“Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.” Psalm 22:2 NLT
Have you ever found yourself in the same place as the Psalmist, feeling abandoned and hurt over prayers that have gone unanswered?
I firmly believe that God delights in answering our prayers and yet . . . when the answers are long in coming, and the situations more painful than I feel I can bear, I’ve been known to ask the big “WHY?” How do we cope when God remains silent in response to our cries? Click To Tweet
Today I’m delighted to share Part Three of an 8-part series on Perseverance that three great friends and I have collaborated on together. Friends that have been there to pray me through some of the hard stuff – Mary Geisen, Holly Barrett, and Debbie Kitterman.
Part 1 in the Perseverance series (Bravely Overcoming Fear) can be found HERE, AND Part 2 (Persevering in Recovery) can be found HERE. Today it’s my turn to share!
Please join @MaryGeisen, @HollySBarrett, and @Dare2Hear and me for Part 4 in our series on #Unanswered Prayer Click To TweetOver the course of my life I’ve experienced numerous answers to prayer, some of them HUGE, and my faith has been deepened because of those answers. But there have also been times when I’ve come before God broken and begging for answers to the deep hurts of life – addictions, illnesses, death and other types of loss – and the answers haven’t been quick in coming.
As I’ve cried out to God I’ve often seen those around me rejoicing over His miraculous answers to their own prayers. Sometimes I’ve even been a part of praying for those whom God has answered. I truly rejoice for them . . . and yet . . .
“Have my own prayers become lost on their way to Your ears God? Do You care more for others than You do for me?” Of course the answer to that is NO! The rain falls on the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:45), and no one escapes life without experiencing pain. But that can be hard to see in the midst of trial.
Even as I write, there are heart breaking situations that I’m waiting on God to answer. As I pray and wait I remind myself that:
- God is Sovereign – Supreme, Absolute, Unlimited!
- God’s ways are higher and greater than my ways.
- God is eternal – past, present, and future – and He sees the whole picture when I can’t see.
- God knows the best answer in the right time. Sometimes a delay is in God’s plan . . . maybe even beyond our limited lifetimes.
- Delay makes me more dependent on God for the answer. When I can see no possible solution to a problem and I come to a place of utter surrender, my relationship with Him grows deeper. In truth, my times of deepest pain have also been my times of sweetest fellowship with Jesus.
- Sometimes prayers are being answered incrementally and we cannot see it. Especially in our prayers for others because who, but God, can see what’s happening in the hearts of the ones we pray for?
- My faith is not in the answer to the prayer (a saved marriage, a redeemed child, a job situation, a better way of life) it is in the ONE who holds the answers. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus and His righteousness! Click To Tweet
For the one who feels overwhelmed with needs, needs that seem as if they will never be answered, I am right here with you. I understand. I don’t want to trivialize your pain with pat answers, because I don’t believe there really are any, but I do want to share with you some things I do while I myself pray and wait:
- Continue to be persistent in prayer. Matthew 7:7-8
- Pray in line with God’s will and the character of God. I John 5:14-15
- Pray to know God’s mind or to know how to pray. Romans 12:2
- Ask God to search our motives. Is my prayer for my own attainment and pride or will it give God glory? James 4:3, Psalm 139:23-24. Psalm 66:18
- Pray Scripture. The word of God is the mighty sword that Jesus used against the enemy when tempted in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1-11. Note: Sometimes delayed promises can be spiritual attacks, the enemy’s attempt to weaken and confuse us. In these times it is important to quote God’s word to the enemy and remind him to Whom you belong!
- Call in the troops – prayer warriors to come alongside and help support our weary praying arms when we can no longer hold them up ourselves. Exodus 17:12
- When the need goes on and on and on . . . and others forget your requests for prayer, because most will forget, remember that God will never leave you or forsake you Hebrews 13:5, and that His love for you never fails. Psalm 136:1
- Be still, listen, and receive God’s deep assurance while waiting. Psalm 46:10 NIV and Romans 15:4b NLT
- Thank God in all circumstances – because this is what He tells you to do. I Thess. 5:18
- Continue to BELIEVE God for answers. Proverbs 3:5-6
- Rest in the Lord. It is especially important for me, recovering perfectionist that I am, to remember that there is nothing I can do to earn answers from God. Psalm 37:7
Finally, if nothing else I’ve said resonates with you then hear this: As one who has lived many years and through many experiences (yep, I’m getting old), I’m here to tell ya’ that God has always proved Himself faithful to me. ALWAYS! Most of the time in ways far BETTER than anticipated!
