I had a friend once who did not believe in God. I asked him why. He said he was in a really tough place once and prayed to God but God did not answer his prayer. In his mind, that meant that God did not exist. Case closed. Really? Did you think God was a genie and if you rubbed the lantern three times your wishes would be granted? That’s not how it works.
It is difficult for us to understand that God does not always say “Yes” to our prayers, even the most fervent ones. That does not mean, however, that he won’t say “Yes” at some point. He just isn’t saying “Yes” right now. God is not tied to time the way we are. We have seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years. God has none of that. So if he answers your prayer in a year, it’s as if he answered it right away. A tough concept but that’s the way it is.
2 Peter 3:8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
Have you ever prayed for something you wanted really, really badly, only to get nothing in return? At first you were devastated, then depressed and then, perhaps even annoyed with God. Been there. And then later, after you have gotten over the fact that God did not answer your prayer, something else happened which was far better than what you originally prayed for? You know the expression, “Be careful what you wish for..” Well, be careful what you pray for. You might get it and it might turn out to be a bad idea!
Here is where trusting God comes in. When you pray, trust that however things turn out, it will be for your highest good. You might not be able to see that at first, but give it time. What happens when you pray for someone to survive an accident or a surgery and they die anyway? What about that? How is that for your good? I wish I could answer that, but truthfully, none of us can, even the wisest among us. Some things we have to accept on faith until one day we can ask the question on the other side.
I have prayed for relationships to last, for “the right one” to show up on my doorstep (not literally of course), for a job to come through, etc. Some things I got, some I had to wait for and some never worked out. And all of it was, in the end, much better for me. Try to remember that. You may not get what you want when you want it, but rather some day in the future, when the timing is perfect. Some things you may never get at all, but that could be a good thing. Trust that he knows what he’s doing when it comes to your life.
Remember when you were a child and your parents said “No”? For a few moments you were so angry you couldn’t see straight. You might have even said “I hate you!” and meant it at the time. If you could have talked with them years later, you probably would have learned that they were doing it for your own good. Words you hated as a child but perhaps understood when you became a parent yourself.
That’s how God is with us. He knows what we need and what we want. We don’t always get what we want when we want it and sometimes never. But he always gives us what we need.
The next time your prayer is not answered, look to God and say, “I don’t understand, Lord, but I’m going to trust you on this one.” Some day you may understand. Now you just need to trust.
God bless.