4. He doesn’t make mistakes (Psalm 145:3).
5. Do not grow weary in doing good (Galatians 6:9). Sometimes I just want to crawl in bed and hide. Rather, I need the reminder to keep going, to keep praying and to keep trusting the Lord.
6. He loves me, and He loves these three couples (John 3:16, 1 John 4:7-12). His love for these three couples (and their children) is so much greater than my love. I prayed for them weekly. He sent His only Son to die for them.
7. My job is to be faithful and steward my time well to love and pray for others. I trust God with the results. The parable of the sower reminds me to pray (scatter seed) and trust God with the result (Mark 4:1-20).
8. Somehow everything will work together for God’s glory and for the good of those who love Him. Even in the midst of divorce, broken homes and single-parent families, God will get the glory He deserves (Revelation 19:1, Romans 8:28).
9. Countless other couples that I have prayed for have grown in their love for Jesus and each other. If I focus on the three couples, I’ll get discouraged. Rather, I need to shift my focus to all the great things God is doing in couples all around me and in my marriage (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
We all know what it’s like to live with unanswered prayers. I can’t know the mind of the Lord (Isaiah 55:8-9), but I can remind myself of truth in the middle of unanswered prayers. I pray you’ll do the same, whether your prayers come out the way you want them to or not.
I’ll continue my job at Watermark doing what I love—preparing nearlyweds, establishing newlyweds, and enriching and restoring all marriages. The work isn’t remotely close to done. I’ll keep going and I’ll keep showing up. And sometimes I’ll need to re-read the words of this post and remember what’s still true, even in the midst of unanswered prayers.
Your Turn:
- Which of the nine reminders about when prayers go unanswered resonate with you the most? Which truth most encourages you in the midst of unanswered prayers?
- What else would you recommend we do in the middle of unanswered prayers?
- If you’re interested in more resources about prayer, here are a few recommendations:
- 9 Reasons Why We Don’t Pray – A blog post I wrote about reasons why we don’t pray.
- A Praying Life, by Paul Miller – A very helpful book on how to connect with God.
- I’d love to pray for your marriage/relationship. I know I’m not responsible for the ending of these marriages and I’ve prayed for hundreds of other marriages in 2017, most of whom are thriving and love each other. If I can pray for you, let me know in the comments below or you can send me an email through the contact page of this site.
This article on how to respond when prayers go unanswered originally appeared here.
