“Unanswered prayers” can be a test of our faith. Sometimes we pray with all our hearts and for many years, and it seems as if God does not hear us. At times, we see no changes, and other times things may even seem to get worse, and then there are people who tell us God just said, “no.” I think “unanswered prayers” are ones we have all experienced at least once, if not many times in our lifetime.
Because I believe in the strong power of prayer, I have struggled with these “unanswered prayers” for many years. Although no one can truly understand what or why God does what he does, he has perhaps given me some insight about why he sometimes doesn’t seem to answer our prayers. Prayers of Petition and Prayers of Intercession are “asking” prayers, and at times when we ask for ourselves or for others, we may feel that God is not listening.
Prayers of Petition are prayers asking for ourselves. Should we pray for ourselves? Absolutely! We come to God in humility choosing and needing him. God wants us to be happy and has reserved many blessings and gifts for each one of us. Ask him for these gifts and more importantly ask for gifts of faith and love for these are the things which will bring us the greatest joy and peace. But also tell God your concerns and desires, for he wants us to bring everything to him no matter how big or small. Have faith in all that you ask for, but always trust in what God gives us. He may not give us what we are asking for, but he will grant us far greater than we ask and helps us see what we need.
However, what if we pray earnestly for something especially important to us, but God seems silent and does not seem to be listening? What if we become frustrated and angry, believing that God is not hearing us? Does God really just say “no”?
The following story is from my daughter, Alisha, and her struggle with her prayer of petition and how God answered her after many years.
My husband and I had been dealing with infertility for many years. After exhausting all the avenues we felt comfortable doing, we decided to pursue adoption at the beginning of 2012. We selected an agency in San Antonio and officially became “Parents in Waiting” in August of that year. The following March, we were matched with a birth mother and were very excited that we would finally be parents. We spoke regularly and met with her in person once. We were anxiously awaiting the sweet little boy’s arrival, but something caused me to keep my guard up. At the end of June, one week before his due date, the birth mother changed her mind. We were devastated. That night, I put all of the baby stuff in the nursery that we had prepared and shut the door and didn’t open it again for 5 weeks. I had given a notice to my job that I would be leaving with the expectation of being a stay-at-home mom. However, they asked me to stay on for the time being and we got back into our normal routine.
Then a few weeks later, I received a call from our agency. She told me a woman had just given birth to twin boys and had chosen us. In complete shock, I sat down in the middle of the hallway at work. She began giving me a lot of what I assume was important information, but I didn’t really process what she was saying. I finally reached my husband and told him. We were shocked, scared, and excited all at the same time. That night we haphazardly packed bags and I threw extra baby things in the baby bag I packed weeks before since there were now TWO babies. We left for San Antonio the next afternoon. The following morning, we were finally able to go to the hospital and meet our sweet boys. It all seemed so surreal after years of waiting but we were overjoyed holding our tiny babies in our arms. They were in the hospital for 12 days and did fantastic before we were able to finally bring them home. The next few months were a big blur of sleep deprivation, adjustment, and pure happiness. We received so much love and support from family and friends. It’s hard to even imagine our lives before them now. I always knew God would give us a child and it was just a matter of time, but the waiting was excruciating at times. However, God had these 2 boys picked out for us and they were worth every tear and day of waiting.
Although God allowed Alisha and her husband to go through so much before he blessed them with these twin boys, he was faithful, and these little guys were healthy and seemed perfectly suited for them. They are now 7 years old and are totally loved by all of the family. But why did God wait so long? Why was this needed as a part of her path? We never really know God’s ways, but perhaps he wanted her to grow in her faith and trust him as he prepared her for something more on her path. Perhaps he wanted her to be an example for others of trusting God during their hardest times. Maybe he wanted to give her wisdom and understanding of the anguish of infertility so that she can then help others in this same situation. Perhaps these two boys needed parents who would teach them about God and his love, because he has very powerful paths for them in their lives.
I think God says much more than just “no.” Because he loves us with a such an amazing love, he will not give us anything that will hurt our soul or interfere with our path, our purpose in life. Instead, perhaps he is telling us, “Wait, I have a plan and I need more time,” or “I have something better for you,” or “Trust me. I know what is ahead for you.”
Sometimes when we think God is not listening or doesn’t care what we want, we must in our prayers, continue to trust him and each day bring him what our heart most desires. Then wait and see what God will do. He wants us to ask always, but at the same time give thanks for what we have already received. So, does God always hear us? Your faith in God’s love tells us that he does!
Copyright © 2024 Marsha Luke – Rights for non-commercial reproduction granted: May be copied in its entirety, but neither retyped nor edited.