When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer [Hardcover]

Jerry Sittser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 16, 2003

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Few people know the desperate agony of unanswered prayer as much as Sittser, whose mother, wife and young daughter died when a drunk driver hit their car. (He and three other children survived.) "Why doesn't God answer our prayers?... It is no longer an abstract question to me," he writes. To find an answer, he turns the question inside out and upside down: When our prayers go unanswered, does it mean we don't have enough faith, or have prayed the wrong way? What would happen if God answered all our prayers? Prayer seems to work sometimes, "which only makes the problem of unanswered prayer more bewildering." Sittser acknowledges that some answered prayers would be bad for us we might use the power of prayer for wealth, success and domination at the expense of others. His own eloquent and powerful musings are interspersed with thoughts from such classic writers as Jean-Pierre de Caussade, Tolstoy and O. Hallesby, and contemporary writers such as Jane Kenyon, Henri Nouwen and Leif Enger. In the end, he writes that unanswered prayer challenges us to explore the deepest places within us and to ask ourselves searching questions. "Perhaps how we respond in the face of such mystery is more important than whether or not we will ever find an answer to the question itself," he muses. Although the study questions at the end of each chapter can be distracting, any Christian who has ever questioned the validity of prayer will find this to be a luminous book, full of vulnerable and venerable wisdom.
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Review

Few people know the desperate agony of unanswered prayer as much as Sittser, whose mother, wife and young daughter died when a drunk driver hit their car. (He and three other children survived.) 'Why doesn't God answer our prayers?... It is no longer an abstract question to me,' he writes. To find an answer, he turns the question inside out and upside down: When our prayers go unanswered, does it mean we don't have enough faith, or have prayed the wrong way? What would happen if God answered all our prayers? Prayer seems to work sometimes, 'which only makes the problem of unanswered prayer more bewildering.' Sittser acknowledges that some answered prayers would be bad for us---we might use the power of prayer for wealth, success and domination at the expense of others. His own eloquent and powerful musings are interspersed with thoughts from such classic writers as Jean-Pierre de Caussade, Tolstoy and O. Hallesby, and contemporary writers such as Jane Kenyon, Henri Nouwen and Leif Enger. In the end, he writes that unanswered prayer challenges us to explore the deepest places within us and to ask ourselves searching questions. 'Perhaps how we respond in the face of such mystery is more important than whether or not we will ever find an answer to the question itself,' he muses. Although the study questions at the end of each chapter can be distracting, any Christian who has ever questioned the validity of prayer will find this to be a luminous book, full of vulnerable and venerable wisdom. (Jan.) -- Publisher's Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (December 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310243262
• ISBN-13: 978-0310243267
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #654,931 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jerry Sittser (PhD, University of Chicago) is a professor of religion at Whitworth College. He holds a master of divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary and a doctorate in history from the University of Chicago. He is the author of several books, including When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer and The Will of God as a Way of Life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book on This Subject, May 24, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer (Hardcover)

When books move you it's time to tell others. Anyone who has ever seen a loss or has suffered pain can find some comfort in this book. It is written by a man who has been there and hung on to God through it. The book is powerful because it is filled with truth and does not give excuses. Jerry Sittser talks about real pain and the results in his life. He has something profound to say about it and in that did something for my soul.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comforting Words in Times of Trouble, September 27, 2004

By 

J. Williams "Sincere Believer" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer (Hardcover)

This book isn't filled with quick and easy answers to why God doesn't answer our prayers. But rather the author tries to encourage the reader down a path that he himself has traveled before and still walks. Jerry Sittser uses both Scripture and his personal experience to reflect upon the difficult times in life when God seems distant and when prayers go unanswered. This book was very encouraging for me for I am currently going through a difficult time in life. Did it solve all my problems? No...rather it was an encouraging testimony to what it is to learn from life and moments like these.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lizanne O"Toole, February 25, 2006

By 

Bereaved parent "Student of grief" (Westchester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer (Hardcover)

This book is an excellent resource for anyone who has questioned his or her faith. For the first time I realized what prayer really is and how I could make prayer work in my life. After the death of my 2 year old daughter from brain cancer I wondered why God did not answer the many prayers that were sent his way by so many. I did not want to be one of the many who turn away from God/religion when prayers go unanswered so I sought answers. Jerry Sitter's book is for anyone who has had a prayer not answered. After reading his book I was left with the knowledge of knowing more about myself and still willing to pray! Thank you Mr. Sittser!