Yes, No, Later, Different

Prayers are powerful. After all, they're the way we speak to God, and sometimes the way God answers. But what happens when we feel as if our prayers go unanswered? Some people get upset (actually, most likely a lot of people), while others may not even think about it again unless the prayer was pretty significant.

Well, my pastor spoke on this sometime in March 2015, and it really hit home. He said that we need to remember that God always answers our prayers, whether we realize it or not. My pastor said that there are four different ways that God answers prayers: Yes, No, Later, Different. And when I really took a minute to think about it, I fully realized what he meant, and how true that was.

Let's start with the obvious: Yes.

'Yes' is the answer we all most likely want to hear to our prayers. But, let's be real. Receiving a 'yes' to every prayer we pray is probably not actually in our best interest. As my pastor said when he first spoke about this: if we knew everything God knew, we wouldn't ask for everything we ask for. This sounds really confusing, and I will admit that I didn't completely grasp what he was saying until he explained later.

Later in the sermon, he came back to this statement and explained it like this: "My kids constantly ask me for candy. I know how much they love and want it, but I know it's bad for them. If I said yes all the time, I know they'd get a ton of cavities. They're too young to realize that that's a possibility, because they don't know what I know. So, in this case, a 'yes' is not in their best interest."

When he explained it that way, I realized exactly what he meant. God knows everything that is going to happen, and so He knows when to say yes to our prayers, as frustrating as that is for us who desperately want something.

Personally, I know exactly how this is. When my divorce was happening, I desperately was praying for Him to heal our marriage, help us get past it all and get back to where we were before this. But, He knew why the divorce had to happen, and He graciously declined to provide a 'yes' to my situation. He knew that there was better in store for me because of my divorce, doors He had been holding open but that I had rushed past without even seeing.

This is a great segue to the next answer, which is probably the one we all hate receiving: No

'No' is the answer I absolutely HATE hearing when I'm praying, especially when I think I know what's best for me. But again, God takes my hand and shows me exactly why He told me 'no'. Sometimes I don't learn for a while, and others, it's perfectly evident.

In regards to my divorce, He gave me a definite 'no', which completely crushed me. But if you've been following my blog, or even read only one post, you'll know that God knew SO much more than I did, and that His 'no' was one of the greatest blessings I've ever received. I don't really have much to say about receiving a 'no', except that we need to realize that God tells us 'no' because He has something better in store, always.

And sometimes, He tells us 'Yes, but later'. This is one I don't necessarily care for either, as it's something I'm currently dealing with. I guess I should be thankful that it's a 'yes', but at the same time, I'm frustrated because it's also a 'later'.

This is also one of the easiest, I believe, to mistake for a 'yes'. I'll explain that later.

When my pastor was speaking on this, he made sure to say that sometimes God tells us "Yes, but later". Basically, God may want to give us whatever it is we ask Him for, but, again, because He knows so much more than we do, He also knows when we're ready to receive this 'yes'.

I've often been told I have patience a mile long, but I have to admit that when I really want something and I know God's telling me 'later', it's easy for me to get impatient. That's definitely not a good place to be in; I constantly have to pray for His guidance, His timing, His will be done. I know He's telling me that eventually I will receive my 'yes', and I know that currently I'm not ready to receive it. But, I want it so desperately.

It's easy to fool yourself into thinking that God's telling you 'yes', when really He's clearly saying 'later', because you want something so bad that you're listening to your head and not to God. But at the same time, if you're conscious enough about this possibility, it will also bring you closer to the Lord, because it'll make you want to verify with Him before you move forward.

Lastly, is 'Different'. This one hit me the hardest when my pastor was speaking, because I had never thought of it in such a way.

Basically, it's when God answers your prayers (giving you a 'yes'), but it's in a different way than you expect. Because, as we know, God knows SO much more than we do, and He knows exactly what we need. And sometimes, we don't ask for the right things, or for things in the right way.

I absolutely hated hearing about this one, but at the same time, I'm so thankful I did.

I've never mentioned in my blog before, but my grandma passed away in March 2014 due to Alzheimer's. I prayed daily for her to be healed, and when she passed away, I was so angry at God. I was so mad that He ignored my prayer; He let her die, instead of healing her and letting her stay with us.

I was angry, but I hid it well. I let it simmer inside of me, and unless I wanted you to know, you were clueless. My own family couldn't tell how angry I was.

But as my pastor explained that sometimes God answers our prayers in a different way than we expect, I was so overcome with emotion that I literally began to bawl in my seat. I realized then that God had answered my prayer; He had healed her. He allowed her to pass on so that she was no longer suffering, and that she could now be in Heaven with Him for all eternity, where she was no longer ill. He healed her in a way that, yes, I didn't want to happen. But He healed her all the same.

As horrible as it is, it took me a year to realize this. It took me a year to finally let my anger go and realize that He had answered my prayer, and that He had answered it better than I could have hoped. Because right now, I know she's dancing and singing and praising her Saviour with all that she has, with no sign of Alzheimer's, and I couldn't be more thankful for that.

If you get anything out of this post, I hope you realize that God does always answer prayers, even if they're not in the way we expect. I hope you know that He knows so much more than we do, and He knows exactly what we need, when we need it. I hope you decide to be patient, waiting for His guidance, instead of rushing head-first into something just because you think it's right, or that you're ready.

It's a lesson I've had to learn the hard way; I hope it's not the case for you.