The blessing of unanswered prayer - 7 September 2010 |
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Prayer is our way of seeking what we lack, which God has the power to bestow.
Prayer always recognises that God will answer all our prayers in accordance with his purposes, and that these purposes are always infinitely glorifying to him and always perfectly good (viewed from his [eternal] perspective, and measured according to what God regards as valuable) for his people (Romans 8:28).
Therefore every unanswered prayer (for health, marriage, the safety of a loved one, employment, friendship, life, breath and anything else) provides an opportunity to say to our heavenly Father:
“You are my loving Lord, and you know what’s best for your people. I can see that you’ve decided not to bestow (yet?) what I asked for, despite the fact that I can’t help thinking that it would be far better for me if you were to do so. So I praise you, heavenly Father, for
(1) this opportunity to re-think what is really ‘good’ for me;
(2) the greater blessings that you have in store, towards which this as-yet unanswered prayer is working;
(3) this fire in which you are refining my faith by requiring me to trust in your goodness and love even when it’s harder than ever to do so;
(4) the opportunities that the coming days, weeks and years may bring for me to praise you as I see some of the details of your sovereign plan working out;
(5) the future that certainly lies ahead in the New Creation, where I will praise you for your intricately-woven goodness and wisdom, where I will see finally and fully what I now see only by faith – that all things truly do work together for the good of those who are in Christ.”
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Posted by Steve Jeffery · Topics: Minister's Blog