When I Pray, What Does God Do?

by David Wilkinson

The question of how, and whether, God answers prayer has been intellectually shaped by the rise of science, the problem of evil and the nature of the biblical records. Scientist and theologian David Wilkinson shares his own struggles with the question of how God answers prayer. Science does not rule out God acting in the universe in surprising ways; the Bible shows a God who acts in the world in response to people’s prayers. Yet there is always a mystery about the nature and outcome of prayer, not least in the experience of unanswered prayer. The author shares his struggles with praying in the midst of his wife’s long-term illness. What we believe affects how we pray. God is neither a slot machine, nor an indulgent parent, nor a divine dictator, nor a ruler in absentia. How does God work in a world of science? Why doesn’t He answer more often? Has God acted in history? How did Jesus pray? How, in a world governed by law and grace, should we pray?

Genres: Theology

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2015

About the author

David Adam Wilkinson is a British Methodist minister, theologian, astrophysicist and academic. He was the Principal of St John's College, Durham (2006-2023), and is a professor in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University. He remains at St John's College, having been appointed, in September 2023, Director of Equipping Christian Leadership in an Age of Science (ECLAS), an international project based at St John’s College. He is the author of several books on the relationship between science and religion, and a regular contributor to Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4. He has a PhD in astrophysics and is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Reviews

[Bryony · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book to give to someone who is a scientist or unsure about Christianity in the light of scientific discoveries. It is less about prayer and more about how can God be real and interact with our universe. A good bit of apologetics.

[J Whittle]

Excellent coverage of a trick subject

Seeks to bring together an up to date knowledge of various fields of modern science and cosmology with a liberal interpretation of Christian scripture and tradition. A very helpful examination of the subject of prayer in an a of science

[Brenda Seefeldt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A scientist takes a look at what prayer does.

The chapter on Everyday Myths of Prayer is worth the book. The chapter on New Science and Possibilities was over this amateur's head but not for the many who have doubts.

The insight is valuable for our many questions.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deepened my understanding. An academic book - it stretched me!

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You don’t see many people with two doctorates, each in such differing fields of study that it is almost laughable, but here we have an author who holds doctorates in theology and in astrophysics. Normally people pick one side of the fence to be on, either faith or science, however the author is probably one of the best equipped to truly straddle the fence and be able to say that science really does uphold faith.
This book was broken down into only a few chapters, which made each of the chapters rather lengthy, and almost cumbersome to read. I would have liked to see a few more chapters in it, just to make me feel like I’ve done more progress, instead of taking an hour or three to get through one chapter. That being said, the author does a very thorough job in explaining the theories behind how people currently think God works in their lives, old science theories about how God uses science to work in people’s lives, and current science theories that can show how God can move in people’s lives without being a flood and famine, overbearingly obvious type of God.
I found this book to be a very thorough book in presenting the evidence, and arguments. The author has a relatively easy, scientific form of writing that I found to be enjoyable. He broke up the almost textbook writing with a few personal anecdotes and humor. If you have a logical, scientific brain like mine and struggle wiuth seeing how God could exist in this world, you will enjoy this book.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I Pray, What Does God Do? by David Wilkinson is a book where the author explains his thoughts on prayer. He not only explains to us what God does do when we pray, but he shows us where to find the information in the Bible, thus allowing us to dig deeper if we so choose. The beginning of this book certainly caught my attention, after all who of us doesn't struggle at some point in our prayer life, and Mr. Wilkinson shares his story, in a very easy to relate to manner. I also enjoyed the many scripture references peppered through out the book, because I always enjoy looking up any scripture pertaining to whatever I am reading. The thing that bogged me down a bit was the scientific aspects which became what I consider dry reading. Overall the personal stories and antidotes balance out the drier aspects, and really had me thinking about what I really know about prayer. If your interested in learning about prayer from a scientific standpoint this just might be the book your looking for.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wilkinson has advanced degrees in astrophysics and theology. He combines those disciplines in this exploration of God and prayer. The key to prayer, he says, is how we understand God, how we see Him. He corrects some faulty ideas, like the slot machine God. He looks at what can be learned from a few stories in the Bible. Then he delves into science. He says it is folly to say there are no miracles because of our science knowledge. Our scientific knowledge and scientific laws are changing constantly.
There is a slightly academic feel to the way Wilkinson writes. He has added some humor and personal stories, however. I recommend this book to those interested in science and prayer.
You can read my complete review at http://bit.ly/1Nw9T2F.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.