14 Nov When Prayers Go Nowhere
What does unanswered prayer say about God?
A prayer which produces no result isn’t necessarily an unanswered prayer.
I remember the day that one of my children wanted $100 to spend on junk food. That petition produced no results. The fact that they didn’t get what they wanted didn’t mean I didn’t exist, rather it was because I existed that they got nothing. Ultimately it was because I was caring and considerate of their wellbeing that they did not get what they wanted.
In some cases, it may be that our prayer is resisted as happened with Daniel in Daniel 10:13. It was his persistance over a few weeks that caused the breakthrough in prayer to coem.
In some other cases, it may be that our faith is weak, and we give up.
And of course sometimes we ask amiss, with wrong motives as James observes in James 4:3
When prayer is answered we are always excited, but when it isn’t, it should be a reason for contemplation. There may be something for us to learn because of it. It may be a chance to learn more about God, and it may also be a chance to learn more about ourselves.
Both prayers that are answered and unanswered can be helpful to our spiritual lives and growth.
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