Tag Archives: unanswered prayers

November 3, 2026 · 5:52 AM

Holding On To Hope

A couple of years ago our family walked through a difficult season. My son told me, “I don’t understand, Dad. Why didn’t God answer our prayers? We fasted. We prayed. We did everything right. It doesn’t make sense.” He wasn’t wrong. We had plenty of faith that God would answer, yet here we were picking up the pieces of pain. I had to remind him, and myself, that our hope and faith in God isn’t based on the moment we’re in. We can look back throughout history and our lives and see that God is good. It may not seem like it when we’re in the middle of circumstances that aren’t going our way, but God has been faithful throughout generations. There are times when we have to hold tightly to our faith when we don’t understand what God is doing on the present moment.

In Genesis, God told Sarah she was going to have a child in her old age. She had prayed for decades to have one, but knew her circumstances showed it wasn’t going to happen. Her circumstances seemed to prove that God’s promise wouldn’t come true, yet she trusted God’s faithfulness over the way things appeared. Hebrews 11:11 wrote about her faith by saying, “It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise” (NLT). She had faith and believed that God would keep His promise even though everything she had been taught said it was impossible. She gave birth to Isaac late in life and had a daily reminder of God’s ability to keep His promise.

Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.” It’s hard sometimes to hold on tightly to the hope we have without wavering, but the good news is that God’s faithfulness doesn’t depend on our strength. He is faithful even when we are unfaithful. When our circumstances seem to show the opposite of what we think should happen, God is still in control. He’s not just looking at the moment. He’s looking at the whole picture with an eternal perspective. We can trust Him to keep His promise and to make decisions based on His perspective and not our emotions. When our circumstances seem to disagree with God, look beyond the moment and trust in who He has always been. Keep holding on to that hope.

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October 28, 2026 · 5:44 AM

When God’s Delayed

Do you ever stop to think how we’ve built our lives on getting things quickly? Mail was too slow and now you can send an email to get it to them in seconds. You can call someone on the other side of the world and talk instantly. You could hop on a plane and be there within a few hours to see them face to face. We have Ubers and Cybercabs that will pick us up in a matter of minutes to take us where we want to go. We can have groceries delivered within the hour without having to go to the store. Even Amazon next day delivery was too slow. Now they’re delivering your goods by drone same day. It’s no wonder we don’t like to wait and run out of patience when we do have to.

In Daniel 10 he had received a disturbing vision from God and asked for understanding of it. He fasted and prayed for three weeks without an answer. It was then that an angel visited him to bring him an answer. In verse 12 the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer” (NLT). The very first day he prayed, God heard him and sent the answer on its way. However the angel bringing the answer was opposed in the spiritual realm. I believe because Daniel kept praying, even though he didn’t receive an answer instantly, the angel was able to battle through and bring the answer.

Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.” When we’re used to getting things instantly, it’s easy to give up on prayers when God doesn’t answer right away. However, don’t give up. Keep praying. Depending on what or who you’re praying for, it may be years. Don’t stop. Wait patiently for the Lord. He heard your prayer the first day that you prayed it. We can’t see what’s going on in the spiritual realm nor can we truly understand God’s timing. What we do know is that your prayers are heard by God the first day you say them. I want to encourage you today to not give up in the waiting. Keep knocking, keep seeking and keep asking because to the ones who knock, doors will be opened. To the ones who continue to seek, they will find. It’s the ones who keep asking that get their answers even if they are delayed by our standards. Be brave. Be patient and keep waiting.

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August 1, 2023 · 5:44 AM

Unmet Expectations

I’ve found that a lot of interpersonal problems are caused by unmet expectations. One person thought the other person should have done something. When they didn’t do it, they’re mad at them. The real issue though is hat they never told the other person that they had this expectation of them. In their mind it should be understood. Think about a time when you were upset or disappointed in someone. If you really look into it, chances are they didn’t meet your expectation. However, did you tell them you expected that? Relationships are hard because both people involved have a ton of expectations that they never express.

