Today I’m going to reflect a little bit on prayer and what happens when our prayers go unanswered. Have you ever had that experience, when you ask God for something and you didn’t get answer what you’re looking for or maybe you didn’t get an answer at all. I turned to some of the wise songs we have in country music. This song I’m going to play by Garth Brooks is called “Unanswered Prayers” and it deals with that question of what happens when a prayer goes unanswered.
Just the other night at a hometown football game
My wife and I ran into my old high school flame
And as I introduced them the past came back to me
And I couldn’t help but think of the way things used to be
She was the one that I’d wanted for all times
And each night I’d spend prayin’ that God would make her mine
And if he’d only grant me this wish I wished back then
I’d never ask for anything again
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you’re talkin’ to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn’t answer doesn’t mean he don’t care
Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers
She wasn’t quite the angel that I remembered in my dreams
And I could tell that time had changed me
In her eyes too it seemed
We tried to talk about the old days
There wasn’t much we could recall
I guess the Lord knows what he’s doin’ after all
And as she walked away and I looked at my wife
And then and there I thanked the good Lord
For the gifts in my life
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you’re talkin’ to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn’t answer doesn’t mean he don’t care
Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers
Some of God’s greatest gifts are all too often unanswered…
Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers
Garth Brooks everyone.
So what do we make of that when God doesn’t answer our prayers. You know we hear in the gospel today,
Seek and you will find
Ask and you will receive
Knock and the door will be opened to you
I’m sure you probably have had an experience where your prayers have not been answered. The question is why or what does that mean? Why God aren’t you answering my prayers? We hear in the Gospel that when we pray Jesus says call God, Father and so we call God our Father. So if you fathers who with it know how to give your kids good gifts, your father in heaven surely knows how to. Your child asks you for bread and you hand him a rock? You’re not going to hand him a rock. If child asks for an egg you’re not going to put a fork in his hand. You would never do anything that would hurt your children and God our Father knows exactly what we need. Not only does He know what we need, He knows what we want. He knows our deepest wants and our deepest desires. He’s never going to give you anything that will hurt you.
So if God doesn’t answer your prayers it’s because He has something better that He wants to give you.
If God doesn’t answer your prayers, it’s because He as your Father knows your deepest desires. He knows that when you’re praying for or asking for is not going to fulfill your deepest desires. He’s never going to give you anything that will hurt you.
I think sometimes when we don’t get an answer from God or we don’t hear an answer, we get an answer we don’t want we become discouraged. We become doubtful of God. We become doubting that He is a loving Father and yet our Father can be trusted. You can trust Him. Sometimes we give up on prayer but we’re called to pray consistently and sometimes you may have to keep yearning for Him and asking Him to shape and mold your desires. Maybe after days or weeks or months, maybe then He’ll give you your hearts desires. If He doesn’t, it’s not because He doesn’t hear you. It’s not because He doesn’t want to answer your prayers but sometimes one of God’s greatest gifts is our unanswered prayers.
