No Unanswered Prayer

And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

1 John 5:15 (ESV)

George Müller, a pastor in England in the 1800s, kept a written record of something most people never think to count. By the end of his life, he had written down 50,000 distinct answers to prayer. He’s one of the greatest prayer warriors in all of history, and he says, “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance. It is laying hold of God’s willingness.”

In today’s verse, the Apostle John would agree with every word. “And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” The word “hears” means not only to listen, but to act on what’s heard. God hears prayer, and God responds to prayer. In fact, there’s no such thing as unanswered prayer. God just answers prayer in different ways.

Sometimes God says, “No.” No is an answer, and when God says, “No,” don’t pout, get upset, or get angry. Every time God says, “No,” it’s because what you’re asking for is not best for you and God has something better for you. 

Sometimes God says, “Yes.” Sometimes that yes is immediate, and sometimes it’s not, but that yes is always in the will of God.

Sometimes God’s answer is, “Yes, but.” I wanted to be a lawyer. I wanted to use my voice and my intellect to stand for truth publicly and help people get justice. God said, “I’m going to let you do that, but you won’t be a lawyer. You’re going to be a preacher.”

Then sometimes the answer is, “Yes, but not now.” With God, timing is everything. I shudder when I say this, but I almost married the wrong girl two times, and I thank God every day of my life that I waited for the girl I did marry.

Why not start your own record the way Müller did? Write down the prayer you’ve been sure God ignored, whether it’s the promotion that went to someone else or a relationship that ended. Beside it, ask, “Lord, is this a no, a yes, a yes but, or a not now?” Then keep the page and come back to it in six months.

Müller counted 50,000 answers. Start counting yours, and you’ll discover you have never prayed one unanswered prayer.

Prayer: Father, I’ve called some of my prayers unanswered when You were simply saying, “No,” or “Not yet.” Thank You for the doors You closed and the timing You protected. Help me trust Your answer on the prayer I’ve been sure You ignored. In Jesus’ name, Amen.