Unanswered Prayers?

Unanswered prayers?  We all have what we seem to think are "unanswered prayers," but, does God ever not answer us?  My experience with prayer is that God is always listening and always working.  He is a father to us and He always answers, but sometimes His answers are "no" or "not yet."

Today my daughter reminded me of the freedom we have to come to our Father in prayer and ask for anything our hearts desire.  My daughter was excited at the prospect of going to the pool this morning.  After I gave her a "yes" she proceeded to ask her heavenly Father this "God, I pray that no one else will be at the pool today so I can have the whole pool to myself, in Jesus name, Amen!"  Ha!  She didn't know I was listening but her prayer reminded me of all the "unanswered prayers" ("no" answers really) that God has blessed me with.  When I was a little girl I used to lay in bed praying that God would make my dolls or stuffed animals come to life so I could play with them.  It was a very sincere prayer from a very sincere little girl.  I just knew it would be so much fun if my dolls came to life so I could walk and talk with them!  Thank God, He said no!  Wouldn't that have been incredibly scary!

On a more serious level, we as adults ask our Father in Heaven for things that may not be good for us.  We may be just as sincere in our prayers as little children freely expressing their desires to their father, but God is a good Father and He does not give us things that will harm us.  Sometimes we ask with the wrong motive, or we ask for something that we are not spiritually ready to handle, the point is that God's will for us is perfect.  He will not give us anything that will keep us from His perfect will being carried out in our lives.  Jesus taught us to ask and we will receive (Matthew 7:7) He also followed this teaching with instructions that we should treat others how we want to be treated.  The teaching goes hand in hand.  So, what happens when we ask and we don't receive?  "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."  James 4:3 (In reference to motive in prayer and seeking for selfish pleasures.)  Today my daughter asked that no one else would be at the pool so she could have it all to herself.  There was nothing wrong with her prayer from her perspective, but if God said yes to that, think of all the other little kids that would miss a swim in a cool pool on a hot day!

Do the prayers we offer God focus on our own selfish desires at the expense of others?  I know at times my prayers have been selfish.  The amazing thing is that the longer we walk with God, the more He conforms our hearts to pray His will, instead of ours (which is always better!)  Thank God that He is much more interested in our character and in bringing us closer to the likeness of Jesus. (Romans 8:28,29) He works all things together for our good that we may reflect the beauty of Christ's character, and that is God's ultimate will for us all, that we know Him and grow in Him to present the beauty of His character to a hurting and lost world.  That means letting others in the pool!

(Update on our trip to the pool: God did give Isabella the pool all to herself for about 1/2 hour! I think He loves to show His grace, favor and love for His kids and for childlike faith!  See, He is the true judge of all faith and character and He sees into the heart!  Today He answered the prayer of a sweet little girl who needed to see that God hears her prayers!)

Love and blessings in Christ,
Sharon Marusteri