Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warren
Week 3: Chapter 2 — Tend the Sick
Read Chapter 2 of Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warren. Primary Compline phrase: "Tend the sick, Lord Christ."
Previewing Week 3 of Prayer in the Night
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 15-week guide when you’re ready.
Warren writes this chapter in the shadow of a frightening medical crisis, and she asks hard questions about why God heals some and not others. Come to this discussion with honesty about your own experiences of illness, fragility, and unanswered prayer.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Warren draws on a personal medical experience — a terrifying diagnosis that upended her sense of security — to explore the petition 'Tend the sick.' How did her honesty about fear and bodily vulnerability affect you as a reader?
2.She reflects on our discomfort with bodies — the way Western Christianity has often been more comfortable with spiritual language than with the raw, frightening facts of flesh and bone. Do you find it natural to bring bodily suffering into your prayer life, or does prayer sometimes feel like it belongs to a more 'spiritual' realm?
3.One of the hardest theological questions the chapter raises is: Why does God heal some people and not others? Warren doesn't offer a tidy answer. What has been your own experience of this question, and how have you lived with it?