“Quite often the Bible is more honest than the Church. » Thus writes Pete Greig, founder of 24-7 Prayer in his book: God muted (Kingway).
In the case of unanswered prayers, that honesty recently came from controversial rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye. In a YouTube interview with American radio host Big Boy, Kanye spoke about the pain that many people struggle to express, saying he had prayed for many things but had not seen “Jesus appear “.
The truth is that pain can paralyze us to the point of depriving us of prayer. I’ve been there time and time again. Sometimes I have prayed for things and the exact opposite has happened. What the hell do you do then?
A harsh reality
Let’s be honest, many of us have been where Kanye has been and said what he said: “These prayers don’t work.” » Many of us have wrestled with God and limped away, facing the agony of divine silence and unanswered prayers.
As someone who works for a prayer movement, it’s hard to admit that what I so passionately advocate for sometimes doesn’t work the way I want it to. Like the day I saw hundreds of young people say: “Yes! to follow Jesus, while simultaneously receiving the news that my mother suffered a life-threatening brain hemorrhage.
Although God can and often does give us what we ask for, His primary desire is to be with We
Or when we embarked on a national tour calling on young people to fight for revival and my father-in-law died – the same day as my grandfather’s funeral. This can be the harsh reality of life here on earth.
But Jesus is there, in the midst of the pain. There Jesus suffers. There Jesus cries. In full agony with us, Jesus walks. “I-sus-walk-with-me!” Kanye sang on his debut album in 2004. He boldly proclaimed the truth that Jesus walks with us in the wilderness. But it is sometimes easier to sing it, or even preach it, than to live it.
The best gift
When prayer does not “work,” we need to reacquaint ourselves with its primary purpose; be with God. We must ask, like the disciples in Luke 11:1: “Lord, teach us to pray. » One of Jesus’ answers to this question is this: “If you then, though evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to your children. Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’ » (Luke 11:13, emphasis mine).
Did you notice the exchange? Jesus replaces “good gifts” with the “Holy Spirit”. Humans give gifts; our Heavenly Father gives something that is much more. God’s primary concern is to give us his presence, not gifts. Although God can and often does give us what we ask for, His primary desire is to be with We.
For what? Because in life’s darkest moments, none of us yearn for a scientific explanation of how the problem came to be; we want an arm around the shoulder. We need “ever-present help in time of need” (Psalm 46:1). We need a “wonderful counselor” (Isaiah 9:6) who will sit and listen to us; someone to “lead us beside still waters” (Psalm 23:2) and restore our souls.
This is the God I cling to as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. And as I walk, I notice a man walking beside me, dripping with blood and tears, carrying a cross. Wiping away my tears, I look at this man more closely and I see Jesus. He is there, carrying my sin And My pain; suffer to suffer with me, cry to make possible a day when there will be no more tears, and die to end death.
Many of us have wrestled with God and limped away, facing the agony of divine silence and unanswered prayers.
This is the God I pray to. Not a God who is distant, disinterested, or incapable of understanding the difficulties of life, but a God who is in trouble with me, who took human flesh and healed it completely. In his pain, I find comfort in my own. I am not alone. In his arms outstretched on the cross, he kisses me. I find life in his death and purpose in his pain.
His suffering meant the salvation of the world, seizing on one of life’s boldest assertions, that there is purpose in pain, triumph in trial, testimonies in trials and a message out of order. Jesus walks with me, as Kanye says.
If you are struggling with this difficult area of prayer, take a look at 24/7. The Unanswered Prayer Course
