The Gift of Unanswered Prayer

"You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." - James 4:3 (NKJV)

During our last devotional, we talked about what we do when we feel like God is silent. Today we will be addressing unanswered prayer.

As James says, we may be asking with wrong motives and we do not receive. If we truly are asking with wrong motives, imagine if God allowed it. This could and probably would be to our detriment. Like we discussed, God is seeing the entire picture where we cannot. In my life, I can look back and see where God did not give me what I asked for and I see now how those things would not have been beneficial to my growth as a Man of God.

Another thing we can consider is that sometimes we ask for great things with good motives however our timing is off. For instance, I've always wanted to be a husband and father from a very early age. I've asked God through much of my adolescence for a girlfriend or a wife. Looking back at the different girls and women in my life at those times, He was making me wait for the woman I am now married to and I am a much better person because of her! I can also say that this path was also the Lord showing me mercy in keeping me from what would have been very unhealthy and unholy relationships.

I'm sure there are other examples in my life and yours as well. The key is to continue trusting Him through difficult times as well as times we feel like he's silent or just not answering our prayers. There is also a piece where we need to ask for the discernment because He may be saying "no" and we just feel like He's not answering. When we look into it from this angle we will probably see that our motives are incorrect.

Key takeaways: Read your Bible, Spend time listening to the Lord, and Trust Him always!