James, the brother of Jesus, was convinced that prayer worked and encouraged the early Church to make prayer a part of their lives. So, how come sometimes it appears prayer doesn’t work?
We pray and pray, we beg and plead, we make deals with God — but still that thing which causes us pain or grief is still there. Nothing has changed. Our faith is tested and we think God has gone deaf. Our faith wavers. Our hearts harden.
If you have had this experience as a result of unanswered prayer, you are not alone. It is not uncommon for Christians, even those who have walked with God a long time, to feel doubt when praying — sometimes the circumstance is so huge, so hopeless, so unrelenting; that it appears that nothing can fix it — not even God. This is simply not true. God is supreme. God can do anything.
There are many reasons for unanswered prayer. It doesn’t mean that God is not a caring, good God who loves you enough to send His only Son to die for you so that you can have eternal life. In your pain and suffering, don’t forget that. Ultimately, it takes faith — steadfast faith — to believe that prayer works.
If we remain true to our faith, sometimes we get to find out the reason our prayers aren’t answered like we thought they should be — and sometimes we won’t know until we sing with the angels. It doesn’t matter. What matters is to remain faithful to the end.
God is with you. God loves you.
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” — James 5:16