When There's No Evidence God Answers Prayer
- Linda Pue
- May 27, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 11, 2023
Suddenly awake, anguish and heartache charged at me in the darkness. Powerless to change the circumstances that continually drain my joy, I tasted again the bitter dregs of sorrow, frustration, and even anger, as my pillow absorbed my silent tears.
This painful situation had taken up residence as a permanent fixture in my life: I felt that my prayers would go unanswered, that nothing would ever be the same. Not only was my life affected by this unwelcome event, but also this circumstance affected those I most dearly loved.
Unanswered Prayer
Perhaps you can relate to such grief, for it seems we all live with unfulfilled promises, unfair circumstances, and unmet desires. Such disillusionment is sometimes brought about by our own failures. Often, we may feel anger or disappointment because God has not chosen to answer our prayers in the way we hoped even though we have pleaded with Him to intervene.
When we look at the dead, cold trail of unanswered prayers, our hearts grow faint. Moving forward seems impossible as we consider our suffering and that of those we love. We wonder, is there any hope? In such moments, we must remind ourselves that with God, hope remains. During such distress, it’s important to keep looking ahead, anticipating God’s guidance in the smallest advances, or even when there is no progress at all.
Our Seasoned Guide
I love a story recounted by Max Lucado concerning a man going on an African safari: “The guide before him had a machete and was whacking away the tall weeds and thick underbrush. The traveler, wearied and hot, asked in frustration, ‘Where are we? Do you know where you are taking me? Where is the path?’ The seasoned guide stopped and looked back at the man and replied, ‘I am the path.’” [1]
So it is with Jesus. He assured His disciples, “I am the way, the truth, the life“ (John 14:6). Further, the Psalmist reminds us, “The Lord is my Shepherd. . . He leads me. . . He restores me” (Psalm 23:1-3). He goes before us; we sheep follow Him, for we know His voice. Even in our darkest experiences, we can trust our Savior to lead and guide us through this jungle called life. Because of God’s marvelous grace and love, He invites us to bring our heartaches and problems before Him. Jesus is our great High Priest: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Trusting God is the most exciting thing we can do, because He knows the path!
Answers in His time, in His Way
Jesus entered our world to identify with our humanity, our great joys, and our great sorrows: “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4). Having lived on earth for thirty-three years, He understands our human plight and teaches us to trust Him through our struggles in life and in death all while promising that He will never leave us nor forsake us.[2] However, He also teaches us through the process of waiting on His answers, in His time, in His way, that His mercy and grace are sufficient.
We see this truth exemplified by Mary and Martha when their dear brother, Lazarus, suffered a serious illness. In fact, their brother died right before them, yet Jesus had not come or responded to their pleas for healing. While they experienced the worst moment of their lives, their holy, powerful Friend remained absent. How could Jesus behave so callously? Yet in their grief, sorrow, and incomprehension of Jesus’s actions, both women still trusted Him. As they witnessed Lazarus’ miraculous resurrection, in God’s time and in His way, they gained deeper understanding of His divine motives.
He Leads Us Every Step of the Way
In C. S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, the prominent member of hell’s chain of command, Wormwood, cautions his nephew-in-training about true followers of God: “Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending to do our Enemy’s will, looks around upon a universe from which every trace of him seems to have vanished and asks why he has been forsaken and still obeys.”[3]
Concerning this passage, Brian McDonald observes, “Thus, , , , Hell dreads a trained and obedient focus on God even during the dry spells.”[4] In our pain, we must cling to God as our Sustainer and Savior while exercising our faith, however weak, which brings spiritual gain: “For it is in the ebb and flow of the ordinary that our lives are lived, our characters made, and our destinies forged.”[5] May God’s good work be completed in us, especially in the desert periods of life.
At times, we all feel like that weary safari traveler, as we ask the Lord, “Where are you taking me?” Or as Wormwood remarked, “Every trace of him seems to have vanished.” My prayers may go unanswered. My circumstances may never change, but God! He can change me in the midst of difficult circumstances. Until we see Jesus face to face, we will live with broken hearts and unfulfilled promises. Faith involves trusting, believing, and obeying whether God answers our prayers or not. We must not lose sight of the eternal nature of Christianity. It will be worth it all when we see Jesus! His love, mercy and grace lead us every step of the way.
[1] Lucado, Max. Grace for the Moment, Volume II, 126. [2] Deuteronomy 31:6-8. [3] Lewis, C.S. The Screwtape Letters, 42. [4] McDonald, Brian. “Merely Saved or Merely Damned?,” Touchstone, March 2008,
f&readcode=&readtherest=true#therest. [5] McDonald, Ibid., 29.
