Surrendered & Unafraid : The Flourishing of Faith During Seasons of Suffering

by Mike Rakes

What happens when the God of miracles doesn’t give you the miracle? What happens when you pray fervently and God remains silent and unmoving? What happens when God lets you down?Throughout his career, educator, intellectual, and pastor Mike Rakes has talked and written about the God who does the miraculous and answers sincere, fervent prayers. But when he lost his twenty-seven-year-old, worship-leading daughter, Whitney, to an incurable cancer in her bloodstream, Mike was left with only tormenting grief and no miracle. Disappointments, questions, and contradictions abounded, sending him on a deeper spiritual quest to know more about the nature of God. In Surrendered and Unafraid, Mike takes readers on the blended journey—both Whitney’s and his—of how they came to know the God of mystery in her pain and his sorrow. These pages share both the remarkable faith of a young woman who did not allow a terminal diagnosis to define what life she had left and also the wavering faith of a grieving father who has more questions than answers. Combining personal stories, theological insights, and poignant depictions of a living and breathing faith, Mike’s words offer shelter to those who are enduring troubles and disappointments of their own. Through looking at the life and death of Jesus, Mike reminds us that God doesn’t promise us a life without suffering but is always present with us, inviting us to trust Him and live surrendered and unafraid.

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 9, 2021

Reviews

[Breanna Sparrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was one of the most practical books I have ever read. The writing met me exactly where I was and helped me shift my mindset appropriately. Suffering is a hard subject to write about in a "just right" kind of way. This book has just the right amount of encouragement and doesn't feel invalidating. Rather, I walked away feeling seen and understood.