Have you ever wondered why God hasn’t answered your prayers? Dear one, unanswered prayers do not mean that God doesn’t care. Just the opposite is true. God loves us and wants the best for us. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:21-23, ESV).
God Knows More Than We Can See or Understand
Many years ago, I lost my son. While he was hospitalized, I prayed for God to heal him. I would have traded my own life if it meant my son could live a happy, healthy life. But my prayers went seemingly unanswered. I didn’t understand. Didn’t God hear my pleas? Didn’t He care? Was I unworthy of God answering my prayers? Was God punishing me? Why did my son have to die when he was only 1 year old?
I can’t say why God’s plan for my son’s life was to be short. But I can tell you that my son was born with multiple disabilities. He was sick and in pain nearly every day of his life. And now He is with Jesus, where there are no more tears or pain. Perhaps God was sparing him. “Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come” (Isaiah 57:1, NLT).
I can tell you how God used our heartbreak for good. When we buried our son, the pastor said, “Jesus took him into His arms the second he died in mine.” Over the following weeks and months, my friends and neighbors began planting seeds of comfort and hope in God’s Word. These seeds eventually blossomed. Over the next few years, my entire family found new life with Jesus.
Please know, I am not saying that God caused my son to die so my family could be saved. However, God did use what the enemy intended for evil to bring about His good purposes. And although I would still trade my life for my son’s. I believe God knew that his life on this earth would not be an easy one, so he spared him from suffering.
A dear friend once explained it to me this way. She said, “Sometimes, all we can see is rain, but God sees the rainbow that comes after.” When I think about my son bounding around heaven with Jesus in a healthy, whole body, I have to believe she was right.
Unanswered Prayers May Be God’s Protection
Sometimes, we ask for things we think are good. But God sees the whole picture and knows better. Therefore, our unanswered prayers could be God’s protection. He may not grant our requests because He knows that the thing we are desperately praying for may bring us more harm than good. Jesus explained it like this: “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?” (Luke 11:11-12, NIV).
Examples of God’s Protection
One of my friends was a star football player all through high school and college. However, God did not answer his prayers to play in the NFL. Years later, he ran into one of his former teammates who had gone pro. His friend offered to let him drive his fancy sports car and took him out for a night on the town. But when my friend saw how his friend was now steeped in the sin which often accompanies fame and riches, he finally understood what God had saved him from. Like his teammate, he may have yielded to the pressures and temptations of his status and lived a life lost and far from God.
It makes me wonder how many of our unanswered prayers are actually blessings in disguise. The amazing house that was sold to someone else at a higher bid may have led to the stress of being house poor or even financial ruin. The perfect man you prayed for may have been an abusive alcoholic. The dream vacation you didn’t get to go on may have led to a tragic accident. Or the dream job you prayed for may have led to a lifetime of overwork and driven you away from your family. Perhaps our unanswered prayers are a time to praise God for His protection.
Unanswered Prayers And God’s Timing
If you are like me, you would like to see God’s hand move the minute the words are out of your mouth. However, friend, remember that God’s time is not the same as ours. “For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours” (Psalm 90:4, NLT).
During His ministry, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. This event foreshadowed Jesus’ own resurrection, bringing glory to God and helping people understand that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. However, to Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ sisters, this represented a much delayed answer to prayer.
When Lazarus was sick, Martha sent for Jesus. But Jesus did not arrive until after Lazarus died, until Martha thought it was too late. However, despite her prayers not being answered when and how she had hoped, Martha never lost faith. “‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask’” (John 11:21-22).
I love how honest Martha was. She wasn’t afraid to express her hurt about the Lord’s timing. However, Martha also demonstrated profound hope. She showed us that not only had the Lord heard her prayers, but that He was going to answer them when and how He knew it would be best for everyone.
Dear one, perhaps God hasn’t answered our prayers yet. But that doesn’t mean He isn’t working right now on our behalf. Remember, God’s timing is always perfect!
Unanswered Prayers And God’s Plans
As Martha’s story illustrated, sometimes God has plans that we don’t see or understand. God loved Mary and Martha enough to answer their prayers. But he also wanted to bring Jesus glory and help people understand the potential and power of resurrection. By waiting, the Lord was able to do both.
Friend, sometimes the same applies to us. God may have plans that are bigger or different from what we see or understand. Therefore, He may not answer our prayers the way we hoped. Maybe it’s more than a matter of timing. God’s plans may even be better than ours. But, “this is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” (1 John 5:14-15, NIV)
Aligning our desires with God’s requires knowing and understanding His heart towards all His people. We can learn about God’s heart by spending more time with Him in prayer, worship, and reading His Word. And if we still don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit will help us. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26, NIV).
Everyone Faces Unanswered Prayer
As you can see, everyone has felt the sting of unanswered prayers at some point. However, that doesn’t mean God doesn’t hear us. David tells us, “For the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer” (Psalm 6:8-9, NIV).
Nor does it mean God doesn’t care. God encourages us to bring our worries and anxieties to Him. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7, NIV).
Unanswered prayers do not mean that God is angry with us or that we are unworthy. Prayer isn’t about us or our worthiness. It’s about the Lord’s worthiness and ability. God is the only one able to answer our prayers. “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Revelation 4:11, NIV).
Dear one, even Jesus faced unanswered prayers. Before His arrest, Jesus prayed this in the garden of Gethsemane, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will”(Matthew 26:39, NIV). Jesus understood the pain of unanswered prayer. Yet He modeled the need to submit to His Father’s will.
Take Away
Friend, don’t lose faith. Never stop praying! “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV).
Even if you don’t see the results of your prayers when or how you expected, God hears your prayers and is orchestrating everything for your good. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, NIV).
Sometimes, God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want, not because we don’t deserve it, but because He wants to give us so much more! “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20, NIV).
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