We often ask ourselves some questions.
Why Doesn’t God answer me?
Is it Possible We Have Been Misled Into Thinking We Can Solve Our Problems With Prayer?
It is easy to think that problems go away because we are Christians. Now that I am a Christian, my Faith will solve every problem, relieve every doubt. But Psalm 77 and all the Bible – suggests something on the contrary. Even with Faith, life is still full of problems and doubts.
We pray and we meditate but GOD is still silent. We tried prayer but prayer doesn’t seem to work. We tried to meditate on God’s Word, but that too leaves us empty. Our problem is that we are relying on prayer and meditation as techniques – and problems cannot be solved by techniques.
We often advice to a person “Pray about it and meditate on the Word”. Such advice is not wrong, but it’s totally and virtually useless.
Prayer is not the first thing to do when we are in trouble. GOD designed prayer as an instrument of intimacy between HIM and us.
The inconceivable becomes possible when we begin with GOD. Let’s be honest, our tendency is to pray first, ask GOD to resolve all of our problems with a wave of His Hand, and then meditate – if we meditate at all – waiting for GOD to come to the rescue. When we pray before we meditate, we pray about our problems, our suffering, our anxiety, and our worries. We put ourselves at the center of our prayers. “I’m in trouble, I’m in pain, I’m depressed. Save me from my problems, GOD”.
INSTEAD, we need to learn to meditate on GOD. We need to think about HIS Nature, the Wonder of WHO HE is, and HIS activity in history and in our lives.
Then when we pray, GOD takes center stage in our prayers instead of ourselves. Meditating on GOD changes the way we pray. We focus on Who GOD is, what HE is like and what HE can DO.
“GOD, You are the Lord of my life and my problems. You are Holy and Merciful. You are Unchanging and Dependable. YOU are all I need in life.”
If we begin by praying about our problems and our feelings. we limit our thinking. But when we start with a GOD Who knows no limits. HE is the Creator of the universe and the Author of life. All knowledge and truth are HIS. By focusing on HIM instead of ourselves, we remove unnecessary limitations from our thinking and our prayers.
EXPLAINING THE SILENCE OF GOD
The answer is obvious and shocking. GOD was silent because HE chose to be. HIS silence was intentional.
– Because GOD wants us to have a deeper Faith. Times of trials and doubting are part of the process that make us grow spiritually strong and wise.
– If GOD always responded instantly to our cries for help, we would remain spiritually immature, forever mastered by feelings and moods. Our prayers would always be self-centered rather than GOD-centered. Our outlook would remain natural, not spiritual. We need to have mature faith and Christ-like character.
GOD is always there for us. GOD’s silence does not signal HIS Absence or HIS Disinterest. We can say and rejoice – ” I will remember the Deeds of the LORD.”
