God on Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer

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Where can I see God’s goodness at work in and through painful situations in my life? In what particular ways can I get better at trusting God when I don’t understand him?” Q. What did you find most helpful, inspiring or challenging in what Pete Greig, Gemma Hunt and Alain Emerson shared? Today it’s the questions of the heart: “How am I going to get through this?” and we’re going to look at Jesus on Maundy Thursday in the Garden of Gethsemane. What I relish about this book is that Pete faces the problems full-on, without apology or excuse. . . . It is a Christian classic.' Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury Product Details This really could be a challenging session, so if you’re able, read chapters 7-10 of God on Mute in advance. Remember that you don’t have to answer every question, and you certainly won’t solve the problem of evil in 90 minutes! Your aim should be to facilitate the kind of honest conversation in which everyone feels heard.

Perseverance. Some prayers aren't answered yet. Whether they are being resisted by spiritual forces, stubborn people or God himself, don't give up praying. In these dark nights of the soul moments, we often accept this “misconception out there that when it comes to unanswered prayer, there are no answers, and we just have to walk blindly through the veils of mystery and hope we don’t trip up.” Yet, Greig points out that while “it’s true that there can be no easy explanation when it comes to the ultimate problems of suffering,” the truth is also that “to the vast majority of questions, there are, in fact, answers – good ones – that have helped millions of people for thousands of years to navigate disappointment without losing their way.” Pete brings those answers to the surface, as navigational tools to keep us from losing our way, and he explores in great detail, 15 reasons our prayers may seem unanswered. I don’t want to remain in this place of sorrow and anger… I want to choose life again, and I want to find life again.” – Simon ThomasWe can learn 4 keys to coping with despair from Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane: Place, People, Prayer, Purpose Q. Pete says that “there’s so much faking it” at church. If you could ask God one totally honest question about something you find difficult in your life, what would it be? Leader’s note Some prayers aren’t answered because God’s will is being directly contested by “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12). Perseverance, faith, and authoritative use of the Word of God become vital in winning.” But not yet. When I speak, Though it be you who speak Through me, something is lost. The meaning is in the waiting.

Some of our prayers aren’t yet answered because they are working gradually and not as an impersonal mechanism of forced control.” Q. What, practically, do you think is needed for persevering in faith and prayer through the ‘winter seasons’ of life? Pete Greig says that “it’s possible to trust even when we don’t understand”. Pray for one another. As you do so, you may find it helpful to remember God’s words to the apostle Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9) Our unanswered prayers may be our real ministry of our lives. They are being stored up to be answered on that final day. The most powerful theological books are not written from a distant theoretical viewpoint, but from the battlefield. They're authored by writers who have wrestled intensely with their theme in the gritty, raw realities of this life. That is precisely why Pete Greig's book on unanswered prayer is so very powerful and profound. For anyone wondering why God seems absent and why heaven seems silent, God on Mute has some extremely helpful, and healing, things to say. This book has already impacted many thousands, and I know it will impact you.' Matt Redman, worship leaderSome prayers aren’t answered because of our disregard for the needs of others in our communities and in other nations too.” God's Will is the best. And we will not be able to understand it all. How tragic if our destiny followed our own logic and imagination. We shall come over the day to a heaven where we shall gratefully know that God's great refusals were sometimes the true answers to our truest prayers. It is always more important why we pray than how we pray or what we say. Miracles only happen when our prayers harmonise with God broad desires in our life, we are promised these prayers will always be answered! Greig faces the reality of the suffering that is endured when desperate prayers seem to go unanswered, but his essential message is nevertheless one of hope and confidence in God. He calls us to a deeper understanding of a God of love who always works for the best of those who love him, and acceptance that God is at work in the deepest trials. He uses them to create within those who endure them a holy sweetness and a depth of unshakeable faith that just cannot be produced any other way. One of many lovely stories is of an elderly friend who has suffered for 72 years with a debilitating illness. She testifies that her need has drawn her ever closer to the Lord, discovering his strength in her weakness, his presence in her pain, so much so that she can say that she feels almost sorry for those who sail through life without trouble but never discover the greatest gift of God’s strength. Wow! An honest, soul-searching pursuit of biblical answers to one of Christianity's most challenging questions: What do you do when God meets your prayers with silence? Over the years we've lost count of the number of times we've recommended God on Mute to people who are wrestling with doubts and struggling to connect with God in seasons of pain and confusion. It's achingly honest, beautifully crafted and theologically deep--an absolute classic. For both of us, this is one of the most profound and helpful books we've ever read on one of the most essential questions, 'Where is God when it hurts?' (And we're not just saying that because we love Pete!)' Tim and Rachel Hughes, Gas Street, Birmingham, UK, and Worship Central International