All of us have run late for something important. It doesn’t matter the reason why we find ourselves behind, but inevitably we all come to that place: the place of frantic panic, wanting to move faster, but powerless and helpless to do so. It may be drying your hair as the minutes tick away, it may be stuck in crawling traffic fearful of the consequences of missing the meeting. Forward progress is made, and must be made, towards arriving, but circumstances beyond our control have prevented us from achieving it in due time.
So it is with unanswered prayer. Is there a panic that can happen when answers we desire are behind schedule? Certainly. In our click-and-receive culture, can we be left in confusion and doubt when the words we need are not given in an immediate, or even timely fashion? Sure. Do we find ourselves helpless and even hopeless when the One directing our steps leaves us waiting to hear the next move? Absolutely.
If “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (Prov. 13:12), then why won’t God return our phone calls? How do we live when the One who is life seems to hide His face or turn off His ringer?
There are clues to help us along this dark path. In his book God on Mute, Pete Greig, founder of the 24/7 prayer movement, offers stories of friends whose faith has been cracked in some way by God’s unmoving hand, whether it be praying for a baby to stop crying, or elusive healing in sickness. He is transparent about his own wife’s suffering in illness, and offers an extensive, but by no means exhaustive, list of why things may not be budging. He discusses motive (“Are my prayers essentially just selfish?”), doctrine (“Does my prayer reflect God’s character and His promises in the Bible?”), common sense (“Am I asking God to do something stupid, meaningless, or illogical?”), and Satanic opposition (“Is my prayer in line with God’s will but experiencing specific demonic resistance?”), among other things. But when silence still pervades, faith must step in; “It’s not that He’s saying ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ or ‘not yet’ to our prayers; it’s that He’s not saying anything at all. We pray and pray but God remains silent. We ask for help and He appears to ignore us. We try to make sense of our situation and there is no explanation, no revelation, no intimation that God even cares. We may wonder if He’s there at all.”
We find this exact expression of unreturned longing, and a clue to our faithful response, in King David’s cry of Psalm 13. Like many of us have, he demands, “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?” But then David proclaims this: “I have trusted in Your steadfast love.” He is speaking about the Lord’s faithfulness that he found before, and will hope in again. His declaration of his heart’s rejoicing means that he’s looking forward to a time that will be filled with the closeness of God - he just has to wait. Perhaps his greatest proclamation is this: “I will sing to the Lord.” After the anguish of the silence, David seems to shrug his shoulders and say he will worship anyway, knowing that God has a plan and purpose for it all.
Paul speaks similarly in Romans 8:28 when he writes, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” We often cling to this verse in the midst of trial as a way to assure us that everything will work out. But does the “good” really mean that everything will come out positively for us? Continuing on, Paul adds, “For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Our “good” is really our sanctification, to be made more like Jesus. And while that process may feel less than comfortable most days, it’s part of God’s plan for us.
So could the silence and the waiting be part of God’s design for us, too? Could it be part of God’s big, encompassing plan of sanctification and salvation for the world? Jerry Sittser, in his book When God Doesn’t Answer Your Prayer, puts unanswered prayer in the light of God’s plan of history, saying, “Unanswered prayer according to our perspective does not mean unanswered prayer according to God’s. Likewise, unanswered prayer in the present moment does not mean unanswered prayer next month or next year or perhaps in the next century.” The circumstances that God has ordained are beyond our control, but we can still worship Him in it, and for it.
An unanswered prayer for a career move means we don’t get what we want in the present, but may mean God’s bigger plan for responsibility is coming - just wait. An unanswered prayer for a spouse means we don’t get what we want in the present, but may mean God’s doing a work in that future spouse now - just wait. An unanswered prayer for a friend’s healing means we don’t get what we want in the present, but may mean God’s going to use our grief to minister to another years down the road - just wait. Sometimes in the waiting it means saying to Him, “I don’t get this, but I’ll hold on by fingertips until You make it clear – someday.” And that is worship.
When we stare at our phones waiting for the return call and begin to get flustered, it’s all about us getting what we want. When we set it aside and trust that God’s working out a bigger plan in all of it, and worship Him in the midst, then we are acting for His glory, not our own circumstances.
