Being Thankful for Unanswered Prayers

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? (Psalm 22:1).

Most Christians recognize the power of prayer, but dealing with unanswered prayer is difficult for many. Of course, the term itself is a misnomer. There are no unanswered prayers for the Christian. God always answers with some form of either "yes," "no," or "wait." "Unanswered prayer" is usually the name we give to prayers that aren't answered in the way we want them to be.

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Matthew 7:11).

However, we should thank God, even when he doesn't answer them right away or if His answer is no. We can't see the big picture or the future the way He does. Knowing that He is the perfect, Holy, righteous God who always wants the very best for His children, why wouldn't we want His will to be done and not our own? What we ask for isn't always a good thing, although it may seem like it to us. We certainly aren't all-knowing. If we understand God at all, we should realize His way is always best.

As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to those that trust in him (Psalm 18:30).

It all comes down to a matter of trust. How much do we really trust God? If we truly love Him, then our faith in Him will grow, and as our faith grows, we love Him more. Both of these cause our trust in Him to strengthen, and it's all fed by His Word. In fact, all of these are strung together in such a way that when one increases, it causes the others to also grow. It is a beautiful cycle that allows us to know, whatever happens, God will take care of us in the best possible way, although we might not understand or always see it. It's then that we will thank God for unanswered prayer, knowing that it was not good in the big picture or that He has something better in store.

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