Unanswered Prayers

by Liz Maschkywitz

One of my favorite songs by country artist Garth Brooks says, “Just because he doesn’t answer doesn’t mean He don’t care; Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”

It has happened to all of us. We all have prayed prayer after prayer, and in many cases, the prayers have not been answered.

I remember watching the World Cup (the famous world soccer tournament) and seeing people in the stadiums praying — I guess for their team to win. But what is God to do? On one side of the stadium, thousands of people are praying for one country’s team to win, while on the other side of the stadium thousands more people are praying for theirs to be the champion. Does God really take sides? Or can He simply choose to let it be and just give comfort to those who He knows are going to lose? What do you think is fair?

The fact is, we can complain about God’s unanswered prayers or we can thank Him for strength in the middle of rough circumstances.

When I lived in Mexico and was in high school, I thought I’d seen the man of my dreams at church. We hadn’t met yet, but “I knew” God was going to bless me with marrying him. So I made it my business to meet and in time we became good friends. I remember taking a picture with him and literally shaking because of how nervous I was. We even went to Bible school together. A definite chemistry existed between us, but he never told me he liked me!

There came a point when I decided to stop talking to him. Then I decided to move far away to Brooklyn, New York, partly with the hope of forgetting him. However I couldn’t forget him. So in a weak moment I called him and we became friends again.

Every time I went back to Mexico for a visit, I hoped and prayed with all of my heart that he would ask me to stay and not return to New York. But he never did. One day the news came that he had a girlfriend! I was genuinely happy for them both, but I was also torn apart on the inside. I wondered why God never answered my prayers. I simply thought he was the man for me.

Not long after that, along came Simon. We became best friends and eventually a couple. Soon we were engaged, and within a year we married. After a few years of marriage we became the youth pastors at Metro World Child, the organization where we had been working for several years. We are now blessed with two beautiful daughters (who were born to us), plus hundreds of young spiritual children.

Had God answered my prayer about the man in Mexico, I wouldn’t be fulfilling my destiny. It’s not that he wasn’t a good guy. He was wonderful, dedicated, and loved God unconditionally, but God simply had different plans for both of us.

My husband is the best gift God has ever given me, and he only came into my life because God didn’t answer my prayers.

Yes, in situations like sickness and even death of loved ones, we ask ourselves, “Why didn’t God answer?” But what if God is simply giving people the opportunity to meet Him sooner? What if He is helping them avoid future suffering? The fact is, we will never understand His ways. Definitely, we will be sad because of our loss, but we can rest assured that being in His presence is a gift in itself.

Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.