In 2 Kings 5, we read the story of a military leader named Naaman. When he got a dreaded disease called leprosy, one of his servant girls told him about a prophet in Israel that could heal him. His king sent him to Israel with a large tribute to pay the prophet for healing him. When he made it to Elisha’s house, Elisha sent out his servant to tell him to dip in the Jordan River seven times. Verse 11 says, “But Naaman became angry and stalked away. ‘I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!’ he said. ‘I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me!’” (NLT). There’s that unmet expectation. Since Elisha didn’t do what he expected, he wasn’t going to follow the order for healing. He almost missed out on his healing because of an unmet expectation. How many have we missed out on because God didn’t do what we expected and we pouted?

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” We like to quote this verse, but honestly it’s telling us to trust God even when His requests aren’t what we expect. We’re not to lean on our own understanding or expectations. It’s easy for us to get mad at God for not doing what we expected, but the truth is that we must still trust Him even when He doesn’t meet our expectations. We must still love Him when He doesn’t answer the way we think He should. We have to keep following Him when we don’t understand. Faith trusts that God’s plan is greater than my expectations. If you’re mad at God or disappointed in Him because He didn’t do what you wanted, are you really trusting Him with your whole heart? Don’t let an unmet expectation stunt your spiritual growth or hinder your relationship with God.

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June 26, 2023 · 5:40 AM

The Character Of Faith

In March of 1998, we were sitting in the ICU waiting room of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The doctor pulled us into the side room to talk to us about my mom. They said there was nothing more they could do so they were going to send her home and have hospice take over. Up to that point, my faith had not been shaken. I was certain God could and would heal her. After the doctor left, we sat in the room shell shocked by his news. My dad spoke up to share some things. The one line I remember most was, “Determine in your hearts now that you will not get bitter against God if He chooses not to heal her.” I thought it was a strange thing to say, but I stopped and made the determination anyway. A few weeks later, she passed on to eternity.

In Daniel 3, Israel had been invaded by Babylon and lost. The people were taken captive and sent to Babylon. The best and brightest were put into a training and then placed in the kings service. Three of these men were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Even though they served the king, they refused to worship the Babylonian gods and follow their customs. When the king found out they wouldn’t bow down to the god he made, he brought them before him for questioning. He didn’t like their answer and threatened to burn them alive in a furnace. In verse 17-18 they said, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (NLT ). They had made a determination to not turn their back on God no matter what happened.

Have you made that kind of determination? If God, who is able to meet your most pressing prayer request, doesn’t answer the way you want Him to, will you still love and serve Him? Habakkuk 3:17-18 says, “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” If everything falls apart and nothing goes your way, how will you respond? These tough moments reveal the character of our faith. Do we implicitly trust God or do we treat Him like a 9-1-1 call? Having stood in that moment myself, I can say that the statement my dad made that day changed how I responded. I found out that my faith was deeper than the surface and stronger than I knew. Understanding where my faith truly is has helped me through even the toughest times.

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January 19, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Nothing Is Too Difficult

When my mom was in the final stages of her life, she was in the ICU at M. D. Anderson hospital. On one particular day, I got to spend the whole day with her. She must have seen the worry on my face because she said, “There’s nothing too hard for God you know.” She then spent the next few hours telling me of all the times in her life that God came through in impossible situations. She then said, “I have no doubt that God knows what He’s doing. I have peace in whatever He chooses.”

That day was one final lesson from her that God is in control, and that there’s nothing He can’t do. Just because she didn’t walk out of that hospital completely healed and cancer free, doesn’t mean that God’s doesn’t have the ability to heal. For whatever reason, He didn’t heal her the way we were praying. She knew that was a possibility so she reminded me, and herself, of all the times God had performed miracles in her life.

I don’t know why God answers some prayers and not others. I don’t know why He shows off in great form in some instances and not in others. What I do know is that He has the ability to. Jeremiah felt the same way. He was locked up while Jerusalem was under siege for prophesying that Jerusalem would be under siege and lost the battle. While He was in prison, God told him that his cousin would come sell him some land. I’m sure Jeremiah laughed. Why would someone in prison need to buy land? Because God was going to do the impossible and set him free one day and return him from captivity.

