Pastor's Page

18th June 2007 - Prayer: When God is silent!

Probably one of the most frustrating times we experience is when God is silent to our prayers. We are told in Hebrews 5:7 that Jesus "offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission." And so we feel that when we offer up our prayers and petitions which may feel just as heartfelt, we find ourselves agonizing over the silence from God. We find ourselves questioning whether prayer works at all, whether God listens to us anyway, and whether we haven't been heard and our prayers not answered because we are unworthy!

However, experience shows us that God does listen and He answers prayers as we have seen at SBC. The Prayer Requests we receive through the letterbox and via this website are often answered, and we praise God and give Him the glory for that. But sometimes, and for some people it seems most of the time, God doesn't answer and we are left feeling ignored and/or rejected by God.

I want to offer some explanation for this, as I myself have experienced both answered prayer and unanswered prayer.

Sometimes God is testing your faith!

This may seem difficult to grasp, but just as a child learns to take small steps with their mother or father holding them from behind, there comes a point when the parent lets go and the child takes a few small steps on their own. In the same way, God does the same with us when we are learning to trust Him. It is easy to walk in God's ways when He is holding us, but a little more daunting when He isn't. And occasionally as we walk through this life, God lets go to watch us walk in faith. He is watching us to see if we follow His ways, and if we start to trip or stumble, He is there to catch us. Don't think that God doesn't care or isn't there in the times of silence; He is watching you and will catch you if you fall.

What we are asking is not what God is wanting!

1 John 5:14-15 says, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

How do we know what is according to God's will? The answer to this explains why some people we know seem to have their prayers answered more often. The more we get to know God through the reading of His word and through times spent alone in prayer with Him, the more we will learn about His will for our lives. Those other people you know who seem to have their prayers answered and get blessed more often is probably because they spend more time finding out what God wants before asking! This is something that will come in time as we spend time with Him each day.

The timing is wrong!

We cannot see beyond our moments, but God can see our beginning and our end. He knows the optimum time to answer your prayers, and so, sometimes, God says "yes, but not now!", or rather He doesn't say anything, and just when you think He has forgotten, your prayer is answered. There are many examples of this in the bible: the Israelites praying for an end to their captivity in Egypt - they waited many decades before God sent Moses! Also, James writes in his letter in chapter 5, Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near."

God doesn't mess with free will!

Now this is fundamental to how God works. I am reminded of a scene in the film, 'Bruce Almighty', where God (Morgan Freeman) has given Bruce His powers and through Bruce's own thoughtlessness he loses his girlfriend. He tries everything to win back her affections but to no avail, even commanding her to "Love me!", but it doesn't work. The famous question where Bruce asks God "How can you get people to love you without messing with their freewill?". If you forced people to love you, then it wouldn't be true love! God wants us to love Him for who He is and what He has done for us (sending His son Jesus to save us), and so He will not force us and mess with our freewill. We all have that choice whether we follow His ways or not!

All this to say you cannot pray to God to make someone love you, or make someone do something. God will not interfere with their freewill just as he won't with yours!

God knows best!

Sometimes God doesn't answer because He knows what we asking for won't do us any good. In Matthew 7:7-11 Jesus tells us "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

God loves us so much that He doesn't want us to come to harm, so sometimes, when we pray for things, God won't answer. We must trust that He knows what is best! His ways aren't our ways!

I hope this has given you encouragement why prayers seem to go unanswered. I would encourage you to seek God with all your heart, so that you would know His will for you and your life. It is only when we experience this close relationship, that we begin to understand His ways.

Pete

Pastor