We all believe - or at least have been told - that God answers prayer, but is it true? I think the best answer might be, "Yes and No."

God answers prayer; He is upright and righteous.  He doesn't ignore His children.  However, His answers are not always what we hope they will be.  And sometimes His answers come through silence. 

At the end of Hebrews 11 we see descriptions of faith-filled people who suffered tremendously at the ends of their lives.  "They were commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.  God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." (Hebrews 11:39-40)  They did not receive the answers they were hoping for - God was working a bigger plan than their lives could comprehend or hold.

Remember the end of John the Baptist's life?  He was imprisoned for declaring that Herod had unlawfully taken his brother's wife.  John had been used in thousands of people's lives; he had recognized and baptized Jesus as the Lamb of God; but now he was imprisoned, looking death in the eye.  He was nervous, and he needed his faith to be reassured. So, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus some questions. (Matthew 11)  Jesus sent John's disciples back to him with a message, but he did not do anything to help John.  This prophet of God was left all alone in his dungeon and soon beheaded.  Surely he did not receive the answers to his prayers for which he hoped.

What about Jesus?  In the garden of Gethsemane He prayed for a possible different route and end result.  With His face to ground He prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me." (Matthew 26:39)  Yet, He received no answer from heaven.  When He was on the cross He also prayed, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46)  But God was silent.  When the Son of God needed to hear from His father most ... He heard nothing, and He died.

What happens when you don't get what you want from God?  Do you pout or doubt?  Do you rail against God, or slander Him to others?  Do you wonder if something is wrong with you?  Or can you trust God in His silence?  Can you still believe that He is, that He hears, that He is God and that He is good?  Faith seeks the Father's will beyond our own, and believes even when we don't get what we want.  May God fill you with real faith from above today.

Believing in God with you,

Pastor Tom
tgriffith@rolcboston.org

www.rolcboston.org