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God on Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer

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These guides have been designed to provide you with all the content you could possibly need to lead five brilliant sessions, exploring the questions we all ask when confronted with unanswered prayer. In this brilliant, poignant, and deeply personal book, Pete Greig explores the experience of God's silence in the midst of suffering. Without dodging the reality of the dilemma--God is powerful and loving and yet our prayers are often met with total silence--Pete leads us through our questions and disappointments to a place of hope. God on Mute is a must-read for anyone facing the bewildering experience of unanswered prayer.' Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing, director, The Oxford Center for Christian Apologetics

For those struggling with prayer, God on Mute brings a message of hope and comfort, but also a better understanding of how we communicate with our Creator. Using the timeline of Holy Week (from Maundy Thursday through Easter Sunday) as a template, Greig explores four main questions about prayer from all angles: Today we’re looking at the mystery of Holy Saturday, and asking “Where” question; “Where is God when heaven is silent?”, “Where is God in the midst of my unanswered prayer, pain and suffering?” We’ll be exploring the uncertainty that often comes with waiting, and the struggle when it feels like God is silent. In dealing with doubt tell Him. Honestly share your disappointments with others. You can pray like others: I believe, help my unbelief! Q. What did you find most helpful, inspiring or challenging in what Pete Greig, Gemma Hunt and Helen Berhane shared? Some prayers (even spiritual sounding ones) aren’t answered because they are, in fact, selfishly motivated.”Next week’s session will explore Holy Saturday and the mystery of God’s silence. We’ll be asking the question “Where?” – “Where on earth are you God, when heaven is silent and your son lies dead in the grave?” Life is hard. Do not be surprised at suffering. The world is fallen, do not expect things to be perfect, adjust your expectations. Do not think: Why me? As if you're immune to human afflictions. Why not me? Christian hope is not to escape from suffering but a deeper relationship with the 'Man of sorrows familiar with suffering' who loves us and lives in us. Believe in God even more than we believe in miracles. We almost always pray for God to remove the negative, rather than to endure the negative with a proper attitude. Yet we should not actively seek suffering! And God hates suffering, one day there will be a new hope. Few experiences in life are as disconcerting as seasons in which God is silent. This may be a current reality for some members of your group. Therefore, it’s important to dignify their questions in this session without trying to ‘solve’ them. In dealing with confusion allow Jesus to explain the scriptures to you by his holy spirit. Study and think. Discuss with friends. Another strength of the writing is that it is peppered with stories, some delightful, some funny, some deeply poignant, but all full of hope and faith, pointing to a deeper reality that goes beyond our present difficulties and a God who will ultimately never disappoint.

Q. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus shares with his friends that “[His] soul is overwhelmed to the point of death” – what are the barriers or obstacles you face when sharing honestly or openly with friends? Would anyone be willing to share about a time in which their soul felt ‘overwhelmed’? People who are experiencing God’s silence can still know his presence, so make sure you leave plenty of time for prayer. And remember that one of the main manifestations of God’s presence at such times is the loving presence of God’s people. During these video sessions and small group discussions, the aim is to share together from personal experience and learn from one another, seeking God and asking how, together, we can learn and grow. Q. Earlier we shared the “why?” questions we’d like to ask God. Returning to this exercise, what would your most personal “why?” question be? Holy Saturday calls for trust, patience and a certain defiant hope. We’re going to finish now with a prayer from Alan E. Lewis, one of the few theologians who made it his life’s work to study Holy Saturday:

The contemporary Western church at large seems to me to have little belief in the afterlife. We are so temporal and comfortable. We can perpetuate the delusions for own immortality for longer than any previous generation, but ultimately, unless our death comes instantaneously in early life, we must think about such things. We will be the poorer if we do not. And so I began a solemn, lifelong pilgrimage that some might deem a little morose. My aim? To find a thrilling vision for the eternity we will spend with Jesus.” Some of our prayers aren’t yet answered because they are working gradually and not as an impersonal mechanism of forced control.” Remember that it’s fine to say “I don’t know.” Try to lead your group into a place of deeper trust. This man is both profound and incredibly down-to-earth. He is very easy to read and understand, but everything he says is worthwhile. Even more, it is worth ingesting, pondering, and considering deeply. I don’t remember anything specific I disagreed with in the book, but the author would differ on some doctrinal issues.

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