Unanswered Prayers

 Many times when we pray, we are expecting to hear from God very soon. We feel like we need His response, or we will not be able to proceed in our life. When an answer doesn't come, we wonder why. We think that we have done something wrong or that God is not listening to us. It may not be our sin that is hindering our prayer, even though that can happen. 

Job is a great example of this fact. Job had not done anything wrong to cause His afflictions. (Job 30:20) Still when he cried out to God, Job did not receive an answer. When He stood up to get God's attention, God turned from Him and turned His attention against him. It was very painful to Job, and it is painful for us, when our prayers go unanswered.

Please, remember that, as Christians, nothing happens to us that God doesn't cause it or allow it to happen to us. Whatever happens, there is a purpose for it. It could be that it is designed to make us more like Jesus. Jesus suffered, and sometimes we must suffer to become more like Him. That is God's ultimate goal for us, not that we are happy or pain-free.

Also, we need to know that God can say "yes," "no," or "wait." All are valid answers to prayer. When God says no, He does it out of love, because of what He knows about us and our future. When He says wait, it is often because of His timing or because we are not ready for the answer yet. Therefore, we must keep our heart set on the Lord, like Job did, no matter how much it hurts. Then, God will give us His answer in His time.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 31-33.