Most of us have prayed for things that we never did get. However, some of the prayers were answered after a very long time.
Most of us have watched someone die despite our prayers for complete healing. And some of us have seen miracles drop straight from Heaven.
So then we ask…Why didn’t God answer my prayer? Or, why didn’t God answer my prayer, but answered someone else’s prayer?
I don’t have all the answers…well because I am not God. There are many things about God that will remain a mystery because we must believe through faith and not through sight. But through prayer, long thought, and wisdom from the Bible and my own struggles with the same question, I believe I have some answers for you.
I hope these reasons will shed some light on this difficult question:
***God is all-powerful and omniscient. God knows what is best for our lives. He makes the decisions even when His decisions don’t match up with our desires. “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” (Psalm 147:5 ESV). God understands our pain and our desires beyond what is measurable by humans. Even though he understands our pain, He still makes decisions that don’t always seem fair to us. But it is in the accepting that God is good and that He loves us, then we can rest in his all-powerful grace.
***God’s timing. Maybe God will eventually answer your prayers, but not right now. Again God is all-powerful and He decides when things happen. We can’t rush God. We can keep asking Him, but we can’t rush Him. When we try to rush God, we get things all messed up. We take things into our own hands and make a mess of life. It is better to wait patiently, even though the waiting can be incredibly hard at times. There are many great verses that talk about waiting on God. Here are two: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord”( Psalm 127:4 NIV). “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9 ESV). Whatever it is you are facing don’t give up! Keep praying, keep waiting on God.
***God is growing our faith. When we ask God for things, we must ask in faith. God can use difficult times to grow us and change us for the better. These hard times can grow our faith if we allow God to change us. We can choose to get mad and turn away from God. We can turn to things of the flesh like money, sex, and other idols to cure our pain, which never truly does. Or, we can choose to surrender to God and let Him shape us like clay in the hands of a potter. This is not an easy process, but so worth it in the end. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4 NIV). Here God says that facing trials that test our faith and coming out of these trials on God’s side, then we will be whole and complete, lacking nothing. I sure like the sound of that.
***God’s plan and purpose. Does your plan for your life line up with God’s plan? God has a plan and a purpose for your life which can only be found to mirror His word in the Bible. God’s plan for each one of us is unique. It is up to the individual seek out this plan. His plan for your life will even include some struggles. But the older I get, I realize that everyone has different struggles in their lives. As perfect as someone’s life may seem through social media, I promise you it’s not perfect. And yes some people have blessed lives and that is great. But the most blessed lives that I have witnessed in life are the ones that have followed God. And I guess of course it depends on what you value and what you consider to be a blessed life. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV). God loves you, and His plans are meant for your good.
***God’s love and protection. If God says no, He just might be protecting you from something bad. Does what you are asking for line up with God’s commandments or God’s word? For instance, if you are asking for a brand new BMW, but that BMW will cause you to go into debt; then it is not what God wants for you right now. God might give you that BMW. But a huge debt might be attached to that car which will cause your financial situation to be worse than it was before. God always wants for you what lines up with His word. Being in debt does not line up with God’s word. Neither does cheating, lying, stealing or coveting, and the list goes on… There are many wonderful verses about God as our protector. “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me” (Psalm 138;7 ESV).
Thank you for reading this message today. I pray that you have gotten more understanding today about God’s good nature. I pray that He will answer those prayers that line up with His word. And, I pray that if He doesn’t answer your prayers, you can trust Him anyway and have faith that He has a wonderful future for you full of hope. “And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose” (Romans 8:28 AMP).
Many Blessings,
AllisonD