Unanswered Prayers? Two Reasons God Hasn’t Come Through for You (Yet)
Do you have unanswered prayers? Have you repeatedly pleaded with God to fix a situation, meet a need, or fulfill a desire, but He seems to have turned a deaf ear to your requests?
The Bible assures us that God is altogether loving and wise, and it teaches that He is all-powerful: Everything and everyone is always at His beck and call.
So, if God has us “stuck” in a challenging or painful situation, He must have a good reason for it.
Allow me to propose two likely explanations for why God may be choosing to leave us in our predicament for the time being, even though He could easily bring our trial to an end if He wanted.
Reason #1. What we’re asking God for is not as good for us as we, in our limited human understanding, may think it is. It’s certainly not God’s best for us—not at the present moment.
If it were, God would give it to us. We would get our prayers answered on the spot, slam dunk, take it to the bank.
How can I say that? Because Scripture contains this promise: “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).
This can be a bit of a hard pill to swallow for some of us: How can what we’re praying for not be considered “good” when the object of our petition is noble, wholesome, and godly?
A steady job, enough money to pay the rent, a God-fearing husband, the salvation of a dear friend, obedient kids, victory over a sinful habit…
These all appear beautifully aligned with God’s will for our lives, right? So, why doesn’t He give them to us?
Let me try to answer this question by asking another question: What if it is God’s plan to grant these requests, but before He does, there’s something else He wants to give us? Such as, for example, a real-life lesson in how to persevere in prayer and be patient in affliction (Romans 12:12)? Or one in seeking God’s Kingdom before all else (Matthew 6:33)? Or in learning to suffer as Jesus did (1 Peter 2:21)? Or in finding rest in the Lord (Matthew 11:28)? Or in being thankful for what we have (1 Thessalonians 5:18)?
What if God knows this is what we need more than anything else right now? What if, right now, this is His best for us?
Again, it’s not necessarily that God will never give us those things we’re praying for. For now, though, He may be choosing to let some of our needs go unmet so that He can instead meet other needs that we have—spiritual needs that you and I may not even be cognizant of!
(And maybe, just maybe, He wants to teach us that needs and wants are not the same thing.)
Reason #2. It could be that we have unanswered prayers because our desire is idolatrous. This may be why God isn’t fulfilling it. (Any time we long for something more than we long for God Himself, we engage in idol worship.)
If our desire is idolatrous, then clearly, it’s not good for us to have it fulfilled (this ties in with reason #1 above). Instead, what is good for us is to destroy our idol and draw closer to the Lord!
When I was single and praying for a husband, there were times when I would have a not-entirely-saintly attitude about my situation. I would get frustrated that God wasn’t blessing me with a life partner, and sometimes, I would go to church more to try to meet a guy than to meet with Jesus.
Not only that, but I would get jealous of my girlfriends who succeeded at finding their soulmates and embarking on their “happily ever after.”
As you can tell, my desire for a husband had become so strong that it was making me dishonor God in my thoughts and emotions. Today, in hindsight, I believe God didn’t lead me into a romantic relationship at the time for this simple reason: He couldn’t bless my pursuit of an idol.
It wasn’t until I confessed and repented of my sinful attitude, surrendered my longings to God, and learned to find true contentment in Jesus that He answered my prayers. Only then did God bring Don into my life.
Oh, friend, I know it’s difficult when your heart is aching for something that is so obviously right and godly, yet the Lord appears to be withholding His favor. Believe me, I know.
What you and I must not do, however, is let the enemy deceive us into thinking, even for a nanosecond, that God isn’t loving or not powerful enough to tend to our needs.
Those are NOT the reasons He is making us wait.
God looks after His children and always gives them what they need in His impeccable timing. “They who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing” (Psalm 34:10).
Again, if we have unanswered prayers, it’s likely 1) because the possession, relationship, or circumstance we’re praying for and which we think we need so desperately isn’t what God, from His vantage point, considers best for us…
Or 2) it’s because God knows what we need more than anything is to place our idol on His altar.
L.B.
Have you ever experienced not getting your prayers answered and later realized it was a blessing? What are your thoughts on the topic of unanswered prayers or waiting on God’s timing? Please share below in the comments section!
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