WHEN THE ANSWER TO OUR PRAYER, DOES NOT COME THE WAY WE ASKED

What do we do when the answer to our prayer, does not come the way we asked or wanted? Do we give up? Do we get mad at God? Do we toss our faith in the Lord, out with the garbage? How do we still believe for the rest of our prayers?

These are serious questions that every Christian must deal with. We must first ask, do we really expect God to answer according to our wisdom, or His? We know all too well, that we can only see in part and that the Lord sees all and in past, present and future tense. We also know His ways (agenda) are not our ways. We know He loves us and wants us to bring our cares unto Him. But we must trust that His agenda and wisdom are better than ours.

• 1 Peter 5:6-7 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

 

• Isaiah 55:8-9 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

 
Maybe the answer is not, “no.” Just because the answer does not come exactly as we ask, does not mean His answer is no. For example, most of us pray for healing for ourselves and loved ones many times in our lives. We know God wants the best for us. We also know accidents happen in traffic, yards, sports, homes, work and everywhere else. We know genetics and diet can open the door for issues. Life happens. And we call on our Lord for healing and help. There is no doubt most of us prefer instant miracles. And there is no doubt many of us have received them. But most of the time, healing comes in time. If healing does not come that fast, then we can know there is a reason. Sometimes, the ailment is the one that will be the final one.
Do you remember this verse?

• John 9:2-3 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.”

 
Many times in life, we believe our actions, or our parents actions, are the cause of an illness. And maybe, sometimes, it is true. But consider the answer of Jesus, about the man who was born blind. Sometimes, God allows these types of things, because God wants to work through the circumstances for His reasons.

The Amplified version says, “… he was born blind in order that the workings of God should be manifested (displayed and illustrated) in him.” This helped and taught the former blind man, and many others of that day. For those who had hearts to believe, it increased their faith. For those who had “hard hearts” toward God, their hearts grew even harder. And for all of us who have read this testimony with the leading of the Holy Spirit, have had our faith touched also. It spoke to all who saw and heard about it. It spoke to the religious leaders who where against Jesus. And their hearts and actions were displayed, for all who saw how ugly they treated the healed man and his parents.

We can rest assured that the following verses are true.

• Romans 8:26-28 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

 
Many of us are glad to know, stand on and quote that last part of this section of verses, that all things are working for good for us, who love God and have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). But consider what precedes that part. The Holy Spirit has been given to us to help us in our weaknesses. He has come to help us pray and intercede for us “according to the will of God.” This is important!

So how does it happen? It happens when we pray according to the Lord’s direction or leave the answer to our issue, completely up to Him. For those baptized in the Holy Spirit, with the gift of tongues, we trust the Holy Spirit is supernaturally directing our words and prayers. At other times, for us and for others, our humble cries from our hearts are heard before God, via the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, and He is in and with us. He relates our prayers to the Father.

Perhaps the following verse is not often viewed pertaining to prayer, but it certainly can and does apply.

• James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

 

• James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

 
We need to approach the Lord with respect and humility. At times, over the years I have heard people pray rudely to God. Demanding things of Him like a toddler would to a parent. If you were God, how would you answer such prayers?

• 1 Peter 3:12 “For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil."

 
If you are a child of the Lord, His ears are open to you. But we can know, our Father is not raising brats! When a person is disrespectful to God, he should not expect anything but correction. In the Lord’s mercy, He looks past a lot of our error, but in time, He certainly expects us to mature.

Naturally, there is another simple reason our prayers would not be answered in the way we asked. Sometimes we ask “amiss.” Asking God to bring vengeance on someone we should be forgiving and praying for their mercy or salvation could be a big one. But there are many other ways we can ask amiss. Unforgiveness of others can impede our relationship with God and even cost us eternally, if not dealt with.

• Mark 11:25-26 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

 
Not only is it important to forgive others, but the Lord says we need to get their forgiveness too.

• Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

 
The measure of mercy we give to others, determines the measure of mercy we receive from God.

• Luke 6:37-38 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

• Psalms 18:25-27 With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; with the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. For You will save the humble people, but will bring down haughty looks.

 

• Luke 6:36 “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”

 

• Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

 
God will not be mocked, we will reap what we sow. If we are willing to receive the Lord’s mercy, we must be willing to give mercy also. If we do not forgive another human being for something they did once, twice or even a thousand times, why should God forgive us of our multitude of sins? God does not allow us to receive His pardon and then not be willing to forgive others. The result is that if we err in such manner, we are asking for justice of others (some of us even demand it of God), so that if that is the way we want it, then justice is what we have to receive also. This asking or demanding of justice about someone else, means mercy is no longer available and voids the pardon of Jesus for the one showing no mercy.

Jesus has shown us the way to pray with what is popularly called, “the Lord’s prayer,” but many of His personal prayers are recorded in the Gospels. He always prayed according to the leading of the Holy Spirit and kept the Father’s heart and will in mind. Even on the cross, Jesus prayed “Father forgive them for they no not what they do.”

Jesus Himself, never had to ask the Father for forgiveness, but we certainly need to. Salvation means picking up our cross and following Him daily. This means heeding the correction and conviction of the Holy Spirit at all times. We must not let sin come between us and God. We need to keep humble and clean hearts.

• Isaiah 59:1-2 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.  But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

 
Anyone that believes and says a person only needs to repent at the moment of salvation, has been blinded by the devil. The whole problem with sin, is that it separates us from God. To be close to God, means keeping sin out as much as possible and when we err, to repent of it as fast as possible.

There is another hindrance I know of to our prayers and that involves how we treat our spouses. In the following verse, it pertains to how a husband treats His wife, but we can rest assured, that a wife is also accountable to the Lord on how she treats her husband.

• 1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

 
Sometimes we have to go on blind faith, rejecting the circumstances and pressing on for the answers we need. The Lord is the very one who taught us about the persistent widow who kept coming before an evil judge with a petition. The judge ultimately wearied from her persistence and granted her the petition she sought (Luke 18:1-8). Sometimes also, we have to speak directly to the mountains in front of us ourselves (Matthew 21:21).
 
When it comes to prayer, the bottom line is that it is up to us to pray. And it is up to God, how He answers. There is no doubt that if we pray godly prayers with the direction of the Holy Spirit, we will see the best results. If we are in one accord with the Lord, we will be living right and praying right. And as such, we can pray and let it go. The answer is up to the Lord. In His time and according to His ways, He will answer. Praise the Lord, that He is all-wisdom, all-knowing and loves us with a pure heart. We can trust in Him, with all our cares because of who He is.

Eli Cockrell
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