God has a tendency to surprise us. Sometimes He likes to wait to answer our prayers, and sometimes He does not answer them directly at all. Unanswered prayers are a catch point with both Christians and Atheists. With Atheists, it is often an example of His not being real. With Christians unanswered prayers is actually further proof that He is. It is hard to understand how two groups of people can view this issue in such different ways. The truth is that for the Christian, there is a trust with God that can not be shaken. It can be temporarily challenged, but not shaken. Waiting on God’s answer to prayer, however, can be the hardest thing.
Good or bad, God’s answer to our prayers is taken to be the Gospel. Sometimes the Lord simply sees a better answer for us. Sometimes He simply needs to make a point that will enrich our lives. Sometimes God simply needs us and our lives to make something bigger happen in the world. Regardless of this, God hears us. He knows we are there, and he will comfort us regardless of our problems or situations.
I once was a person that did not really believe that. Then along came my children. My kids were born premature and were only one pound at birth. (twin daughters) I prayed for them to come home every single day for months. I prayed for them to not need surgery. I prayed for them to not be delayed when they did finally come home. I prayed for everything.
God answered only one prayer in exactly the way that I had hoped. He let them live and end up largely healthy. The rest of the prayers seemingly went unanswered and I felt slighted. I felt as though the Lord was not listening. The truth was, he was listening. He saw a different path.
Since the girls went through what they did early in their lives, we were able to comfort a number of families over the years. We were able to answer questions, empathize, and care for those other families that were also going through the same thing. We were able to take the experience we had, and make it a positive thing for others. God knew that was in us when the girls were in danger. He kept them safe, but did not do it the way we saw.
If he had sent them home on time, we would never have been able to help those others over the years. We would never have been able to comfort them in the special way parents of premature babies can. God’s perfect vision saw all of that, where we could not. We were thinking only within our little box. We were in our own lives, and nowhere else. That is the power of the Lord.
If you are waiting on God’s answer, then do not hesitate to think that He hears you. He knows what you need. More importantly, He knows what the world needs. If you do not get your perfect answer, then trust the Lord to deliver one of His very own. Your relationship with Him is based on that trust.
