Dealing with Unanswered Prayer

Here are the thoughts that came to me this morning as I was thinking about my previous posting: There are a lot of "words of wisdom" that can be given during a time of grief and unanswered prayer. One can find intellectual explanations and theological reasons to answer the questions of why. However, during this time, that doesn't really seem to work. All the answers just sound "pat". No matter how true or valid they are, it is just too hard for the hurting soul to wrap his spiritual arms around them. And the grieving heart that cries out "why" will find it difficult to hear the answer. The pain muffles the hearing of the response.

There is a time for the such discussion. However, it seems to me that the time of grief needs to be lived more at an emotional level rather than an intellectual one. The need for emotional comfort calls out to be met first and then the need for answers. When a person is physically injured, there are answers as to the nature of the injury that can be described in great physiological and biological detail, but the immediate need is for healing over scientific explanation.

I believe there is purpose and meaning in our suffering, but trying to explain or understand that in the midst of it all is baffling. There is the danger of thinking of God as one who doles out pain and grief in an unattached and uncaring manner. Instead, God needs to be seen and experienced during this time as one who is "close to the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalm 147:3). One who "does not willingly bring grief" (Lamentations 3:33) and "in all their distress he too was distressed" (Isaiah 63:9). For he truly is "the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our troubles" (2 Corinthianss 1:3-4).

Applying this to myself concerning my previous posting, I need the reaffirming of God's love and presence in my own heart as I deal with unanswered prayers for others. Most importantly, I pray for the compassion and comfort of the Father upon those dear families who have lost precious little ones. May healing and love flow into their lives in abundance and may they, in time, find what answers can be found in this life.

John

Weariness

During the days of my son's illness, we were incredibly blessed to see God deliver little Brent from the point of death and bring him back to wholeness. It was an undeniable miracle. We also saw friends that we made there experience a miracle similar to ours when their son was about to lose his life. And we saw third family whom we befriended make it through a really bad situation with their son as well. We were all Christian believers who prayed for one another and had many others praying for us as well.

However, now, after those days, I have seemed to enter another era. Over the past year or two, I have gone from one case to another of praying for kids who have been in dire straits. I can count about 7 of these cases. Most of them were for kids I only knew indirectly through someone else. Nevertheless, I have had strong feelings of compassion for their situations and had earnestly prayed for miracles and deliverance daily over months. In each case, however, the kids did not survive.

This has been very difficult for me. Why did God bring them into my life and move me to pray and become emotionally caught up in the hope of their deliverance? And in each case, after months of praying, not see God answer my prayers nor the prayers of many others who were praying for them?

This has left me weary and grieving. Why would God not answer my earnst prayers? Now I feel as though I do not want to hear about any more bad news because it takes such a toll on my faith and trust in the Lord. If I had only seen one of those children saved I would be encouraged to continue to pray for others.

Perhaps, I should not have hope in earthly deliverance and just resign myself to the fact that many times, earthly healings are not going to happen. And just look to hope of the life to come in which God's full goodness will be fully manifested forever to the recipients of his salvation. Yet my heart aches for those parents who are dealing with immeasurable pain at the loss of their children. My prayer now is that they be greatly comforted by the presence of the Lord and that their pain will turn into the depth of beauty in their spirit.

I really need this exhortation from Scripture:

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

I join the with Psalmist and pray:

"Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me." -Psalm 86:17

Bible Reading Plan

I believe that the "Christian life" transcends just "doing" the right things and not doing the wrong things. I am convinced that at its core it is a matter of the heart--a relationship with God in which I respond to his love and presence with faith, love, hope, charity, devotion and worship. There is a part of me that wants my faith to be spontaneous and not dependent upon rituals. So when I first consider going on a regimented bible reading plan, it seems artificial, fabricated, canned. I should just read as I am "moved by the Spirit". Instead of relying on a reading plan, my heart should spontaneously lead me to read.

Here is the reality, though. I've been through this a number of years and the truth is I flourish in my faith when I have a bible reading plan and languish when I do not. My ideals always give way to my shortcommings. The bible reading plan gets me into a routine and because of that routine I am reading God's Word regularly and that is impacting me. Without it, I get undisciplined and neglect it.

I tend to vascillate. One year I use a bible reading plan and end up reading through the Bible, then the next year I decide to do ad hoc reading and I don't end up reading regularly. In 2007, I used a plan and read through the Bible. 2008, I did not. So for 2009 I am back on the plan. Part of the fun of it is I come up with my own reading plan, type it in the computer, then check it off as I read. I've probably done this around a dozen times over the years and each time I like to taylor it a little differently.

This year, I organized my reading into 4 tracks: Old Testament history, Psalms and Proverbs, Old Testament prophets and New Testament. Each track is organized into sections of about 10 chapters, which is a couple days of reading. Once I read a section of one track, I write in the date I completed it on my log sheet. Then I go to the next track and do the same.

For instance, I first read Genesis 1-10 in the Old Testament history track. And I just finished Psalms 1-10 in the Psalms/Proverbs track. Next I read Isaiah 1-10, then Matthew 1-10. After that I go back to Genesis to read chapters 11-20. That way I regularly get exposed to different parts of the Bible.

So I guess I am resigned to the fact that I do need "rituals" and "routines" in my spiritual life to keep me disciplined in seeking the Lord. And I know that he promises that those who seek him will find him!