Let’s be honest. The answer is “no.” God does not answer all prayers.

Now if you want to put qualifiers on it, then I’ll change my answer to “yes.” But I believe the real answer is “no.” Here’s what I mean…

“Lord, please heal my mother of cancer.” She dies several months later.

“Lord, You see I’ve lost my job. Please provide $1,000 by the end of the month so we won’t lose our house.” You default on your loan three months later.

“Lord, let Susan get pregnant. You know how much she wants to have a baby.” Five years later…no baby.

God didn’t answer those prayers, did He? Do I believe God is good and loving and knows better than we do? Yes. Do I believe His purposes are greater than mine and will often be hard to grasp in this life? Yes.

But does He answer all prayers? No.

Okay, so people will say that God answers all prayers. Some He answers “yes”, some He answers “no” and some He answers “wait.” I’ve even said that myself. So if you want to count “no” and “wait” as answering, then I’ll change my answer. But when you’re praying for healing or a financial blessing by the end of the month, “wait” isn’t exactly what you were hoping for. Is it?

“No” or “wait” aren’t what we’re looking for when we pray. And I don’t know about you, but I’ve never actually experienced God telling me “no.” Mostly, I hear nothing and assume the answer was “no” or “wait.”

Think about it this way–if your child comes to you and asks for a new bike and you say “no”, “wait” or nothing at all, your child doesn’t run outside shouting, “My request was answered!” The child was looking for a “yes” answer and that’s what we look for as well.

Even Jesus didn’t get an answer to all of His prayers. Think about how He prayed in the garden on the night He was arrested.

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Jesus asked the Father to come up with another way. He didn’t want to be crucified. Who would? Look at the words Jesus used.

“If it is possible…” Was it possible? Sure. With God all things are possible. Did the Father change the plan? No.

“Yet not as I will, but as You will.” Of course, this is the key to all of our prayers. If it’s God’s will, He will answer. If it’s not, He won’t. I know you can say His prayer was answered because He qualified it with “as You will.” Again, in that case, you could say all of our prayers are answered.

Now it’s possible that Jesus heard an audible voice or got some impression from the Father, but it’s not recorded. I tend to think He didn’t get a “yes” and assumed the answer was “no.” Like we often do.

It’s just inevitable that some of our prayers will go unanswered. We just don’t know the Father’s will in every situation. Sometimes we’re going to ask for things He knows aren’t best for us or don’t accomplish His purposes. We can’t see all that God sees. We don’t know what He’s up to in every situation.

Here’s a critical point to grasp: God does answer prayers according to His will. It’s critical then that we know His will as much as possible. That happens as we spend time in His word, learning His purposes and His ways. For example, it is God’s will for you to not be anxious.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

It is God’s will that in everything, you present your requests to Him, with thanksgiving…then His peace will guard your heart and your mind.

So what if you knew God wasn’t going to answer all of your prayers, but that He would always provide peace?

You may face cancer, but the peace of God will guard your heart and mind.

You could lose your job, but the peace of God will guard your heart and mind.

Your child could become addicted to drugs, but the peace of God will guard your heart and mind.

God is often very gracious to grant our requests, but when He doesn’t, we can trust that He really does know better than we do and that His peace will guard our hearts and minds.

We really can’t lose.