult questions, they can haunt us into adulthood. They can leave us with the impression that God is not what everyone claims he is. Not what HE claims he is. And that's pretty dangerous territory.

My new novel, The Wanderer Scorned, is an imaginative retelling of Genesis 4 from Cain's point of view (I call him Kayin). It explores issues of faith, doubt, suffering and fairness. Kayin asks many of those questions we can't quite find the courage to ask. But do they get answered?

You'll have to read the book to find out! For now, I'll leave you with a snippet of conversation between Kayin and his brother, Havel, to whet your appetite…

‘We are like lambs, Kayin. We are born reliant on our parents. Although certainly capable of doing wrong, we instinctively trust what they tell us. Yet as we grow, we become more independent. We may wander away, trusting in ourselves when we are not yet trustworthy.

‘Elohim doesn’t want us to wander. Like a good shepherd, He desires to keep us safe. He wants to keep us from walking dangerous paths. Sometimes, to do that, He will need to use His staff to bring us back in. Or even to discipline us.’ 

‘I have not tried to wander––if you would put it that way. If I have withdrawn, it is due to recent circumstances…’ I was thinking of my relationship with Abba. ‘…Due to the suffering and chastisement that I have endured.’

‘A lamb rarely tries to wander,’ Havel said quietly. ‘It happens when they take their eyes off their mother. Then, once they realise they are lost, they bleat loudly, calling for someone to help them.’

‘So I should bleat loudly?’

Havel laughed. ‘Yes!’

‘To whom?’

‘Your Creator, Yahweh! Tell Him your concerns and ask Him for His way to be made known. Trust Him that He cares for you and desires what is good for you.’

‘But I have no confidence that He does care!’ I felt unbidden tears well in my eyes. ‘He has shown me no favour! If He cares, why did He allow me to suffer so much? Why is He preventing me from fulfilling my purpose?’

Natasha Woodcraft is a songwriter, author and blogger from Cambridgeshire, UK. You can find her online at natashawoodcraft.com.

What questions about the Bible did you have growing up? Comment below for a chance to win an e-book of The Wanderer Scorned!