As I’ve struggled through prayers not being answered in the way I would like or think is best, I have learned to look at what I know about God from the Bible to help me move forward. There are two truths, which I want to share with you, that I like to keep in the forefront of my mind when I pray and make my requests to God. The first truth is:
God is close to the brokenhearted
Often our requests to God and our cries for help are made from a heart that is already aching and breaking.
So, although we should trust that God knows best, this notion isn’t easy to understand when we’re already vulnerable and in need of comfort. It’s often hard, painful, and not helpful at all to be told God’s plans are best. Those are not words we want to hear in the middle of our pain. It can be a struggle to accept God works everything together for good especially when it involves a life-threatening diagnosis or the loss of someone we love.
Instead, we need to know that God truly cares. And, he does. We have this reassurance:
If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.
Psalm 34:18
Your follow-on question to God might be: “But God if you’d answered my prayer then my heart wouldn’t have been broken and I wouldn’t feel like I’ve been kicked in the gut.” In other words, “God, why?”
It’s in this time of distress we can be reassured God doesn’t stand by and do nothing but: He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Not only that, but God has the ability to do so.
The writer of the Psalm gives us an unexpected reason for trusting God to nurse us back to health, to bring joy where there has been grief, and find contentment where we have experienced disappointment — He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
According to NASA, our sun is just one of about 200 billion stars in our galaxy. Astronomers admit there is a lot to discover about the planetary systems in our galaxy and capabilities have only recently progressed to do so.
Yet, God knows the exact number of stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way, and galaxies beyond. He has given each star a name. The same God has the capacity to heal broken hearts. The same God cares enough about you and me.
The second truth is:
God uses his knowledge to do good
Sometimes when our prayers are answered with a “no” it can feel like God is not taking everything into account. Does he know how I feel? Does he know what this means? Does he really think there is good in what has just happened?
There’s a fact we have to take into account: his understanding has no limit. As The Message translation puts it: we’ll never comprehend what he knows and does. Our knowledge is limited but his knowledge is limitless.
This means we may never know the answer to our question “God, why?”
Don Stewart in the Blue Letter Bible says:
God’s wisdom is more than mere knowledge; it is the good use of knowledge.
In the middle of our bewilderment, we have to hold onto the belief that God is good and his wisdom is trustworthy. He promises to direct our steps. We may stumble but we will not fall.
In an imperfect world, let’s trust God because he always uses his knowledge and wisdom to do good.
So, today as you pray, learn to rest in God. He is close by ready to wipe away your tears. Begin to trust him fully with the answers to your prayers.