Book excerpt: Every devoted Christian experiences periods of time when God seems far away, when the light of his face seems to have turned away and left his child to fumble in the darkness. During periods of spiritual blackout, when God seems to be silent, we feel as if we've been put on hold. We wait and wait for God to get back on the line. We know it will be wonderful when the light comes back on and drives away the darkness, but we want it now--not later. Award-winning writer Cecil Murphey has journeyed through this darkness three different times during his many years following Christ, and each time was more difficult than the last. He suggests that believers have three choices when the lights go out: (1) give up, (2) examine ourselves for sin or failure, or (3) accept that God's face is hidden with his purpose in mind. In When God Turned Off the Lights, readers will learn how to make the most of their time on hold by pondering the mysteries of God's character, confident that he will turn the lights on once again.