Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?
- Yep, I say that a lot
- Maybe I’m asking all wrong
- Maybe I’m not listening
Or maybe I already have his answer. In my Bible.
When I wasn’t sure how to spell a word, I’d ask my mother. Dad would scold from the next room, “Look it up!” And he had a point. When my mom spelled it for me, the letters went from her mouth to my paper, bypassing my brain. If I used the dictionary, I remembered.
Imagine this: you ask, and God answers, “Look it up!”
I’m not sure God works that way; His answers seem to me to be more direct, and more in line with His having to remain consistent with a creation that requires free will.
To answer ‘yes’ would turn creation into something like a puppet show; our choices would essentially be meaningless if, by our actions, we could propitiate God into positive answers to prayer.
You’re right, Andrew, about God’s consistency. He doesn’t contradict himself.