Ever Wonder Why? Sýnishorn

Ever Wonder Why God Answers Some Prayers, But Not Others? 

Today’s question is painful, and like all of these big questions, it doesn’t come with a tweetable answer. Maybe you’ve been begging God to heal someone you love for years, but their condition remains the same. Maybe you see suffering in another part of the world, and you wonder why God won’t just fix the problem. 

No matter what your situation looks like, know that God sees you, and He cares for you. Scripture reminds us that God is close to the brokenhearted, and God would much rather you be angry with Him than walk away from Him all together. 

So, first of all, know that you have permission to ask this question, and it has potential to draw you nearer to God in the process. 

Secondly, remember there’s no easy answer. Sometimes God answers our prayer exactly the way we wanted. The cancer is cured. Our loved one decides to follow Jesus. The provision showed up. Other times, our prayers seem to go into the void unanswered, leading to frustration and fear about our faith itself. 

But what if our prayers aren’t being unanswered, just answered in a way we didn’t want? Sometimes God’s answer is no. Other times His answer is for us to wait. What do we do with that? How could a loving God not come through for His kid? 

Here’s something difficult to acknowledge, but important to remember: God doesn’t exist to serve us. We exist to serve God. 

And what a wonderful truth that is! We have limited perspective, but God sees His whole plan for all of creation. 

We may not always know why God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want. In fact, Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us that God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours. And even Jesus didn’t always get His prayers answered exactly the way He wanted. He asked for a way out of the cross, but He trusted that God’s plan was better. 

So perhaps the question is less about why God doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we want and more about who God is and why we can trust Him. Knowing God’s character can give us hope even when we don’t understand our circumstances. 

Scripture is filled with reminders of who God is—that He’s our refuge, our strength, our Healer, our Redeemer, and more. 

But for today, let’s focus on Psalm 23. In those six short verses alone, we can see so much about the God we serve. Here are just a few things:  

• God is our Shepherd. He is a trustworthy guide, even when we don’t understand where we’re going. He knows the future—we only see our present. And isn’t it far better news to trust in a Savior who sees all things than to rely on our own short-sighted perspective?  
• In Him, we have all we need. If God never answered another prayer the way we expected, He would still be more than enough. 
• He makes us rest in green pastures, and He also walks us through dark valleys. We often focus on the prayers that didn’t go the way we wanted while neglecting the blessings He’s given us. 
• He comforts us, and His goodness and love go before us. 
• Because of Jesus, our future is secure with God no matter what our present pain looks like. 

We may not always know why God doesn’t do what we want, but when we trust who He is, we can find comfort in the One who set the stars in the sky and knows how every day of our lives will begin and end. 

Pray: God, I often struggle to understand why You don’t always answer my prayers the way I expect. But I know that even when I don’t know why, I can trust who You are. Today, I’m really struggling with _______. Would You remind me of Your goodness? In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Challenge: Make a list of who God says He is and how you’ve seen His goodness in your life.