Three weeks ago, we studied how God invites us to ask Him. Therefore, do not hesitate to ask for something or express our wishes to God. The Lord Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given to you." (Matthew 7:7). If so, why are there prayers that God does not answer? You may have prayed for something for months or even years, but God hasn't responded, or even God didn't grant it, like what happened in this story. A wife prayed for her husband's recovery, but the husband died instead. The husband was still young, had just graduated from becoming a doctor, and they had a small child. As a result, the wife became disappointed in God because God did not heal her husband. Why are there prayers that God doesn't answer? Today we seek the answer from God's word.
There are several possibilities for why God does not grant our prayers:
The first possibility, what we ask is not according to His will. In 1 John 5:14, the Apostle John says: "And this is the confidence we have in him, that he hears us if we ask anything according to his will." John emphasizes two interrelated things: God will grant our prayers and the conditions if we ask according to His will. So, the request that God grants is by His will. Even though we think what we ask for is very important and we need it, if it is not in accordance with what God wants or has planned, then God will not grant that prayer. An example of this is the prayer of the Apostle Paul. In 2 Cor 11, he tells how he prayed for God to pull out a thorn in his flesh three times, which was most likely a severe eye disorder (as we discussed a while ago), but God did not grant it. What Paul asked for was important. He must have good eyes to write letters to the churches and support his mission. In his struggle, Paul understood why God did not give his request. Let's read 2 Cor 11:7-9. God knew if He granted Paul's request, he would become arrogant and less dependent on God. God wants Paul to be humble and always depend on Him.
When I was in the seminary, I had a friend who wanted to have children. After more than five years of not getting pregnant, she and her husband went to an obstetrician for consultation, but it still didn't work even though she had done what the doctor suggested. During a testimony event, she shared her disappointment and sadness at not being able to have children. Indeed, this kind of thing is a mystery. She and her husband want to have children. I believe they would be responsible parents and love their children, but God does not give them any children. Meanwhile, some don't want to have children but are blessed with them. Some mothers even have the heart to throw their babies in the trash, like what happened in India a few days ago. Thankfully the baby was still alive when scavengers found her. As God's children, we need to learn, like the Apostle Paul, in response to our prayers that God doesn't answer, namely accepting and finding out what God's will is for us. When God said 'no' to Paul, he was not disappointed, let alone protested to God. Paul realized who God was and who he was. How could a creation dare to protest against his Creator? After that, Paul struggled to find God's meaning by not granting his request.
So, couples not blessed with children need to learn to accept God's will. Then, they find out what God's will be for them. Some are not blessed with children, so they can be more flexible in serving God, such as Daniel Alexander and his wife, who serve the Lord in Papua. There, God used them to raise and educate hundreds of children. Some couples are not blessed with children because God wants them to adopt abandoned children whose biological parents refuse or cannot care for them, even though those children are valuable in the eyes of God. Several friends of mine are servants of God who have adopted children; one is Rev. Yahya Chrismanto, and his wife adopted a child with Down syndrome. They love their adopted daughter very much.
For those who are blessed with children, even though they don't want them or are not ready yet, look at them as trust and gifts from God. If, for some reason, they are not prepared to have children, do not abort your baby. As Christians, we must know that abortion is a sin because it is murder. Many people refer to abortion as "pro-choice." If it should be "pro-choice to murder." Psalm 139:13 states: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." The baby in the womb is a human being that God created, so to abort them means to murder them. Instead of aborting, giving them to couples who don't have children or want to adopt children is better. So, when God does not answer our prayers, there is a possibility that what we ask for is not according to God's will. When that happens, we learn to accept His will, as the Lord Jesus did: "... not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew 26:39), and then we struggle, asking God what He wants. After knowing it, we obediently accept His will. We believe that God's will must be better than ours.
Now I'll explain the second possibility of why God does not answer our prayers. The first possibility is more personal: because that is not according to God's will for us. There is nothing wrong with asking God to heal or give us children. But if that is not God's will for us, He will not do it or give it to us. Some Christians prayed for healing, and God answered their prayers. But other Christians prayed for the same thing, and God didn't fulfill their request. Some mothers prayed to have a child, and God answered their prayers like Hannah's. But others prayed the same thing, and God didn't give. We must remember that God's will for each individual can be different. So, you cannot say why God answered Mike's prayer but not mine because God's will or plan for Mike's life differs from yours. One of the dangers of "claim-it-name-it theology" and "prosperity gospel teachings" is that they don't recognize the uniqueness of the will of God for each individual. Therefore, they like to teach: "If God healed me, He would heal you too!" or "If God blessed me with success and prosperity, He would do the same to you!"
The second possibility why God does not answer our prayers is for all of us (not personal) or in general. It is because what we ask for is indeed wrong. In Luke 9:54-56, it is told how Jesus' disciples were angry when the residents in Samaria rejected the presence of the Lord Jesus, so they said to Jesus: "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" Hearing that, the Lord Jesus rebuked them. In other words, the Lord Jesus stated that their request was wrong. How could they pray that God would take people's lives in Samaria? That is not a right prayer but the Devil's work of 'witchcraft' that harms someone.
So, if someone hurts you and you ask God to take his/her life, God will surely not grant it because that is a wrong prayer. Also, don't expect God to answer your prayer if you go to Las Vegas or a casino to gamble and pray to win. If you win, don't rush to say, "Hallelujah, God has answered my prayer!" It might even be a snare from Satan! With you winning, you will return to gambling again. Another example of the wrong prayer is asking God to pass a test but not studying well. Illustration: A student at a seminary does not prepare well for an exam. When reading the exam questions, he did not know how to answer them. He then responded to each question with "Jesus." After the lecturer checked his exam papers, he was summoned and asked why he had written "Jesus" in each answer column. He calmly replied, "Isn't Jesus the answer to every problem!" The young man was right, but for the exam questions, we had to answer them correctly.
Next week we'll continue with other possibilities why God doesn't answer our requests. Meanwhile, keep praying!
