“God is not human that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19).
God ALWAYS answers prayer. There is never a prayer God does not answer. God always does what he promises.
But, if God always answers prayer, how come not all prayers are answered in the way we want them?
Great question.
Here’s the thing. The faulty thinking in the above statement is that we think the only legitimate answer God must give to our prayer is “yes.”
But that is ludicrous. If God were to answer all our prayers with a yes, God is not God. We are God. And God is merely our servant. Not only that, can you imagine how even more messed up our world would be if God answered everyone’s prayer in the way we want them answered? Yikes!!!
God always wants what is best for us. Because God loves us, God answers our prayers in the following manner:
- God says “No” when our request is wrong. It would be ludicrous for God to give us something that is dangerous just because we asked for it. If a young child asks for a gun, no parent in their right mind would get a gun for their child. When the request is wrong the answer must be “No!”
- God says “Wait” when the timing is wrong. When a child asks if they can drive, the answer isn’t a “No”, but “No for now.” When the child grows older and passes the driver’s license test, the answer changes.
- God says, “Grow” when we are wrong. When a child asks that we should favor them over their siblings, a loving parent can’t answer that request with a “yes.” When we are wrong, the loving answer to such requests is to say, “Grow up, son. Grow up, daughter.”
- When the request is right, the timing is right, God says, “Yes!” Go for it!!!
These are all legitimate answers to prayer.
God is faithful to answer ALL prayers. God loves you. God wants what is best for you. Trust in God’s answer to your prayers.
Praxis: Faith in Action 