I have often wondered what happens to unanswered prayers. I have been told that prayers are never unanswered, that the answer is yes, no, or not now….but never is the prayer unregistered. I am of the belief though that unregistered and unanswered are two different things. I think about the prophecies in the bible where heavenly bowls are filled with the prayers of God’s people. When the bowl is full God pours out from the Kingdom to the Earth. It seems some bowls are much larger than others.
During a free talk time in my English Class, I was paired with a man named Charles. He knew of the Lord but wasn’t in relationship with Him. After sharing some scripture and praying with help from a translator, he said He wouldn’t be ready to accept Jesus as his savior until tomorrow (Sunday) at church. I called everyone on my squad into prayer that he would be safe through the night and that he would actually come in the morning. You see, I had this distinct feeling that he wouldn’t really go through with it. I felt in my soul that he was struggling internally and just said he would to make us feel better.
After pouring prayers into that bowl that night and the following morning, I headed down the hill to church. I kept praying for him to arrive to church until halfway through worship I saw him enter. I was ecstatic! He gave me a hug and went to the back of the church. I was confident that part of the battle was won.
At the end of service, I turned around and saw that he had left the church quickly. My heart sank. He didn’t speak with the pastor as he said he would. And as much as I trust that my omnipotent God can do everything, I am also certain that He loves us too much to force His will on us. So even though God has the power to bring Charles into an amazing relationship for all eternity with Him, ultimately He loves Charles enough to let him choose.
All I can do at this point is pray, which maybe is the best thing to do. I cannot allow myself to be discouraged when my prayers go unanswered but instead I need to trust in the sovereignty of my Lord. However, that has always been a struggle with me: I can trust 110% in God’s power, but I don’t understand His ways…which means that I don’t always agree with His choices. LUCKILY, God doesn’t work for the approval of man….or else this would be a messed up world. So, with open hands I release the whole situation to the Lord, trusting in Him…and the choices He makes, and I pour my prayers into the bowls none-the-less.
This is my Last Blog Post in Haiti…since we fly out to Bolivia today. I will fill you in soon. Until then, Au Revoir from Mission of Hope.
