God on Mute Quotes

“I asked for strength that I might achieve; He made me weak that I might obey. I asked for health that I might do greater things; I was given grace that I might do better things. I asked for riches that I might be happy; I was given poverty that I might be wise. I asked for power that I might have the praise of men; I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God. I asked for all things that I might enjoy life; I was given life that I might enjoy all things. I received nothing that I asked for, all that I hoped for. My prayer was answered, I was most blessed.”
― Pete Greig, God on Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer

“Ironically, it is when we finally accept the fact that life is not a five-star hotel and lay down our indignation at the way we are being treated that we begin to find hope. As long as we rage against the heavens, we remain impoverished in our pain. But when we allow our eyes to fall to the mire, we discover a wealth of little epiphanies glimmering in the puddles at our feet. When G. K. Chesterton finally gave up trying to be optimistic about the world and accepted that it was fallen, far from feeling depressed, his heart “sang for joy like a bird in spring.”7”
― Pete Greig, God on Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer

“God’s great aim has always been, and will forever be, relationship with us. Sometimes, He may deprive us of something in order to draw us to Someone. And when we reciprocate—when we decide that we want Him more than we want His stuff—the most amazing thing happens. We are rewired and our requests are either altered as we grow to know and to prefer what He wants for us, or they are simply answered because, in seeking first the kingdom of God, “all these things” are given to us as well (Matt 6:33).”
― Pete Greig, God on Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer

“One of the problems, ironically, can be prayer. In prayer, we set our hopes high and call it faith. We pray for the perfect spouse, healthy children, successful careers, and serene families. We don’t just wish for these things but actually train ourselves to expect them! We fear the worst if we should ever lower our sights. Yet this is false faith. The apostle Paul longed not just “to know Christ . . . [and] the power of his resurrection,” but also “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings” (Phil. 3:10 NIV 1984). The Christian witness and our ultimate hope is not merely a miraculous succession of miraculous escapes from all human affliction. Rather it is the joy of a deepening relationship with the “man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering” (Isa. 53:3 NIV 1984) who loves us and lives in us. I’m not suggesting that we should pray for hard times but rather that when such times come, we should feel a little less outrage and a lot more hope because Jesus, who went through similar struggles, predicted that we would have them and promised to be with us in the midst of them.”
― Pete Greig, God on Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer

“Las grandes pruebas de la vida invariablemente nos dejan huellas; nos marcan con amargura o nos hacen mejores. Nunca nos dejan igual (página 212). Me di cuenta de que había dos maneras en que podía responder a la situación: reaccionar con amargura o procurar transformarla en una fuerza creadora.118 Pete sugiere que tratemos de encontrar caminos de enlazar creativamente con el silencio recordando, buscando y hablando claro sobre el modo en que Dios ha hablado y se ha movido.”
― Pete Greig, Cuando Dios guarda silencio: Capte el silencio de una oración no contestada

“Andrew Murray, escritor sudafricano del siglo diecinueve, dijo una vez: “El poder de la oración depende casi en su totalidad de nuestro entendimiento de a quién está dirigida y de lo que decimos”.5 Cuando la vida nos hiere, eso es más importante que el hecho de llorar en los brazos de Dios como un niño que se mece en sus brazos, recordando que Él es el primero y principal Abba, el Padre.”
― Pete Greig, Cuando Dios guarda silencio: Capte el silencio de una oración no contestada

“Por eso esas palabras de Barth son reconfortantes: Lo que forja a un hombre de oración es que se presente delante de Dios con su petición. Las otras teorías de la oración pueden haber surgido de pensamientos muy profundos y pueden lucir muy bien, pero todas sufren de cierta artificialidad porque carecen de algo simple y concreto: se pierden en las alturas y profundidades donde no hay lugar para el hombre que realmente ora, que simplemente hace una petición.4”
― Pete Greig, Cuando Dios guarda silencio: Capte el silencio de una oración no contestada

“pesar de todos los avances tecnológicos y el aumento de la expectativa de vida, hay una fragilidad extraordinaria en nuestra generación. Colapsamos fácilmente, nuestros matrimonios se desbaratan y somos rápidos para ofendernos. En nuestro mundo obsesionado con la celebridad, el escape a la muerte y anestesiado contra el dolor, necesitamos que se nos recuerde que es normal tener dificultades, enfermarnos, experimentar problemas financieros y enfrentar el rompimiento de relaciones. Jesús nos promete: “Ustedes tendrán tribulación” (Juan 16:33), pero no muchos de nosotros pegamos ese versículo en nuestro refrigerador. Al contrario, cuando encontramos dificultades, nos sentimos traicionados. Preguntamos: ¿por qué yo? Como si esas cosas no acosaran al seguidor de Cristo. Como si fuéramos inmunes a las enfermedades que afligen a nuestros vecinos.”
― Pete Greig, Cuando Dios guarda silencio: Capte el silencio de una oración no contestada

“Andrew Murray, a nineteenth-century South African writer, said that “the power of prayer depends almost entirely upon our apprehension of who it is with whom we speak.”1 When we are scared and hurting, when life feels chaotic and out of control, it is more important than ever to anchor ourselves in the absolute and eternal truth that we are dearly loved and deeply held by the most powerful being in the universe. Let this be the great non-negotiable in our lives, the platform for all our other thoughts, and the plumbline for our prayers.”
― Pete Greig, God on Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer