When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer
Insights to Keep You Praying with Greater Faith and Deeper Hope
- Christian Living
- Publisher: Zondervan
- Published: 2007
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Publisher's Description
More than a decade ago, Jerry Sittser prayed for the protection of his family, yet three of his loved ones--his daughter, his wife, and his mother--died in an automobile accident. What went wrong? "Why wasn't my prayer answered?" he asks. "It is no longer an abstract question to me. What should we do and how should we respond when our prayers--prayers that seem right and true and good--go unanswered?" In When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer, Sittser continues exploring the issues he addressed in A Grace Disguised. He asks, "Why doesn't God answer our prayers? What, if anything, can we do about it?" Sittser is intensely committed to exploring the Christian faith, especially when it doesn't seem to "work." In this thoughtful and beautifully written book, he moves beyond easy answers and religious formulas to explore the goodness and greatness of a God who cannot be controlled but can be trusted. When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer takes an honest and probing look at the problem of unanswered prayer. In doing so, it draws us ever deeper into a relationship with the God who is the end of all our prayers, the object of our faith, the one who fulfills our deepest longings.
Endorsements (13)
“When God Doesn’t Answer Your Prayer is simple, deep, and unflinchingly honest. Jerry brings to the task all his strengths as scholar, pastor, and theologian, but bears it to us as poet, pilgrim, storyteller, and especially, man of prayer. Best of all, because he is a man of sorrows himself, Jerry avoids at every turn clichés, smug sanctities, and cheap slogans. For those who have ever asked for a meditation on prayer that refuses to woo falsely or promise glibly, but instead deals face-to-face with prayer’s earthy messy reality, take heart — your prayer has been answered.”
“writers conveniently ignore. I can’t count the number of books I’ve read on prayer, yet Jerry reveals a side of God and perspectives on prayer that were new to me. Far from mere theory, this book is painfully personal and honest, and it led me to my knees in a new and fresh way. When God Doesn’t Answer Your Prayer should become standard reading for anyone who seriously desires to explore the problem, and glory, of prayer.”
“The lessons that Jerry Sittser shares here are ones that he has learned in the deep places, in times of profound spiritual despair. This is a book for everyone who has ever wanted to argue with God about unanswered prayer. I know of no better guide to honest praying.”
“Jerry Sittser dares to ask the tough question of our age — then dares to deliver the even tougher answers.”
“When I first began reading When God Doesn’t Answer Your Prayer, I was certain it would become one of my “top ten” lifetime favorites; upon finishing it, I had trouble remembering the other nine! It is a Christian masterpiece of the highest order, and I can think of no higher recommendation than to share my favorite quote: “The greatest answer to prayer is not what God does for us, but in us.” Nearly every page brims with the same hard-won wisdom.”
“I found When God Doesn’t Answer Your Prayer a refreshing “aha” along the up-and-down journey of waiting on God to answer my prayers. Waiting for over twenty-five years for God to provide a mate can feel like an eternity! As I finished the last page of this book, I had encouragement to keep on persisting in prayer with a tenacity that will not give up. In addition, I was reminded that God will continue to use every day of my waiting to transform me as I live in a spirit of surrender.”
“Jerry Sittser has the courage to tackle the profound questions with which we all struggle in our everyday lives. I continue to be impressed with its clear and understandable language about God’s sovereignty. I have been struggling with a difficult decision and my prayers often feel as if they stop at the ceiling. After reading this book, I once again sense God’s mystery and love. I also realize that God does not have to answer my prayer in order to be present and alive.”
“When God Doesn’t Answer Your Prayer is the most honest book on prayer I have read. Jerry handles a subject that all of us have struggled with very well, offering meaningful answers without glossing over the pain involved in unanswered prayers. I thought the illustrations were outstanding — from history, literature, real people, and the author’s own experience. This book has helped me in a way that few books on prayer have.”
“For nearly two years I waited on God to do mission work in a Third World nation with a nonexistent government. When God Doesn’t Answer Your Prayer taught me that God closes doors in season and then uses that time for our growth. He has indeed heard my prayer. This book brought me through that time of spiritual stretching, until I entered God’s calling on my life.”
“I was frustrated about my work situation, and when I thought finally my prayer would be answered, it wasn’t, which made me incredibly disappointed and sad. From the first page of this book, I knew I had found someone who understood what I was going through. And by the end of the book, my attitude about prayer changed. It made me realize that God is good no matter what, even when we are disappointed by the outcome. God doesn’t owe us positive results!”
“Jerry Sittser has a way of bringing to the surface our little religious games. Too often we don’t dare mention our doubts, so we tiptoe around the subject of unanswered prayer. The book is powerful because it tells the truth about prayer in a way your doubts never will.”
“While our son was sick and after he died, we received so much advice on God’s will and why this happened to our beloved son. This book helped to clarify so many of the hurtful misconceptions that surround tragedy and the struggles in our life. It helped to remind me that God is good, and while the prayers for healing were not answered, so many other prayers were.”
“Jerry Sittser’s book A Grace Disguised was my guide book as I struggled to navigate a devastating tragedy ten years ago. In its pages, I found a kindred spirit who understood what my world felt like and made me believe there was relief beyond the pain. In When God Doesn’t Answer Your Prayer, Sittser delves deeper into his meditation on how adversity and disappointment can be the source of deep spiritual insight and profound peace. With wisdom, humor, and humanity, Sittser shows how the lessons learned in suffering can continue to enrich our lives long after the pain is gone.”
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