Talking in the Dark

Nothing daunts Steve Harper in this wrangle with God. No doubt, experience, or unholy feeling is out of bounds as he explores the dark passages in life and in prayer. Yet he assures his readers that no matter how lost they may feel, they are not wanderers in life's trackless desert but pilgrims through prayer's wilderness of mystery and grace. Grounding his claims as much in theological problems as in answers, Harper takes on faith crises regarding God, humankind, and the church. His powerful stories move the reader to "dig deep wells" through prayer, trusting that Christ's living water will flow forth to sustain them. As for not knowing how to pray, he suggests that prayer is more like talking than breathing—natural but in need of cultivation. Harper maintains that cultivation is the church’s most neglected job. Both challenging and invigorating, Talking in the Dark celebrates the primary virtues—and difficulties—of the prayerful life: thoroughgoing honesty in prayer and acquiescence to the radical mystery of God.