If you’ve lost your hope and have difficulty believing this for yourself, please feel free to borrow on the HOPE that God has given me. If you wish to contact me with prayer needs I am more than willing to pray on your behalf. 😉
My life verse: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NLT
Blessings dear friends,
I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:
TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace
Monday:
IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, Dwellings, ProjectInspired, InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, CelebrateYourStory, Making Your Home Sing Mondays, What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking, SmallWonder, MomentsOfHope, Glimpses, SittingAmongFriends
Tuesday:
TalkOfTheTown, HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, CoastalCharm, CedarHillFarmhouse, TuesdaysAtOurHome, TheWinthropChronicles, Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky, Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story
Wednesday:
SavvySouthernStyle, Posed Perfection, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, ChristianBloggerLinkup, Mom’s Morning Coffee, Women with Intention, Coffee for Your Heart, MessyMarriage, ThreeWordWednesday
Thursday:
ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, ADelightsomeLife, KatherinesCorner, I Choose Joy, Thought Provoking Thursday, SincerelyPaulas, ThankfulThursdays, ThoughtfulThursday, Tune-inThursday
Friday:
FrenchCountryCottage, TheCharmOfHome, RootedInThyme, TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday, ShabbyliciousFriday, Sweet Inspiration, Faith’nFriends, Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays, Dance With Jesus FreshMarketFriday
Saturday:
FunkyJunkInteriors, OneMoreTimeEvents, SaturdaySparks, TheInspirationGallery, Make My Saturday Sweet
Lots of wisdom here- thanks for sharing. There are definitely no easy answers when we pray for what seems so obviously a good thing to us and it goes unanswered, especially when we have seen God work in other situations and we know he has the power to do it. I love how you sum it up here: “My faith is not in the answer to the prayer; it is in the ONE who holds the answers. ” I think that’s the key- holding to God’s goodness and faithfulness even when we can’t see what he is doing in our situation. Visiting from Testimony Tuesday.
I’m so glad you came by for a visit today Lesley. It can be hard to know why God does things the way He does but then I guess we really don’t need to know if we believe He is sovereign. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Romans 15.13 is the scripture Holy Spirit gave me in late 2002/early 2003 after our family went through the horror of my daughter’s fiance’s murder in the summer of 2002. I was so overcome with sadness my heart was barely beating. To watch one’s daughter’s life crumble was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. BUT GOD. As only He can, He did. And, it took until 2007 to bear eternal fruit in her life – five years of agony and waiting.
But He came and showed off!!!
God, “The source of hope.” This is a great scripture Susan and I thank you for it. The agony is real and God is merciful to come and strengthen us when we need it the most and to pray for us when we can’t find the words. I guess I could’ve added praying in the spirit to the list! Blessings to you my friend.
It seems I always end up back at your blog eventually – today, through Kelly Balarie’s linkup! 😉 My marriage continues to get stronger and I’m thankful for the encouragement you provide here. I’m sharing this with a group of other Christian women I know who are going through heart-wrenching struggles right now.
I am so glad to hear from you again Rebekah and happy to hear that God is strengthening your marriage. I know we’ve had similar experiences and I love how God uses what you’ve been through to encourage others. Thank you for commenting and for sharing.
Blessings friend.
Beautiful post, Patti, for which I can only say, “Thank you for encouraging me to keep on praying today.”
Thank you Joanne. I appreciate you.
Just this morning I read a quote from Elisabeth Elliot about prayer (which I will not get exactly right, but . . .): Jesus says that our prayers will be answered and the answer will be good. If God’s answer to our prayer does not look the way we thought it would, chances are we were not praying for quite the right thing.
That gets me somewhere near the gut, because I have a (bad) habit of praying prescriptively, advising God on how to run the universe, and OFTEN I’m wrong.
Thanks for sharing your faith here, Patti.
Haha! I get praying prescriptively Michele, as I have often found myself telling God what I thought was best. I’m so thankful that God doesn’t take orders from me! Thank you sweet friend.
Beautiful words, Patti. I’ve struggled in those seasons when it seemed like God would never answer. Infertility was probably one of the most difficult seasons of my life. Watching tons of friends get pregnant and have babies, and yet not be able to conceive and have a child of my own challenged my belief in who God is. It also brought me to the place where I had to choose whether or not I believed God’s word. He is a good, good Father. He loves us completely and perfectly. Even when what we feel doesn’t “feel” like love.
Thank you for the reminder to persevere in prayer. And thank you for all the verses you gave to remember in the waiting times!
Awww, you are so welcome Jeanne. Infertility is a very difficult thing to deal with and I’m glad to hear that you learned something and drew closer to God through it. He is a good, good Father indeed. Thank you for writing.
