Most of can remember a Garth Brooks song, Unanswered Prayers. The song was about a man and his wife attending a high school football game and the husband seeing his former high school sweetheart. It reminded him he needed to thank God for not answering his prayer to make this girl his wife, as he had prayed that prayer in high school. Both himself and his high school sweetheart had changed over time.
This song has always bothered me. I love the song, and I like Garth Brooks’ music in general. I think it is the assumption that God does not always answer prayer. I believe He does, in His timing and in His will. It may be instantly, in an hour, a week, a year or decades but the answer to our prayers does happen. We may not see or feel the answer. As an example, I have prayed for salvation for a man for quite some time. I may not live long enough to see if he accepts the Lord. He could move away, and I could lose contact and not ever know here on earth. It is certainly within the will of God for him to come and know Christ as his savior. 1 Timothy 2:4 “God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” But God’s timing is always perfect. God does not work on our time schedule.
Many people send me prayer requests and I forward those out to 121 people whom I hope will pray for them. I call them Prayer Warriors. I believe and trust in God to answer those prayers in His timing and in His will. I have seen and heard about many answered prayers from people that I have forwarded those forover the years. I have yet to have someone tell me, “God did not answer my prayer you forwarded.”
God will answer those prayers in His timing and in His will. Sometimes the person we are praying for may not be healed of a disease here on earth as we have asked for. In those times we must trust that God knows and sees the big picture of life on earth. It is entirely possible that the death of a loved one could eventually lead to the salvation of a sibling or child or grandchild simply because of the life the person who died, lived. Something that was said during the funeral struck a chord in the heart of someone they loved.
God works in mysterious ways and things have to all line up at just the right time, and sometimes the right place, for God to bring to pass His plan for a person’s life. Yes, God does have a plan for each of our lives. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
In conclusion, keep praying for people or yourself because God hears those prayers. He will answer them, in His timing and in His will.
Jim Everett
