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What does answered prayer look like?
Very often, when I am sitting with an unanswered prayer, here’s what I want to say to God: “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!” — Psalm 4:1
I want to know that I am heard. I want God’s consolation even if the answer I receive isn’t ultimately the one I want. But I want a visible sign that I am heard. When my heart hurts, I want to know that God cares.
“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers.” — Psalm 39:12
From the words of these psalms, I understand I am not the only one.
Which leads to the uncomfortable question of, “Why pray at all?” Does a change in my life come because of my own actions, or because I have prayed to God? Or both? Who gets credit when a need is answered, and who receives blame when it isn’t? Me or God?
This is a daunting question, because it considers the very nature of our relationship with God. It’s right up there with the question of suffering, which I have yet to hear a satisfactory answer to. It is a question we see wrestled with in the Book of Job. When God finally shows up, his answer to Job is essentially, “Who are you to question me?”
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By Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson
5
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Very often, when I am sitting with an unanswered prayer, here’s what I want to say to God: “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!” — Psalm 4:1
I want to know that I am heard. I want God’s consolation even if the answer I receive isn’t ultimately the one I want. But I want a visible sign that I am heard. When my heart hurts, I want to know that God cares.
“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers.” — Psalm 39:12
From the words of these psalms, I understand I am not the only one.
Which leads to the uncomfortable question of, “Why pray at all?” Does a change in my life come because of my own actions, or because I have prayed to God? Or both? Who gets credit when a need is answered, and who receives blame when it isn’t? Me or God?
This is a daunting question, because it considers the very nature of our relationship with God. It’s right up there with the question of suffering, which I have yet to hear a satisfactory answer to. It is a question we see wrestled with in the Book of Job. When God finally shows up, his answer to Job is essentially, “Who are you to question me?”