When the deal was done, in Jeremiah 32:17 , he prayed, “Sovereign Lord, you made the earth and the sky by your great power and might; nothing is too difficult for you” (GNT). He reminded himself, like my mom did, that there’s no situation too hard for God to intervene in. There no whole so deep that He can’t pull you out of. There’s no sickness too far spread that He can’t heal. There’s no life so far gone that He can’t rescue. Whatever you’re facing today, know that there’s nothing too difficult for God to handle.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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December 28, 2022 · 5:30 AM

Red Light Green Light

I’m taking the week off to spend time with family. I hope you enjoy this previously written devotional.

A fun game to play with a group of kids is Red Light Green Light. All the kids start out on one side while you’re on the other. You turn away and say, “Green light!” Their job is to run towards you as fast as they can while the light is green. Randomly, you turn and face them and yell, “Red light!” They have to stop immediately. If they move during red light or don’t stop, they get sent back to their starting point. You repeat this process until someone reaches you, then you start all over.

Following where God leads can feel a lot like that game. There’s a series of red lights and green lights along the way. If you’re looking for a pattern, you won’t find one. There are times when green lights seem to on,y last for a short while, and red lights can take years. We love the green lights because they make us feel like God is doing something in us and that we are being productive for Him. When the red lights come, it can feel like we’ve done something wrong. That’s not the case. Red lights come for many reasons. It can be to protect you, to teach you, to grow you, to wait for someone else’s obedience or some other reason.

The important thing is to wait where God has you for as long as He deems necessary. The Israelites went through this in the wilderness. Numbers 9:22 says, “Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud [of the LORD’S presence] lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the Israelites remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they set out” (AMP). We don’t want to go where God’s spirit isn’t leading us. If you’re in a red light season, it’s ok. You’re where God wants you and that’s the best place to be. Rest in His presence because your green light will come.

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December 1, 2022 · 5:30 AM

Learning To Wait

One of the lessons my son is having the hardest time with is learning to wait when he has a question. My wife and I will be in a conversation, and he will walk up, interrupt us, and ask a question. We will tell him we will answer when we are done talking, but that’s often difficult for him when he has a question. I’m teaching him to walk up and just put his hand on mine when he has a question. I told him that when he does that, I’ll acknowledge him and then answer him when I can.

I wish I could say that works all the time, but it doesn’t. It’s as hard for him to wait for an answer as it is for us as adults to wait for one. When we have a pressing need or question, we’ll bombard God with questions and demand an answer immediately. We call it faith when we pray that way, but I wonder what God calls it. One of the hardest lessons any one of us has to learn is how to approach God and to ask for what it is that we want or need, especially when we feel we need it urgently.

They say that patience is a virtue, but we often lack it in waiting for God to answer our prayers. In Psalm 69:13, David prayed a tough, but wise prayer. He said, “But as for me, I will pray to you, Lord; answer me, God, at a time you choose” (GNT). He was telling God that he wasn’t expecting Him to operate on his timetable. He was willing to wait for God to answer on His. That’s a hard thing to pray and to do.

This verse challenges me because I’m not there yet. In my prayers, I’m like my son trying to get an answer. I don’t want to wait for God to finish what He’s doing. I want my answers right now. If David was a man after God’s own heart, and he had the ability to pray this way, I believe it’s something we all can learn to do. Instead of trying to force God to use our timeline, we can start asking God to give us the answers to our prayers in His. I’ll just need a little help learning to wait.

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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June 21, 2022 · 5:55 AM

Even If

In the spring of 1998, my family was sitting in a waiting room at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. We had been living in that waiting room for about six weeks along with other families. My mom had slipped into a coma a few weeks earlier, and now the doctor wanted to talk to us in the consultation room. He said, “There’s nothing else we can do except to make her comfortable.” We sat there shocked with our faith taking a major blow. My dad then got everyone’s attention and said, “We will keep praying for healing, but if He chooses not to heal her here, purpose in your heart now not to be bitter against Him.” She passed away a few weeks later.