So it is with unanswered prayer. Is there a panic that can happen when answers we desire are behind schedule? Certainly. In our click-and-receive culture, can we be left in confusion and doubt when the words we need are not given in an immediate, or even timely fashion? Sure. Do we find ourselves helpless and even hopeless when the One directing our steps leaves us waiting to hear the next move? Absolutely.
If “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (Prov. 13:12), then why won’t God return our phone calls? How do we live when the One who is life seems to hide His face or turn off His ringer?
There are clues to help us along this dark path. In his book God on Mute, Pete Greig, founder of the 24/7 prayer movement, offers stories of friends whose faith has been cracked in some way by God’s unmoving hand, whether it be praying for a baby to stop crying, or elusive healing in sickness. He is transparent about his own wife’s suffering in illness, and offers an extensive, but by no means exhaustive, list of why things may not be budging. He discusses motive (“Are my prayers essentially just selfish?”), doctrine (“Does my prayer reflect God’s character and His promises in the Bible?”), common sense (“Am I asking God to do something stupid, meaningless, or illogical?”), and Satanic opposition (“Is my prayer in line with God’s will but experiencing specific demonic resistance?”), among other things. But when silence still pervades, faith must step in; “It’s not that He’s saying ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ or ‘not yet’ to our prayers; it’s that He’s not saying anything at all. We pray and pray but God remains silent. We ask for help and He appears to ignore us. We try to make sense of our situation and there is no explanation, no revelation, no intimation that God even cares. We may wonder if He’s there at all.”
We find this exact expression of unreturned longing, and a clue to our faithful response, in King David’s cry of Psalm 13. Like many of us have, he demands, “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?” But then David proclaims this: “I have trusted in Your steadfast love.” He is speaking about the Lord’s faithfulness that he found before, and will hope in again. His declaration of his heart’s rejoicing means that he’s looking forward to a time that will be filled with the closeness of God - he just has to wait. Perhaps his greatest proclamation is this: “I will sing to the Lord.” After the anguish of the silence, David seems to shrug his shoulders and say he will worship anyway, knowing that God has a plan and purpose for it all.
Paul speaks similarly in Romans 8:28 when he writes, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” We often cling to this verse in the midst of trial as a way to assure us that everything will work out. But does the “good” really mean that everything will come out positively for us? Continuing on, Paul adds, “For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Our “good” is really our sanctification, to be made more like Jesus. And while that process may feel less than comfortable most days, it’s part of God’s plan for us.
So could the silence and the waiting be part of God’s design for us, too? Could it be part of God’s big, encompassing plan of sanctification and salvation for the world? Jerry Sittser, in his book When God Doesn’t Answer Your Prayer, puts unanswered prayer in the light of God’s plan of history, saying, “Unanswered prayer according to our perspective does not mean unanswered prayer according to God’s. Likewise, unanswered prayer in the present moment does not mean unanswered prayer next month or next year or perhaps in the next century.” The circumstances that God has ordained are beyond our control, but we can still worship Him in it, and for it.
An unanswered prayer for a career move means we don’t get what we want in the present, but may mean God’s bigger plan for responsibility is coming - just wait. An unanswered prayer for a spouse means we don’t get what we want in the present, but may mean God’s doing a work in that future spouse now - just wait. An unanswered prayer for a friend’s healing means we don’t get what we want in the present, but may mean God’s going to use our grief to minister to another years down the road - just wait. Sometimes in the waiting it means saying to Him, “I don’t get this, but I’ll hold on by fingertips until You make it clear – someday.” And that is worship.
When we stare at our phones waiting for the return call and begin to get flustered, it’s all about us getting what we want. When we set it aside and trust that God’s working out a bigger plan in all of it, and worship Him in the midst, then we are acting for His glory, not our own circumstances.
1 comments:
And it's not just the problem of our modern "immediacy" mentality in expecting our prayers answered right away but the feeling of abandonment when prayers go so long unanswered. There is a point when it actually becomes too late to have them answered. The kids are grown now. The husband long gone. The sick friend, passed away. If we can get past these awful feelings and experiences we actually do arrive at a place of worshiping God anyway, just as you said. We also begin to pray prayers that not only lack urgency and desperation but are filled with trust and love. Great insights my friend!
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