by Anna Haiar

When Our Prayers Go Unanswered

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“In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.”
Job 12:10 English Standard Version

How great it is to have a God that is all-knowing and has divine power over all things in both heaven and earth! Nothing is out of God’s reach or control. Not a single blade of grass grows, or a tear is shed without his knowledge. No problem or pain is too much for God’s grace.

And yet, at times we are left without answers to our questions. That’s the trouble, isn’t it? We believe in a God who has the power to change anything and is capable of everything, and yet he’s not changing the one thing we want him to change. Despite being brought to our knees in tear-filled prayer, God doesn’t seem to be healing the illness we’re suffering from, fixing the unfixable, or making our problems disappear. We may feel we’re left without resolution, agonizing over why he isn’t answering our cries. How then do we reconcile a God that is all knowing, all powerful and rich in grace and mercy with our very real, very painful, very unanswered problems? It feels unfair.

While we may not understand the reasons for our agony this side of heaven, we are guaranteed that we won’t suffer alone. In the midst of our pain, we can turn to Jesus, who very much knows unfair suffering. Before his crucifixion, Jesus cried out to God to save him from the extraordinary pain he was about to endure on the cross. Yet God did not spare his own Son and instead sacrificed him so that we can one day live without fear or pain or hardship. Through our times of darkness, we can find hope in the promise of heaven. We can find comfort in knowing we have a mediator in Jesus who intimately knows our pain and grieves alongside us. Friend, cry out to him and place your suffering in his hands. He hears you, and he understands.

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado