Our response to unanswered prayers

"Our response to un-answered prayers"


"Sing O barren, you who never bore a child, burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor, because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband; says the Lord" (Isaiah 54:1).

Have you ever experienced times when you are praying fervently from your whole heart and yet it seems that God is silent? Do you ever wonder if God has even heard your prayers? If so, you are not alone. We've all felt like that many times. I have many "number one" prayers that remains unanswered.

Recently, I caught up with missionary friends I hadn't seen for a long time. Just like old times, we had a great time of sharing and of exchanging stories.  The topic of prayer came up. My friends had spent many years in missions and had raised their children up to young adult age on the mission field. Their testimonies of God's faithfulness in prayers have always inspired and motivated me to pray.  I shared about my 'number one prayers' that continue to remain unanswered, and they shared theirs also. It was so liberating, to share with one another and before God our deepest heart-felt prayer needs.

In the above Scripture, the prophet Isaiah is foretelling Jerusalem's coming restoration and likened it's condition to a barren woman. At that time, Israel was unfruitful like a childless woman and the prophet Isaiah told them to sing in the face of it. How many of us can heed that advice from Isaiah - to sing in the face of unanswered prayer? If you are in a similar situation, be assured that you are not alone. Silence does not mean that God has not heard or He has forgotten our request.  Isaiah encourages us - that this is exactly how we should respond to unanswered prayers or to those barren or unfruitful situations in our own lives.

Timing is everything with God and His timing is perfect. There is great freedom in simply laying our concerns and desires before God and then trusting him for the outcome. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heaven." God's timing is not the same as ours. His ways are not our ways. We live our lives with a sense of earthly time. God sees things from an eternal perspective and He has our best interest at heart. He will make everything in our lives beautiful in his perfect time as we continue to obey and pursue Him.  

Thank you for visiting and please feel free to leave a comment.

God bless

(Adapted from Stormie Omartian - "Responding to Unanswered Prayers," The Praying Woman's Bible)