In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar built a 90 foot tall statue for the people to worship. Then he got some bad advice from some jealous officials. They didn’t like that the Jews who had been captured and taken into their country had different customs. They convinced him to put to death anyone who didn’t bow down to the statue knowing several Jews had ascended the governmental ranks. The king made a law condemning anyone who didn’t bow. The advisors were quick to point out three Hebrew brothers who didn’t bow. When the king confronted them, they explained that they couldn’t bow so he ordered them to be thrown into a furnace. They told him that God was able to save them. Then in verse 18 they said, “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up!” (AMP)

“Even if He doesn’t” is a mindset we all must have. It’s great when prayers are answered the way we ask, but will you still trust, serve and love God if He doesn’t answer the way you want? Can you still follow Him with your whole hear when His answer doesn’t make sense and your world comes crashing down? The three Hebrews knew that God was able, but they were steadfast knowing He may not answer their prayer. I’ve learned, just as they did, that whether He answers you or not, He will stand with you in the fire. He won’t abandon you when the prayers go unanswered. He is still God. He is still in control. He still has a plan that I can’t see and I trust His decisions because He has proven His character over the history of this world. Will you still trust Him even if you don’t get the answers you want? Now is the time to make that decision, not later.

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

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October 24, 2019 · 5:45 AM

God’s Deadline

Several years ago, I attended a conference of authors for authors. One of them spoke on the importance of turning in your work by the deadline. In fact, he spoke of how he tries to beat the deadline by as much as he can. His reasoning was that the longer the editors have his work, the better it will be. Plus, he thought of it as the gift of time to them. He wanted to give them time to do their work instead of making them rush when he turns everything in at the last minute.

Sometimes I wish God had that philosophy! In all my years of praying and needing something from God, it’s never been early. I’ve been sweating it out, praying so hard that I can’t sleep and God showed up just in the nick of time with the answer. I’ve figured out He doesn’t work on my timetable. Many times I felt like He was late in answering my prayers, but it turned out that it was right on time.

There have been times where I’ve prayed for Him to respond because I thought it was critical, but He didn’t. In those moments, I felt crushed, defeated and disappointed. Looking back on those moments, I can see why God didn’t answer. There was something better waiting that I couldn’t see. Though I felt crushed in the moment, overall, God has proved that He will do what is right for my life and just barely beat the deadline.

Micah 7:7 shares my sentiments and confidence in God to do the right thing in my life. It says, “As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me” (NLT). Even though I have many seemingly critical prayers that have gone unanswered, I still look to God for help when I need it. I’ve learned to confidently wait for Him to meet a His deadline, not mine, and I know He hears me when I pray.

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other writing ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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April 18, 2019 · 5:00 AM

Delayed Answers

One of the most frustrating things for me is to leave on time and to arrive at work late. This recently happened several days in a row. When I turned on my app, it showed I would arrive at work 30 minutes early. As I drove, it kept rerouting me and delaying the time. It would beep and say, “Found new route. No time saved.” Then it would beep and say, “Delayed eight minutes.” I went through side streets, back roads, highways, and freeways to get to my destination. In the end, it was about 30 minutes after I was supposed to start my meeting. I came in, apologized, and delivered the content.

As I read Daniel 10, it made me think of that day in traffic. Each of us has been delayed trying to get where we are going. We’ve all tried to get somewhere important only to have to take alternate routes. It turns out, these things happen to angels too (on a whole different level of course). They have places to be and messages to give, but are delayed as well. Daniel had been fasting and praying for three weeks, but hadn’t heard from God. It turns out, the angel ran into traffic and was delayed in bringing the answer.

In verse 13, the Angel said to Daniel, “But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia” (NLT). He wasn’t delayed by 30 minutes, he was delayed three weeks! He had to fight rulers and principalities of the air in order to bring Daniel the answer he was seeking. If it happened then, it happens today.

I love what the Angel said just before that in verse 12. He said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.” It’s a great reminder that when we begin to pray, our prayers are heard in heaven immediately. Sometimes there’s traffic in delivering our answer though. We can’t give up praying because we haven’t been answered yet. There is a spiritual war raging that we don’t see, and it can cause delays. Daniel’s answer took 3 weeks of fasting and prayer. Imagine if he hadn’t been fasting or had quit praying.

Don’t quit seeking God for the answers to your prayers. We have no idea why answers don’t come as quickly as we would like. I wonder how many times I’ve blamed God for not answering my prayers, and I quit praying not knowing He had sent the answer and it got delayed. Just as God’s Angel was determined to get to Daniel with the answer, we need to be determined to keep praying and fasting until we get God’s answer. We can’t control how long it takes for the answer to arrive, but we can control how long we seek God for answers.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other writing ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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