When God Seems Silent

Discovering His purposes in times of confusion and darkness Where are you God? Why does it sometimes feel like God is silent? Is He hiding from us? Is He angry? What are we missing? Is God speaking in ways we don't recognize? Larry and LaVerne Kreider help us examine these questions and many of the barriers that can block the voice of God in our lives. They also reveal their own struggle with God's silences and the tremendous breakthroughs that can be discovered during life's most confusing and darkest times. When God Seems Silent is the first book of a new series: The Time Is Now! This book will help you discover that The Time Is Now! to listen and find His purposes during the difficult and dark seasons of your life. Prepare for breakthrough. Use this book for Personal study, Daily devotional, Mentoring resource, Small group study

In these 1997 Lyman Beecher Lectures in Preaching delivered at Yale Divinity School, the author focuses on the task of those who preach and those who hear sermons in a world where people thirst for a word from God.

When God Is Silent shows you how to trust God even when He seems unresponsive and remote — even when, as in the famous incident in the Gospels, He seems to sleep while you are buffeted by the storms of life. Author Luis Martinez quotes that beautiful line from the Song of Songs — “I sleep, but my heart is awake” — and confirms that with Jesus this is indeed the case: His love for you never sleeps, no matter what. Martinez shows how you can make better sense of your life once you realize that God has actually been closest to you when He seemed farthest away; and once you learn why He often speaks to you only in silence. Best of all, Martinez teaches you the secret of true happiness, which you can achieve even amid the troubles that are inescapable elements of every human life. With sober realism and simple faith, this book will show you how to discover — and then to take refuge in — the comfort our Lord offers you, even when He seems to sleep. “A powerful masterpiece. A great gem of Catholic spirituality.” Fr. Benedict Groeschel Author, Arise from Darkness “Anyone who wants to progress in prayer or who seeks to get past blockages in spiritual growth will find graceful help here.” Bert Ghezzi Author, Getting Free “In the silence of Christ’s sleep, we can learn the silence of charity, cultivate the silence of discretion, experience the interior silence of contemplation, and so find peace.” Donna Steichen Author, Prodigal Daughters Learn to get through the times when God seems distant, as you discover: Silence: why it’s essential for all real gr0wth in the spiritual lifeWhy Jesus must seem to sleep in order to refine your love and purify your soulJesus’ thirty “hidden years”: the important lessons they hold for your life todayWhy worry? Two common reasons why people do worry — and remedies for eachA simple, effective, and gentle procedure for becoming holy in your daily lifePrudence: why it’s one of the most difficult — and most important — virtues that you must acquire while Jesus sleepsThe three paths to spiritual peace: are you taking them? Do you know what they are?Two times that Jesus grieved — and what He meant to teach you in eachThree surprising things that promote your spiritual welfare — if you know how to use themHow the presence of Jesus in your life can transform your experience of sufferingThe medicine of the spiritual life: why it must often be bitterAnd much more that will help you endure the storms of your life with confidence that even as Jesus sleeps, He cares for you!

Can we trust a God who gives us different answers than we pray for? Who only fully reveals himself when we look back? Who lets us walk in darkness for months (and sometimes years) at a time? In Finding Faith in the Dark, Laurie Short says yes, and through her story and the stories of others, she reveals a God who is able to transform the dark chapters of our lives into opportunities of grace. Maybe you've been there: The husband or wife you stayed faithful to had an affair The death of a spouse or child has torn your heart A diagnosis has taken away your health, your plans and your future When these things happen, we are left wondering "Where is that God who promises to answer our prayers if we trust in Him? Why isn’t my life turning out the way I hoped, let alone how I had planned?” If you are, or have ever been, in that place, this book is for you. And more than helping you find your way out, this book will help you find your way through that place.

"In the midst of our suffering we need a wake-up call to the truth that God’s steadfast love never ceases.” —Dave Furman, Senior Pastor, Redeemer Church of Dubai; author, Being There and Kiss the Wave Are you feeling despondent, depressed, or discouraged? When we encounter severe trials and suffering, we are often tempted to think that our situation is somehow out of God’s hands. In these dark times, God seems silent, and we feel isolated, confused, and alone. Everyone experiences suffering; even the biblical writers expressed anguish at times. This emotion is clearly captured in the Psalms. Through these brief meditations on Psalms 88 and 89, Ligon Duncan shows us how to respond to our own suffering with the assurance of our heavenly Father’s mercy, which sustains us even in the darkest circumstances.

True faith is hard. More than mere sentimentalism, faith often calls for a deep and resilient trust in God—especially when the going gets tough and the road is dark. In Things Not Seen, author Jon Bloom encourages readers with 35 imaginative retellings of stories from the Bible that illustrate the importance of living by faith. A follow-up to the author's previous book, Not by Sight: A Fresh Look at Old Stories of Walking by Faith, this inspiring volume explores the lives of Abraham, Moses, Saul, John the Baptist, and more—helping readers remember God's promises, rely on his grace, and follow his leading regardless of the circumstances. The book includes a foreword by popular author and blogger Ann Voskamp.

Trusting Jesus is hard. It requires following the unseen into an unknown, and believing Jesus's words over and against the threats we see or the fears we feel. Through the imaginative retelling of 35 Bible stories, Not by Sight gives us glimpses of what it means to walk by faith and counsel for how to trust God's promises more than our perceptions and to find rest in the faithfulness of God.

My Utmost for His Highest has been a proven, best-selling devotional for many years. Over the past century, Oswald Chambers’s writings have inspired countless people to drink deeply from the biblical truths that he so passionately championed. His words are simultaneously penetrating and invigorating, and they trigger something in your soul leaving you forever changed. The biblical thoughts and themes that Chambers delivers in this updated-language edition will resonate with you as you seek to grow your faith. We have also included the topical section

Growing up the son of agnostics, John Koessler saw a Catholic church on one end of the street and a Baptist on the other. In the no-man’s land between the two, this curious outside wondered about the God they worshipped—and began a lifelong search to comprehend the grace and mystery of God. A Stranger in the House of God addresses fundamental questions and struggles faced by spiritual seekers and mature believers. Like a contemporary Pilgrim’s Progress, it traces the author’s journey and explores his experiences with both charismatic and evangelical Christianity. It also describes his transformation from religious outsider to ordained pastor. John Koessler provides a poignant and often humorous window into the interior of the soul as he describes his journey from doubt and struggle with the church to personal faith

Exploring the lives of Abraham and Job, Ben Patterson offers insight and practical comfort for those who wait.