Real Hope: When God Says NoChikamu

Waiting for God

How do we reconcile a loving, gracious God who won’t always answer our prayers? How do we feel about God when we pray for healing that never comes, or restoration in a relationship that remains broken? The Bible is full of miracles, so we know God is able, yet sometimes He just says no.

Habakkuk knew this feeling well. After watching evil prevail, he pleaded with God to redeem His people, only to have God say no. So what did he do? He drew on what he knew of God and about God, and he decided to sit and wait for the Lord to speak to Him.

Like Habakkuk, when our prayers go unanswered, we wait for the Lord to speak to our hearts. We don’t take matters into our own hands. Instead we remind ourselves of the depth of His love for us and remember His sacrifice for us. We share our heartache and disappointment and anger with Him and we allow Him to speak His peace into those spaces. We hold on to His goodness and mercy and encourage our soul to continue hoping on the Lord because He is good.

When God says no or not yet, it can be easy to write Him off. But we need to remind ourselves of who God is. We need to remember His heart and character. We don’t see all the things He’s doing in our situations, so we need to trust Him when He says that He’s FOR us. God isn’t trying to hurt us. He wants what is best for us. Our unanswered prayers are not a rejection; they are a reflection of His sovereignty and love. He is a good, faithful God who loves us deeply and unconditionally.

Written by LEILA ARMSTRONG