“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 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 5:12-15, ESV).
The Bible certainly does not lack similar passages promising that God will indeed hear and answer our prayers. Some passages even boldly proclaim that our prayers have the power of taking up mountains and casting them into the sea. However, most Christians have experienced at one point or another in their lives, a trace of doubt that maybe God wasn’t going to answer their prayers after all. I know I have felt that doubt more than I’d like to admit. Yet over and over again, God humbles me and shows me that He is a good Father, who answers to His children’s every request.
God answers prayers in His timing
When Gabriel appeared to Zechariah in Luke 1, telling him that his prayer has been heard and that God will grant him and his wife a child, despite their old age, Zechariah’s first reaction was disbelief – “how shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years” (Luke 1:18). What does his response tell us? We know for sure that they prayed for children years ago when they were still young, hoping God will open Elizabeth’s womb before she grows too old for childbearing. We can even suspect that they have come to terms with that fact, that God wasn’t going to grant them a child, and that they have most likely stopped praying for children in their old age. God didn’t answer their prayer the next day, the next week, or even the next year. He answered their prayer decades after their plea for a child! He does hear and remember our every prayer, and He will answer them according to His perfect plan, in His perfect timing.
No is as good of an answer as Yes
Imagine with me for a moment that you are a doctor in the ER, trying to treat a patient with a dislocated shoulder. All the patient wants is for you to leave that shoulder alone and give them a strong painkiller to ease their discomfort. But as a good doctor, you know that you need to set that shoulder back into the socket as soon as possible, even though the procedure can be quite painful. You will have to say no to their request to leave the shoulder dislocated and treat them with a solution that will benefit them in the long run. God is not an irresponsible Father who spoils His children till they are rotten. Instead, He is the perfect Heavenly Father who gives good gifts to His children. He gives us exactly what we need to thrive. And sometimes, that means saying no to our pleas. And when He does say no, we know that he Has our best interest in mind and that He is pruning us to bear fruit in ways we can’t even imagine.
So pray without ceasing, without discouragement, and without fear, because we know our Heavenly Father hears and answers our every prayer.