If we have faith in God, we all think that He hears our prayers, but do we all think that He responds to them? In fact, He does—in His own time and manner. We might not be satisfied with the response and question whether [He truly loves us]. But eventually, we’ll come to understand that how He responded to our request was for our best benefit.
Not the answer we expect
The prophet Habakkuk questioned whether God truly cared about Judah, a country where the wealthy and powerful were deeply steeped in corruption and immorality. The impoverished and helpless were being oppressed, and it appeared that God was doing little to stop them. Habakkuk posed the following query to the Lord in Habakkuk 1:2: “How long, O LORD, will I call for help and You will not hear?”
We’ve probably asked ourselves the same question at some point in our lives. Habakkuk received a response from God, but it was not what he had anticipated. God sent the vicious Babylonians to invade Judah as retribution for their transgressions. God promised Habakkuk that He will deal with the Babylonians as well, notwithstanding his complaint that it was excessive (Habakkuk 1:12–2:20). Habakkuk finally conceded that God is in charge. Because He is good, we may put our trust in Him no matter what:
“Even though the olive crop fails and the fields yield no food, even though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, even though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, I will be glad in the Lord, I will be glad in God my Savior. My strength comes from the Sovereign Lord, who gives me the ability to go on heights and makes my feet like a deer’s (Habakkuk 3:17-19).
The ways God answers prayer
There are three commonly acknowledged ways that God responds to prayers: “Yes,” “No,” and “Wait.”
Yes
“Yes” is the response we long for. And when we ask God to pardon our sins in the name of Jesus, that is always the response. All believers can attest to the numerous instances in which God has granted their requests—whether they be for protection, health, or assistance in finding a misplaced object—or for Him to intervene in a trying circumstance.
No
The response we least want to hear is “no.” It is, nevertheless, still a response. God’s response might not have made sense to us at the time. But eventually, we’ll see that God’s refusals serve a reason. Nick Vujicic, who was born without limbs, presented a prayer request for limbs as an excellent illustration. Nick was so dejected when God said “No” that he considered ending his life. But God has used him to demonstrate that Jesus is more valuable than having limbs. Nick is now aware of the reason God rejected him.
Wait
Another difficult response to hear from God is “wait.” When this occurs, we must constantly remind ourselves that God is in charge and is more than capable of handling our circumstances. We have to give Him the freedom to carry out His job however He sees suitable. We are not allowed to try to do things our way and get ahead of Him. Rather, we have to wait on God’s timing with genuine patience.
God was at work throughout, even though Habakkuk was unable to see it. In our life as His disciples, He is acting in a similar manner. He has complete control over every aspect of our existence. Prayers are heard by God, it is true.
