The Pain and Promise of Unanswered Prayer
Are you waiting for God to answer a prayer right now? Does it seem like it's taking a long time to receive the answer? Or, did you pray about something that God never answered at all? In this study, learn more about how the Lord works through unanswered prayer.
Begin by reading about the resurrection of Lazarus in John 11:1-46.1.
God wants us to bring Him our concerns. Mary and Martha had a godly desire. They wanted their friend Jesus to come heal their sick brother. At the beginning of the story, they didn't hesitate to share their request with the Lord (v. 3). Later, neither was afraid to tell Him about her disappointment that He didn't show up in time to save Lazarus from death (v. 21, 32).
Psalm 62:8 says, "Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; for God is a refuge for us."
What is weighing heavily on your heart today? Take a minute and pour out your feelings to the Lord. 2. When God doesn't respond as we think He should, He has a higher purpose for our suffering.Although Jesus loved Lazarus, He chose to stay in Bethany two more days. What was His perspective on Lazarus' sickness? (v. 4)
What was the ultimate purpose for Christ's delay? (v. 14-15; 45) In a similar way, God has wonderful plans for us that don't always include answering our prayers in the way we expect or when we expect. However, we can trust that He will always work things out for our good and His glory.Read Romans 8:28-29. For what did God predestine us, according to verse 29?
28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Write down an unanswered prayer that allowed for God's best in your life.
For example, perhaps you prayed for your spouse to change, and because he or she didn't, you grew spiritually and emotionally, learning to trust God in the midst of a difficult marriage. 3. Even though God knows the ultimate outcome of our suffering will be glorious, He still has compassion on us in the midst of our heartache.Read John 11:32-36. Why do you think Jesus wept? 32Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 33
When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. 34And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 35Jesus wept. 36Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!The Jews who came to mourn with the sisters had two reactions to Jesus' weeping.
What were those two reactions? (v.35-37) When God takes a long time to fulfill our requests, it's easy to start to doubt Him and think, why would a good God allow suffering?When you suffer or you see others hurting, do you focus on God's love for individuals, or His apparent inactivity on their behalf? Why? A good father responds to his children with love and compassion when they are hurting. How you think God responds to the things that upset you? Read Psalm 103:13-14 and Psalm 147:3.
Psalm 103:13-14
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. 14For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.Psalm 147:33He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.4. In order to see our prayers answered, we must sometimes obey God, even when He asks us to do things that don't make sense.
Why did Martha initially protest that the stone should not be removed from the grave? (v. 39) Has God ever asked you to do something that at the time made little sense, but later on, you realized was essential to seeing your prayers answered?
If so, describe it and the ultimate result. If you haven't experienced that, you may consider asking God to help you hear His direction for your life more clearly.Closing: Many times, it's obvious why God didn't answer our prayers.
Maybe His initial "no" leads us to something better—such as a more suitable job or spouse. Or, like Mary and Martha, we witness an amazing miracle that points people toward the Lord.On the other hand, some unanswered prayers leave us reeling in doubt.
When God seems deaf to your requests, the challenge is to continue to draw close to Him and trust Him. Ultimately, He will bring something wonderful out of the situation.
Prayer: Father, thank You for having all things under control. Help me to draw near to You and trust You even when I don't understand what Your purpose is. Use my circumstances to glorify Your name. I pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.
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1 comment:
You are wrong when you assume that having "compassion on us in the midst of our heartache" was the reason that "Jesus wept".
Jesus didn't cry when he heard that his "friend" was sick nor did he cry later when he told the disciples their "friend" was dead nor did he cry when he talked with Martha nor did he cry when he talked with Mary. He only cried after he heard the response of the Jews to his question. And those who distort the details in God's word can't benefit from the jots and tittles therein.
Many wrongly teach this passage and present Jesus as a normal attendee who gets overtaken by emotion at any given funeral but this idea is demonstrably false.
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