When God does not answer prayer the way we want, we often get conflicted Frustrated. Angry. Miserable. Unhappy.
Of course, He didn't exactly promise to answer prayer the way we want Him to answer;
John says, "If we make any petition according to His will...He answers..." this can be a bit confusing, since we don't always know His will, and sometimes really don't care. We just want what we want. This is especially true when we pray for healing for someone we love (or ourselves), or for relief from mental or physical pain. It actually hurts, sometimes, when I see someone else going through pain, and I could stop it, if I could just get God's attention.
I have learned, though, that when we think God is not listening, He is. He just has his own will in any given situation--and sometimes, even though God rules the world and has all power, He allows Satan to work. The reason? Part of it is mystery, of course, but much of it is that Satan does have power to some degree over things on earth. Think of ISIS. Do you think that organization is God's will? NO. However, He will use that evil organization in His own way to alter the course of history and bring about His Kingdom. Think of all the murders and evil done in the name of this or that organization. There you see Satan at work as the Destroyer and the Thief and the Liar. These evils work their way down into common life, and eventually into our lives, so that many of the things that happen to US happen because of evil. An unconquerable illness. A sudden death. A wrong-way driver, who "just happened" to be under the influence of alcohol. A drive by shooting. A Doctor who doesn't care. Are these all God's will? NO. For the people who did the evil, their evil was certainly not God's will, for He commands them NOT to do it.
However, God does incorporate them into His plan, and causes everything to work for good--if you love Him (see Romans 8:28). This is not a cop-out. It's a promise that things will be different. You see, Christians live in the future as well as the present, and God has promised us the future. No conditions, other than your faith in Jesus Christ, and that you follow Him. We all know that the present can become pretty bad--but think of the future, and what God has said to you about that. That will be a future free of evil and all its effects--a new world, in which righteousness dwells.
Of course, He didn't exactly promise to answer prayer the way we want Him to answer;
John says, "If we make any petition according to His will...He answers..." this can be a bit confusing, since we don't always know His will, and sometimes really don't care. We just want what we want. This is especially true when we pray for healing for someone we love (or ourselves), or for relief from mental or physical pain. It actually hurts, sometimes, when I see someone else going through pain, and I could stop it, if I could just get God's attention.
I have learned, though, that when we think God is not listening, He is. He just has his own will in any given situation--and sometimes, even though God rules the world and has all power, He allows Satan to work. The reason? Part of it is mystery, of course, but much of it is that Satan does have power to some degree over things on earth. Think of ISIS. Do you think that organization is God's will? NO. However, He will use that evil organization in His own way to alter the course of history and bring about His Kingdom. Think of all the murders and evil done in the name of this or that organization. There you see Satan at work as the Destroyer and the Thief and the Liar. These evils work their way down into common life, and eventually into our lives, so that many of the things that happen to US happen because of evil. An unconquerable illness. A sudden death. A wrong-way driver, who "just happened" to be under the influence of alcohol. A drive by shooting. A Doctor who doesn't care. Are these all God's will? NO. For the people who did the evil, their evil was certainly not God's will, for He commands them NOT to do it.
However, God does incorporate them into His plan, and causes everything to work for good--if you love Him (see Romans 8:28). This is not a cop-out. It's a promise that things will be different. You see, Christians live in the future as well as the present, and God has promised us the future. No conditions, other than your faith in Jesus Christ, and that you follow Him. We all know that the present can become pretty bad--but think of the future, and what God has said to you about that. That will be a future free of evil and all its effects--a new world, in which righteousness dwells.
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