If there’s one subject that I continually have more questions about the deeper I go in the Christian life, it is probably prayer.
How should we do it? How should we expect God to answer? Why does it often seem so unpredictable?
There are times when I’ve prayed and seen God answer in instant and miraculous ways, and there are times when I’ve prayed fervently and repeatedly and yet not received the hoped-for answer. I’m guessing if you have been a Christian for a while, you’ve experienced the same.
Today I’m pleased to share a post I wrote on the topic for Gracefully Truthful, and I’d love it if you’d join me there to read it. It’s not a post with all the answers, but hopefully there will be some helpful reflections.
I wrote this post last summer, so it’s interesting to read it again several months later. In the post I share about a situation I was praying for at the time – a friend’s husband who was seriously ill. He actually passed away only a day or two after I submitted the post.
I don’t know why our prayers weren’t answered as we hoped in that situation. I don’t know why a wonderful, godly man had to die so young, or why my friend and her children have had to experience such pain and grief, but I do know the whole family have known God’s presence through it all. I have seen God at work in them and in their situation, and I know my friend would be the first to encourage people to keep on praying.
When our prayers aren’t answered as we hope, it’s easy to lose the sense of expectation of what God can do as we pray. This post is an encouragement, to myself as much as to anyone else, to hold on to that expectation and to be open to being surprised by God. It’s an encouragement that even if our faith is imperfect, the one to whom we pray is able to respond in ways far beyond anything we can ask or imagine. It’s an encouragement to keep on praying!
Please join me at Gracefully Truthful to read!
Linking with: Inspire Me Monday, Tell His Story, InstaEncouragements, Let’s Have Coffee, Recharge Wednesday, Tune In Thursday, Grace & Truth
Life in the Spacious Place 
God’s timing is ALWAYS perfect, even if we don’t think so at the time.
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Yes, it helps to trust that it is in his hands.
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Amen. We should never stop praying. Praying strengthens us, it helps us to understand God’s word. Praying gives us hope and joy. 🙏 have a bless day
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Yes, it really does give us strength.
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Prayer is indeed a great mystery of the faith, and yet God says ask, and so we do.
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Yes, it helps to trust in his goodness even when we don’t understand what he is doing.
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I agree we need to keep on praying. Having an ongoing conversation with God changes us and helps us go into the world to make change too. Thanks for the encouragement to never stop praying.
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Thanks, Lisa! I’m glad it encouraged you to keep praying. I need that encouragement too!
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Leslie, like you I have prayed and received answers. I have also prayed and the answer was not as I would have hoped. It is at times like these, I remember Daniel who responded that even if God did not deliver, they would remain faithful to God. It is then we trust His ways to be higher and better than ours. I so appreciated this post!
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Yes, trusting in God’s goodness even if the outcome is not what we hope or understand is so important.
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I love your encouragement for us to hold onto our expectations and to be more open to God surprising us, Lesley. And this is so true and comforting – “When our prayers are not answered as we hope, it doesn’t mean our prayers were lacking in flawless faith or that God doesn’t care. It doesn’t even mean our prayers are unanswered, simply that God’s purpose is different.” Thank you! Love and blessings to you!
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Thanks, Trudy! I need to remind myself to be expectant and open to God’s surprises. And it is very comforting to know that the outcome doesn’t depend on the quality of our prayers! Love and blessings to you too!
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I recently attended a funeral for a 54 year old lady. She knew something about prayer, having been diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 16. She eventually lost her hearing and experienced dementia but she never lost her faith, never stopped praying. Now we pray with her family who have questions. Questions in the midst of the pain, in the midst of trusting Him.
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It’s amazing how the trust can still exist alongside the questions and the pain. We might not understand what God is doing, but we can still trust in his character.
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I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend’s husband, Lesley. So many questions and my heart goes out to the family. Your thoughts remind me of a Tim Keller quote I came across this week as I was going through some old files. He said, “God will only give you what you would have asked for if you knew everything He knows.” That’s comforting, but still requires a lot of trust.
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Thanks, Lois! Sorry to take so long to reply, but I really appreciated your comment and the quote. I actually used it in a talk I had to give at a youth group last week!
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