I’ve invited my friend Elona as a guest on the blog today to discuss unanswered prayer. Her Facebook post yesterday hit me hard in a myriad of very personal ways, and I wanted to share her message with you. This is the expanded version of her brief but powerful thoughts, and I think it’s the perfect catalyst for beginning this new year.
Unanswered prayer
I see you. You’ve prayed over and over for that one thing, but it feels like it will never happen. Some days, it feels like God has forgotten you. Other days, it feels like everyone else thinks that God has forsaken you, and that can feel nearly as painful. Your heart is breaking with the pain. Your eyes fill with tears at every thought of your yet-unanswered prayer.
Perhaps, like Hannah, your prayer for a child is breaking your heart. Maybe you feel more like the Apostle Paul, who prayed for the thorn in his flesh to be removed. Or maybe your prayer is so painful and personal that you share it with no one but Jesus. And yet you keep praying. You know that God is able. You have no doubt. You know that He is faithful. That is a non-negotiable. You believe. You trust Him. But that prayer goes unanswered.
I see you. And God Himself sees you. He has not forgotten you. He has not failed you. He is not failing you. He will not fail you.
Hebrews 13:5 has a powerful message. In the King James Version, the last of the verse states that “He hath said…” Now, let me pause here, because this means that God Almighty, the Creator of the universe… the One who SPOKE and it APPEARED… has spoken something. This should make us pay attention, because when God speaks, things happen.
In this particular verse, He has said “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” I recall hearing this verse for the first time in the Amplified Version. It reads, “[I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]. The strength of the wording used in that verse is so strong that it took repeating it three times in order to emphasize just how strongly God meant it.
Let me take a moment and look at the first part of that verse, which should not be overlooked. Soul searching is always in order, especially to be sure that your request lines up with God’s word and His mind. Being content is always in order, as is being grateful. As a matter of fact, Scripture teaches us that we should make our requests known “with thanksgiving” (Philippians 4:6). But I see that you’ve done those things. And you’ve examined your heart. And you are seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). But your prayer is still in God’s “inbox” instead of His “answer on the way immediately” box.
Just because God’s answers come at a time that you feel is delayed, does not mean that you are damaged or inferior. Just because God says “wait” does not mean that you are rejected, or even sinful.
Lazarus DIED (John 11). Not because he was an awful sinner, but because it was in God’s plan. Lazarus was a friend of Jesus, but he was so sick that he didn’t make it.
I see you. You have searched your soul until you are tired, seeking to find out what might be hindering you from having your prayers answered. But The Master is on a different schedule than yours. Don’t neglect to search your heart. It is necessary. But don’t forget that God is still God, and He CARES about you. While you were yet a sinner, He died for you (Romans 5:6). He will not withhold good from His children. “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?” (Luke 11:11)
I see you over there, reviewing your year, and looking at your unanswered prayer as if it reflects on you or your walk with God. Please know that you are not alone, and that God’s timing is not a reflection of His love for you, but rather of the working of His perfect plan in His perfect time. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)
If you would like to hear more from Elona, you’ll find her occasionally posting at Positively, Elona.
You may also enjoy reading Questioning God – Like Job