Unanswered Prayer

Articles

Larry Walker
02/16/16 - Prayer

Unanswered Prayer

“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Mt 21:22

For many a child of God, there is no greater trial to our faith than the disappointment we feel when our prayers seem to be in vain – when our loved ones die in spite of our petitions for their health, when no job is coming though we fervently request help of God, when our loved ones are steeped in evil and will not repent, though we pray with tears for many long months or years. Especially when it seems to be the consistent pattern that our prayers make no real difference, we can come to doubt God’s willingness to hear or His power to act. We may hear Christians say, “Well, He just doesn’t work that way any more. Those promises in the Scriptures are not for us today.”

Before we fall into this trap, we should consider our prayers in relation to the Father’s perspective, and what He is doing through His Son.

Too often, our prayers are simply attempts to get answers from God, and furthermore, often we just want answers that will make our lives or our loved ones more comfortable in this material world. But is that all there is? God is taking a different perspective. He is dealing with us as the children of eternity, NOT just our comfort/enjoyment here. If He restored every Christian’s health each time we prayed for it, how long would we abuse His grace and hang on to this world and its pleasures?
What if we took a different view? What if we prayed in sincerity that whatever needs to happen to save our souls and the souls of our loved ones – O Lord, whatever that is, let that happen?
What if our FIRST priority in prayer were not to get our “wish list”, but rather the fervent wish that the name of God be held holy and honored and praised among men? That His will be done on the earth? That His kingdom be realized among men and women that we know and love?
Jesus’ example of prayer for His disciples did just this: “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done…” Jesus suggests that after this is taken care of, we might then offer our humble petitions for daily bread, forgiveness and guidance. Then He closes “the Lord’s prayer” with an acknowledgment of the power, glory and honor that belong to the Father.
Note that praying according to the will of God is more than just a formula or expression tacked on to our prayers. We must be expressing the intent of our hearts and the basic principle of our lives – that whatever He might wish to do with us and our loved ones to accomplish His will, we want him to do it.

In this view of prayer, it is not for us to get answers from God for our own wishes, but rather an expression of the intimate relationship we have with our heavenly Father, of our desire that our own will be perfected into oneness with His. This does not mean that we cannot ask God’s help in material things – even in the smallest matters we can bring our concerns and requests before Him. But remember that “your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” We should not worry about them, or be anxious. Rather, let our prayers reflect, first and foremost, our relationship to Him.

James tells us, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Let us believe it with all our hearts – and ACT like it. But let us pray as RIGHTEOUS men and women pray – not simply to bring God a list of our material wishes for health and prosperity for us and our loved ones – but to seek to identify ourselves with our Lord Jesus – whether we are sick or well, whether we are starving or wealthy, whether we live or die. If we do, answers from God will never fail; they will come EVERY time, though maybe not always in the way we anticipated.

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 1Jo 5:14-15

Larry Walker

Aug 2009