Let’s talk about prayer.
After all, prayer is one of the central themes of Lent. And as Lent draws to a close, it feels like a good time to pause and explore it a little.
Prayer is one of the pillars of the Christian faith. A Christian who doesn’t pray will likely find the journey of faith much harder than one who prays regularly. Not because the road itself becomes easier, but because in prayer we are reminded that we do not walk it alone. There is something grounding about bringing our lives, our thoughts, our worries, before God.
But what about when that doesn’t seem to work? What about when you pray and hear… nothing? When it feels like your prayers have been swallowed by a black hole, never to be seen again. Or perhaps worse, like they bounce off an invisible ceiling, as though something is blocking the way.
Recently, I’ve been praying for something I’ve seen God do before. And this time… nothing. Not to sound arrogant, or as if I know better than God, but it felt like my prayer was simply ignored. If I’m honest, I felt angry. Frustrated.
Why pray if it makes no difference?
If that rings a bell for you, try not to worry. We’re in good company.
In the book of Daniel, we meet a prophet in exile who prays for understanding about a vision he has received. But he doesn’t just pray once and move on. He fasts and prays for three weeks, with no answer, no reassurance, no sign that he has even been heard.
And then, eventually, an angel appears. He tells Daniel that his prayer was heard on the very first day, but that a spiritual battle delayed the answer from reaching him.
Sometimes what feels like silence is not absence, but delay. Sometimes the answer is on its way, and perseverance is part of the journey.
But that’s not the only story Scripture gives us. When Paul writes to the Corinthians, he speaks about a “thorn in the flesh” that he has asked God to remove. We don’t know exactly what it is, only that he asks more than once… and God says no. Instead, God responds: “My grace is sufficient for you.”
Sometimes unanswered prayer is not delayed… it’s different. God is at work, but not in the way we hoped or expected. Neither of these are easy. Frustration, anger, hurt, disappointment… these are all natural responses when prayer seems to go unanswered. I know I’ve felt all of them at different points. And maybe you have too.
It leaves us with a choice. Do we keep praying and listening, choosing to trust in the character of God… or do we stop, because it feels like it makes no difference?
So where does that leave us? Somewhere in the middle, I think. Between knowing that God hears… and not always seeing the answer. The stories of Daniel and Paul don’t remove the tension, but they do remind us of something important: silence is not the same as absence. God may be working in ways we cannot see. Or he may be inviting us to trust him in ways we would never choose.
Neither is easy.
But perhaps prayer was never meant to be about getting the outcome we want. Perhaps it’s about staying connected to the God who holds us, even when we don’t understand him. So maybe the invitation is not to have perfect faith, or perfect words… but simply to keep showing up.
The Reason for my Hope Blog 