I’m going to be honest and let you know before you read all of this that you might not like some of what I say. I know without a doubt that God has answered every single prayer that I have ever spoken to Him. He has not always said yes, but He has answered every prayer.
For three straight days, I begged God to heal my child. For almost exactly 72 hours, I watched as he laid in a hospital bed in a coma. I went to the throne and fought for him. I cried out begging God to heal his body and wake him up. Others joined me from all over the world. We flooded God’s ears with our pleas.
He heard every single prayer our mouths and hearts uttered. Not a syllable was ignored. He felt our pain and sorrow.
And then on a Friday afternoon God answered our prayer through a doctor who said, “Your child has zero brain activity. He will never wake up.” It wasn’t the answer we begged to hear. It wasn’t what we longed for God to do. It was still an answer.
We have this idea that when we get what we want, God is answering our prayer. I hear it often. My husband got the job. God answered our prayer. My child’s fever broke. God answered my prayer. The cancer is gone. God answered my prayer.
My sweet boy left this earth. God answered my prayer.
God always answers our prayers. Sometimes with what we ask for and sometimes not. But God always answers.
So, why is it that sometimes the request and the answer are the same and other times they are not? I have no idea. I am not God. I would dare say that no one has ever had all of their prayers answered the way they hoped. Unless of course they aren’t praying for much.
What does the Bible say about God’s answers to our prayers?
“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:15-16
My son was sick. I had faith that God would heal him. Does this mean my faith was not strong enough or that I am not righteous enough? Absolutely not. It is dangerous to take a single passage like this and apply it without taking all of God’s word into account.
I am not the only one that God has said no to. When Jesus was in the garden asking for the cup to pass over Him, God said no. Our Savior was so burdened by the task in front of Him that He was sweating drops of blood. He was going to be physically tortured and humiliated while He died proclaiming to be the Son of God. God allowed this to happen for a greater purpose. Why should I expect God to grant me every wish I desire. He is not a genie in a bottle. He is God.
I want to propose three possible reasons God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we ask.
- God has a better plan.
- God is protecting me from something.
- God will be even more glorified.
I am not saying that I understand the nature of God. When God doesn’t answer a prayer with my desires, I may not know why this side of Heaven. However, it is definitely an opportunity for me to draw closer to Him to find the comfort and strength I need.
Right now, the most important step that we can take is to decide if we will trust God in whatever answer He gives to our requests.
Over the next week, we are going to take each one of the proposed reasons why God may not answer our prayers the way we hoped for and dig deeper into scripture. I pray that we can open our hearts to God’s word and listen to what He truly wants to teach us.
With Eyes on the Cross 