How many times have you prayed for something only to feel that your prayers are unheard? How many times has it taken so long to get an answer that you get discouraged and give up? Beloved, you are not alone. For all of us, at times, it will seem that the heavens are as brass and that God has turned a deaf ear. Prayer is a mysterious thing; we don’t understand how it works. There seem to be no sure-fire formulas to get our requests answered. Some will tell you that faith is the key to prayer; if you just have enough faith, God will answer. This verse is used to support the “enough faith” theory.
Mark tells us that Jesus said, “therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
On the surface, this seems like correct theology, but we must be careful. Unfortunately, that turns faith into works, and that is not how God operates. We receive from God’s grace through faith in Christ alone. We need to understand that God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts, and even though we feel that God is late, trust me, He’s an on-time God!
God is sovereign, and He has His own reasons for answering prayers in whatever way and timing He chooses. God ultimately knows what is best for us, and if we really believe that, it won’t matter how or when He answers.
Paul told the Romans, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
We have to trust the God that we serve will work everything out for our good, even if it doesn’t turn out how we wanted. A good friend once told me that a disaster in our circumstances could mean a victory in the spirit. If we can keep our minds focused on a few things, it will help us get through these times when it feels that God has us on hold.
- Trust that God loves you enough to work it out for your good.
- Believe that He is sovereign and in control of every area of your life.
- Remember that a disaster in your circumstances could be a victory in the spirit.
- When you start to doubt, recite Romans 8:28 and Mark 11:24 over and over until you settle it deep in your heart.
When you trust God to work it all out, you will look forward with eager anticipation to see what happens. No matter how long it takes for God to answer your prayers or how he responds, when He does, you will be grateful that God gave you what you needed rather than what you thought you wanted. God’s greatest gift can be unanswered prayer. If all else fails – when God has you on hold, don’t hang up!
