Inspired in part by the confessions of Mother Teresa in which she wrote of feeling a loss of God's presence, author Gary R. Habermas turns his attention to a question he says is discussed by many Christians. Why is God Ignoring Me? (978-1-414-31688-8, $13.99), releasing next month from Tyndale House Publishers, centers on what it means to feel overlooked by God.

Habermas, a Liberty University professor and chair of the department of philosophy and theology, said: "Everywhere we turn, our world seems to be spinning out of control. ... It seems as if God has given up, turned His back, and closed Himself off from our pain."

Part of what makes God seem absent is the human tendency to focus on the negative and forget times of miraculous divine intervention, Habermas suggests.

"I believe that God does speak and intervene and that He actually does it with some frequency," he writes. "Unfortunately, we often miss it because we are not listening or looking in the right places."

The book begins with documented stories of healings, angel sightings and near-death experiences.

"Any discussion of God's silence would be incomplete without first entertaining the question of miracles and supernatural activities," he writes.

Habermas goes on to address the times when prayers to alleviate suffering seem to go unanswered and what lessons can be learned from periods of spiritual dryness. Sometimes, he writes, suffering serves a purpose, offering the experience of biblical figures in support. Focusing on Job, Habermas challenges readers to trust God.

"We know so much more than Job ever did, especially regarding the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ," Habermas says. "With such a foundation, we are more than justified to trust God with those matters with which we don't understand."

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