God Always Answers Prayer?
(Thank you faithful readers for your love and support. I’m humbled and grateful for the many “welcome back!” emails I received. Praying the Lord has taken me off sabbatical for good!).
People exclaim ‘God answered my prayer’! when their request was answered by God in the affirmative but fail to have this same response when his answer is not in the affirmative…when his answer is no.
Now while I’m not suggesting fake joy when something you’d prayed for didn’t go your way I AM suggesting Psalm 9:10 should affect your response when you get your answer: Those who know your name trust you for you have never abandoned anyone who searches for you.
In other words, God’s children KNOW him - they know his character, his promises, his unconditional love, his goodness - which means they can TRUST his answers in prayer FOR them.
When considering God’s answers to my prayers, here’s a little tool I use to remind myself of how he works.
Sometimes God’s answer to my request is NO - “My child, I know you and love you and thank you for asking this of me. But this is not my sovereign will. Will you trust me in this?”
Sometimes God’s answer to my request is SLOW - “My child, timing is key. I can’t give you this right now but if you’re willing to be patient and trust me, I may be able to grant this request at a different time in your life. Remember, I see things you cannot see…I see the big picture.”
Sometimes God’s answer to my request is GROW - “My child, there’s some things you and I still need to work on in this area of your life. I see beautiful things ahead but some growth must happen first. Trust me…I’ll help you.
Sometimes God’s answer to my request is GO - “My child, it delights me to grant you the desire of your heart (Psalm 37:4). Enjoy now my faithfulness and my goodness in this thing you’ve requested of me.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.