Book Response: Taking No For An Answer

by | Sep 11, 2023

United? We Pray is a ministry about prayer. Specifically, we are a ministry helping Christians pray and think about racial strife. We long for the day when this ministry will no longer be needed. But for many years, God has answered the prayers of His people for ethnic harmony in meaningful but incomplete ways. What are we to make of that?

Blake Long has written a book that helps answer that question. Though not specifically about race or ethnic harmony, Taking No For An Answer: How to Respond When God Says No to Our Prayers (Theology and Life, 2023) is a book about unanswered prayer. More specifically, it is a book about God. Long reminds us that unanswered prayers do not mean that God is unattentive or uncaring. He encourages readers from Scripture to trust God when we do not get the answers we want. 

Long shares personal, painful experiences of both answered and unanswered prayer. His experience when combined with the instruction he offers show that he is no impartial observer, telling readers to suck it up and deal with disappointment. Rather, he models trust in the character of God amidst difficult, heartbreaking circumstances. 

In this way, Long especially helps Christians who care about justice in an often unjust world. Those of us who desire ethnic unity are so often disappointed when such unity does not materialize. We risk becoming embittered or jaded. Long offers a more hopeful way forward, detached from whether we get the outcomes we desire. 

Reminders from Scripture

Long shares his own experiences, but does not teach from them. He teaches from the Bible. Long shares numerous examples of unanswered prayers from Scripture. David prayed that his son would live. Paul prayed that his thorn in the flesh would be removed. Jesus prayed that the cup would pass from him. In each case, the Father had a different plan. 

With each of these examples, Long does not discourage readers from praying for specific things, but encourages readers to pray along with those prayers, “Thy will be done.” This particular piece of advice is the antidote to bitterness and cynicism. Trusting that God is at work and knows what we need better than we do is the essence of faith. Though it may not be easy, Long makes it clear. 

Redirecting Desire

When we desire certain outcomes, oftentimes we are desiring good things. We want justice. We want unity. We want to feel better about our churches and our world. But Long encourages readers to desire the best thing—God Himself. 

Long reminds us that when God answers a prayer with, “No,” He is not cutting us off. We still have Him. And, sometimes, that is why we do not get what we want. It may be that our disordered desires fool us into thinking that good things are the best things. Could it be that our desire for unity has eclipsed our satisfaction in God alone? Long suggests that if we distrust God because He has not yet answered our prayers, the answer is yes. 

Responding in Faith

After gently correcting readers on ways we might be tempted to distrust God for not answering our prayers, Long changes course at the end of the book by examining the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18). Jesus tells this parable so that his disciples would not lose heart, but would keep praying. 

With this turn, Long reminds us that our problem with unanswered prayers is not the requests, themselves. The problem is our faithless response when we question the character of God. The best course of action when we are confused about our unanswered prayers is not to run from God, but to run to Him. 

While not writing specifically to bridge builders, Long has much to offer those who long for more ethnic unity. We should trust the goodness of God and lean on His promises to make all things new and unite His people from every tribe and tongue around the throne of the Lamb. I found myself freshly convicted and encouraged by reading this book and would encourage you to read it to be encouraged in your own prayer life.

 

Prayer Requests:

  1. Confess ways you have responded faithlessly to unanswered prayer. 
  2. Ask God to help you trust His heart when you cannot see His hand. 
  3. Pray for help to keep praying for good things and trust God with the outcome.

 


 

Recent POdcasts

July 4th Special: Black and Patriotic with Bobby Scott

July 4th Special: Black and Patriotic with Bobby Scott

Black and Patriotic Happy fourth of July! This week we are joined by special guest, Pastor Bobby Scott. "Bible Bobby" is a friend of the ministry who has been on the podcast and has written for us several times. He has a particular interest in black history and all...

read more
Adoption, Prayer, and the Unexpected

Adoption, Prayer, and the Unexpected

Adoption, Prayer, and the Unexpected | Special Needs Adoption On today's special episode, Pastor Isaac Adams interviews one of his church members, Brittany Elmer. Brittany and her husband have adopted three special needs children, none of whom share their ethnicity....

read more

Upcoming Events

Isaac-Adams-United-We-Pray-speaking-at-an-event

Click Here to View Now

Recent Articles

LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL: 60TH ANNIVERSARY

LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL: 60TH ANNIVERSARY

Today is the 60th anniversary of Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. Dr. King had been arrested in Birmingham during a non-violent protest against the segregation of the Jim Crow South. A few things stand out about the letter as we read it today. The first is how...

read more
Book Response: Agents of Grace by Daniel Darling

Book Response: Agents of Grace by Daniel Darling

The best ideas always seem obvious in hindsight. That’s the case with Daniel Darling’s forthcoming book, Agents of Grace: How to Bridge Divides and Love as Jesus Loved (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2023). This is a book of old...

read more
Book Response: In Church as it is in Heaven

Book Response: In Church as it is in Heaven

In Church as it is in Heaven? It was only several years ago that I had no answer for a question I was often asked: “What should I read on race and ethnic unity in the church?” It wasn’t that there were not good books on race and racism. There were plenty. But many...

read more

We’d love to hear what you think about this article. Submit your feedback by clicking here to contact us.

Author

  • Austin-Suter-United-We-Pray bio photo

    Austin is the executive director and editor for U?WP. He is a husband, father and seminary student at RTS Charlotte. Austin is a member at Iron City Church in Birmingham, AL. @amsuter

    View all posts

Related Articles

LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL: 60TH ANNIVERSARY

LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL: 60TH ANNIVERSARY

Today is the 60th anniversary of Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. Dr. King had been arrested in Birmingham during a non-violent protest against the segregation of the Jim Crow South. A few things stand out about the letter as we read it today. The first is how...

read more
Book Response: In Church as it is in Heaven

Book Response: In Church as it is in Heaven

In Church as it is in Heaven? It was only several years ago that I had no answer for a question I was often asked: “What should I read on race and ethnic unity in the church?” It wasn’t that there were not good books on race and racism. There were plenty. But many...

read more

Stay Connected

Thanks to a generous grant, all donations to United? We Pray are being doubled through year-end.

A gift of any level will be matched at 100%,

doubling the impact of every single donation.

 

 

We humbly ask you to give today