Chapter 21: "Unanswered Prayer: Understanding the Patterns of Story"

In Chapter 21, Miller talks about stages and responses to suffering. When our prayers are not answered in the way we desire (and, in some cases, the way we think God has promised He would answer them), we end up in the "desert"- a place of suffering where our hopes are far from reality.

One response to suffering is denial. Continuing to insist that God is going to do one thing when He clearly is not doing that thing is one example of denial.

Another response to suffering is determination. This is characterized by a person's abundant effort toward closing the gap between hope and reality. "You are convinced someone somewhere knows how to fix this. By the sheer force of your will, by mobilizing prayer, you are going to make this happen...Often this determination simply adds another layer of suffering to what you are already facing."

Miller says it is a short trip from determination to despair. In despair, a person accepts their circumstances, but there is no element of hope. The tension is gone, but so is the prospect for anything positive. "Despair, in its own strange way, can be comforting, but it and its cousin, cynicism, can kill the soul."

In contrast to living in denial, determination or despair, people of faith respond to suffering by living in the desert. "Like Abraham, they are aware of the reality of their circumstances but are fixed on hope (see Romans 4:18)".

Tomorrow, we will talk about thriving in the desert.