To pray in vain by Deon Crafford

Matthew 7-7-11 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Is there such a thing as unanswered prayer? Could it be that God finds some kind of cruel joy in not answering certain prayers and leaving believers frustrated and deceived? Or is it that God in his omniscience intervenes in my prayers and aligns His interventions with what He knows is best for me and for His purpose in me? As parents we don’t always give our children all they specifically ask for, precisely because we’re motivated by their well-being. And then we risk being judged as uncaring or unloving. So many people respond like this to God when their specific prayer goes “unanswered”. In their bitterness they turn their backs on God or denounce their faith. All this because God does not respond in a machine-like predictable way. And so many believers can attest to the fact that God “not answering” in a required way, turned out to be a phenomenal blessing. There is no such thing as an unanswered prayer, its just that the answer is provided by the One who holds all things together, the Beginning and the End. From God’s side the answer is perfect, but from my limited and instant-gratification side, it may turn out to be one big disappointment. If I go deeper, maybe I’ll see clearer.

Love to all