How Does God Answer Prayer?

In his well-known song “Unanswered Prayers,” country music artist Garth Brooks claims that “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” For Garth, God didn’t give him the girl he prayed for in high school, and looking back, he was thankful for that.

I hate to break it to Garth, but his theology isn’t quite on par. It’s not that God didn’t answer His prayer, it’s that His answer was “No.”

Let’s take a second to look at four ways God answers prayer. But first, a few disclaimers:

·      This is not an exhaustive list. We cannot put God in a box and say that He will only act in one of four ways.

·      This list is not my own. I cannot tell you exactly where it came from, but I do not take credit for it.

1. When the request is wrong, God says “No”

As was the case for Garth, sometimes what we want just isn’t in God’s plans for us. But when we don’t get what we pray for, we shouldn’t think that God didn’t hear us or didn’t answer us, for He did. His answer was simply, “No.”

When God answers no, we need to keep in mind what He said in Isaiah 55:9, “For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

2. When the timing is wrong, God says “Slow”

Sometimes God plans to grant our request, but not right at that moment. God might have great things in store for us, but we have to be patient and wait expectantly for Him to work.

Isaiah 40:30-31 tells us that, “youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.”

3. When we are wrong, God says “Grow”

Of course it is hard to admit, but sometimes we ask God the right things for the wrong reasons. Maybe we want a new job, but only because it pays more money (that we don’t necessarily need). Maybe we want to teach a Sunday school class, but only because it will make us look good. Good intentions don’t always have the right motivation behind them.

When this is the case, God responds by growing us. When we become more like Him and less like our sinful selves, our motivations will be right and we will be ready to serve the Lord however He desires to use us. We will be like Isaiah, who boldly exclaimed to God, “Here I am. Send me” (Isaiah 6:8).

4. When all is right, God says “Go!”

By this point you may be a little discouraged. You might be thinking that you will never get your way with God. But let me share with you some promises from God’s Word:

God said, “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and wondrous things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

Jesus told His disciples, “Therefore, I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for – believe that you have received them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:24)

“Now this is the confidence we have before Him: whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for.” (1 John 5:14-15)

So don’t stop praying because you feel like God isn’t listening. He hears you and He is responding. And however He responds, whether you like it or not, trust that His will is best.