when good prayers are not answered

We believe that Gospel texts are always true and that the Scripture is always telling the truth. It is because we believe that God never lies and always fulfills His promises.

The Lord tells us that all prayers are answered. In the Scripture, it is said that: "Knock and it will be opened, seek and you will find". There is certainty in that statement.

But we know from life's experience that not all prayers are answered. This puts me in a dilemma because I strongly believe that the Scripture is always true and correct.

So that our faith experience does not get shattered, we then have to excuse God, shrug our shoulders and silenty tell ourselves: "maybe what I am asking for is not good for me or that I will not profit from what I am asking for."

Whether we approve it or not, some prayers are not answered, or better still, are not answered the way we liked it and the way we asked for it.

This certainly places us in a dilemma because in the Scripture, God promises that all prayers will be answered and then somehow we experience that even good prayers like when we pray for peace, but yet there is still war in Iraq; when we pray for spiritual healing but then crimes still abound in every corner of the world; when we pray for physical healing yet our family members and friends still die from their ailments; and when we pray for abundance but then famine still engulfs people from the third world countries, and other basic prayers don't seem to get answers from God.

It is a big mystery indeed; a big mystery that even me could not fathom. Well, let me just share with you what I actually do when such occasion happens, when my prayers don't get answers from God.

When I pray like crazy for the approval of my greencard application which I submitted three years ago yet as of this writing, there is not a word from the INS whether it's approved or denied,... and when I make acts of sacrifice and practically cry and kneel down before God and asked Him to give me the grace and blessing and grant my petition for a friend from Albuquerque, who was figthing for his life when he met a serious car accident while driving his way home from Arizona but nothing happens and he still died,.... I only look at the Cross and ask the Almighty Father, "Why did You allow Your Son to suffer this way?"

It is a big mystery that the Father allowed His only Begotten Son to suffer and die on the Cross. It is a big mystery that the father allowed the deaths of the victims of Glorietta blast in Makati Philippines just recently, the death of soldiers from war in Iraq, the death of children from extreme hunger and famine in the African continent, the destruction of so many houses ad properties in the California fires and many others.

It is a big mystery why some of our good prayers are not answered by God the way we expect them to be answered.(Luke 11:9)

For as long as the world still exists, there will always be mysteries in life. There will always be good prayers that won't get answers from God just like the mystery of His Son who's nailed and died on the Cross.

But if you can understand and accept why the Father allowed His Son Jesus to die on the Cross, then perhaps you will be able to understand and accept why some good prayers are not answered by God.

Be calm and have a happy Saturday!