“My faith is not in the answer to the prayer (a saved marriage, a redeemed child, a job situation, a better way of life) it is in the ONE who holds the answers.” Oh, how true. My faith is in God even when he doesn’t answer in the way I prefer. Thank you for sharing that truth with me again. I needed to hear it.
You are most welcome. I’m thankful this met a need today.
Very nice Patti…..very nice….. and encouraging, which I need right now. My husband has been laid off from his job since January 27th, and while God has blessed us in some ways, we are really getting down to the minimal finances available for much longer. I know He is in control. I know He understands our needs. I know it’s all working according to His plans. But it’s beginning to be pretty scary around here, and I feel like we are treading water. Thanks for the post because I can always use reminders!
Oh Sharon, I am so sorry to hear this. I’ve been in that situation too so I can understand how scary it can be. I know that God will be faithful to you and I’ll keep you in my prayers. Blessings to you dear friend.
Such an encouraging word, Patti! I love where you said that our faith is not in the answer but in the One Who answers. That is such an important perspective. Blessings on your week!
Thank YOU June. I appreciate your comments.
It is so true that when we hang onto God with broken hearts from not understanding the ‘why’ of an unanswered prayer, we draw closer to Him. Thank you for all those scriptures on prayer! When I think about prayer too, I am always reminded of Nehemiah who always started everything with prayer. He’s become my inspiration on how to always pray before any action. I still have a ways to go! Your post has confirmed even more the power and need for us to pray.
I still have a ways to go too Lynn. Aren’t you glad that we are allowed grace to grow? Thank you for taking the time to come by and comment and blessings to you!
You speak truth, Patti: “My faith is not in the answer to the prayer; it is in the ONE who holds the answers.” I may not always understand why he does or doesn’t answer a specific way, but I do want to honor him anyway.
I agree with you Lisa. I want to honor Him when all is well and when I don’t understand the “Why?” He will bless that 🙂
Yes, I can stand with you in saying that God has always been faithful to me as well, Patti. I love the ideas on how to stay engaged with God in prayer–persevering personally and by getting others to join us. I know for me, praying with a group of wives for the past five or six years has been such a blessing and encouragement. I don’t know how people do stay encouraged when they don’t rally their godly friends! Thanks for sharing this, my friend! So good!
Patti,
Once again, perfect timing for me to read this. I’m going to borrow some HOPE if you don’t mind.
Thanks and bless you.
I don’t mind at all Paula. Praying for God to speak to you and give you what you need most right now. Blessings back. 😉
This can be such a hard thing to remember sometimes!
Yes it can Elizabeth. I needed to give myself a good talking to even today as I started letting my “feelings” get ahead of my obedience to God. Blessings to you ;_
Such an encouragement to my heart, Patti! Loved this: “My faith is not in the answer to the prayer…it is in the ONE who holds the answers.” Sweet blessings to you! ((Hugs))
I’m glad this was an encouragement to you Crystal and sweet blessings back to you my friend 🙂
Thank you for this encouraging word on prayer. Just the words my heart needed to hear today. He is always faithful.
I am so glad this spoke to you today Peggy. Funny, but I needed to hear it myself today too.
Blessings dear friend,
Patti
Patti: Thank you for this beautiful post and the gentle way you have reminded me of what I know to be true.
You are most welcome Sandra. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
For those who are desperate and don’t know what else to do, this is a lifeline Patti. I think eventually we all find ourselves at that place sooner or later. It is so difficult to know what to do when you are really helpless to do anything. Thank you so much for being spot on and also so practical. Happy to share this on Facebook.
Thank you so much Gretchen. I appreciate your feedback and love that you are sharing on Facebook!
Love this post and I love you and your heart for prayer! I am so glad you wrote this for our series and Thanks for linking up with #TuneInThursday this past week.
The title of your post caught my eye, since I completed an article on a similar subject earlier today. Sometimes prayers aren’t answered, and sometimes the answer isn’t what we were hoping for. In either caae, we need to know the God honoring way to deal with this. Lots of wisdom in your words.
I’m so glad you stopped by Barbara. I went over to read a couple of your posts and I can see that you understand unanswered prayers. And yet they are really answered in some way aren’t they? I love that God is using you and the things you’ve experienced to minister to others in pain . . . because there are SO many in pain! Thank you for taking the time to read my article.
Dear Patti ~ This was another GREAT article!! I’m sharing it with my ladies! Were going through Battlefield of the Mind and this goes with it so good! You are such an inspiration! I love and miss you!!
Thanks Shelly. I’m so glad you can share it with your group. I miss you too and think you need a trip to the South real SOON!