God on Mute - by Pete Greig (Paperback)

About the Book

What do you do when God is silent? Writing out of the pain of his wife's fight for life but also the wonder of watching the prayer movement they founded touch many lives, Pete Greig wrestles with the dark side of prayer and emerges with a hard-won message of hope, comfort, and profound biblical insight for all who suffer in silence.

Book Synopsis

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?

Many of us have struggled with prayers that seem to go unanswered, and Pete Greig has been down that difficult road of doubt. This book is both intensely personal and deeply theological--a book born out of his wife Sammy's fight for her life after a horrifying diagnosis.

The acclaimed author of Red Moon Rising wrestles with the hard side of prayer, how to respond when there seem to be no answers, and how to cope with those who seek to interpret our experience for us.

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:

• How am I going to get through this?
• Why aren't my prayers being answered?
• Where is God when he seems silent?
• When every prayer is answered...what does that mean?

Silence in response to our most heart-felt prayers is the hardest thing for a person of faith to wrestle with. The world collapses. Then all goes quiet. Words can't explain what we're going through. People avoid you and don't know what to say. So you turn to Him and you pray. You need Him more than ever before. But somehow even God Himself seems on mute. And this sinks into us with a sense of futility...

But even in this crushing silence, there is a way forward. Here is a story of faith, hope, and love beyond all understanding.

Includes guide for group discussion.

Review Quotes

'God on Mute is a masterpiece. I cannot recommend it highly enough.'-- Nicky Gumbel, HTB and Alpha

'God on Mute is simply the best resource I've ever found on unanswered prayer, bar none. With emotional vulnerability, autobiographical honesty, theological acuity, and the prophetic fire we've come to expect from one of the global church's most respected leaders, Pete Greig offers us a way forward when our prayers go dark. Don't lose your faith, don't abandon your prayers, read this book.'-- John Mark Comer, bestselling author and teaching pastor, Bridgetown Church, Portland, Oregon

'I was bombarded with relief when reading this book! ... Pete's writing is born out of his own experiences and Scripture, and told with sweet humor. One moment we go from the black hole of pain and silence then zoom to the most Almighty God who can do anything. In the vortex we glimpse a kind Father who seems to be trustworthy anyway, and promises He is listening. Thank you, Pete, for spurring us on to hope for the poor, the enslaved, the hungry, and the lost. I am encouraged to go on hoping and praying, knowing He will answer somehow.'-- Jackie Pullinger, MBE, St Stephen's Society, Hong Kong

'In my life I have received many gracious answers to prayer; when I recall them, my heart sings. My life with God has also been marked by heartrending instances of unanswered prayer, times when God remained silent, seemingly impassive to my longing for healing, reconciliation, restoration, or resurrection. Perhaps you have felt this way too. We will all, sooner or later, enter the desert of God's silence. God on Mute, one of the best books I've ever read on unanswered prayer, is a wise and helpful road map for navigating the strange and unexpected contours of unanswered prayer. God on Mute will help many precious image-bearers--I hope thousands--to travel well the confusing terrain of God's silence. I plan on rereading it for years to come.'-- Chris Hall, president of Renovaré, distinguished professor of theology emeritus at Eastern University

'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

'Insightful, gripping and true to life, this book has the capacity to challenge, encourage, inspire, and comfort. I cannot think of another book in which the raw reality of unanswered prayer, and the thrilling walk of pursuing God in prayer, is so meaningfully addressed. In a world where many see God as some kind of spiritual ATM, Pete Greig reminds us that first and foremost it is not what we are asking for in prayer that matters, but rather whom we have the privilege of asking.'-- Michael Ramsden, president, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries

'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

'Pete is a voice I trust. He writes from honesty and authenticity, far from Christian cliches that keep you feeling like you are in the dark. God on Mute takes a serious look at the genuine struggle to hear God's voice. If you need encouragement, tools, patience, assurance, company, help, wisdom, and practical strategies, this book is written for you.'-- Danielle Strickland, Women Speakers Collective, Brave Global, and Amplify Peace

'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 leader

'The Kingdom is here but not here fully. We can pray bold and wild prayers, but also hold and hurt in the spaces where our cries to God go unanswered. These are tensions that few are able to hold, yet alone explain. In God on Mute, Pete Greig steers us wisely and compassionately through this difficult terrain, showing us that even in the darkest seasons, the light of God's love can be found.'-- Mark Sayers, senior leader, Red Church, Melbourne, Australia, author of Facing Leviathan and Reappearing Church

'There is a growing movement in the world today around seeking God in prayer: it's compelling, and it's exciting. But the elephant in the room is rarely addressed, unanswered prayer. After the lights go out and the worship ends, many of us are left wondering why so many of our best prayers seem to go unanswered. In this thoughtful and heartfelt book Pete Greig takes a theological and pastoral look at where God is in the silence. Rather than pushing us away from God, he actually draws us deeper into pursuit of him. Essential reading for heavy and hungry hearts.'-- Jon Tyson, Church of the City, New York, author of Beautiful Resistance

'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