Unanswered Prayer?

“Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not Yourself from my plea for mercy!  Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan, because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked.  For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me.’ –Psalm 55:1-3 (ESV).

Many of the Psalms attributed to David are Psalms of lament.  They express our current thoughts and are as timely in relation to situations we face every day. We can find a kindred spirit with his cries to God, for at times we ourselves have felt low, dejected and forsaken. How can we continue to call upon God when our prayers seem to be unanswered?  We can be assured, regardless of whether the expected answer to our prayer comes quickly or not, that we are not forsaken by Almighty God.  He is there to hear even our laments, our complaints and our confessions.  And we can know that He does answer.  It may be “yes” or “no” or “wait awhile.”  Our laments may not be lifted in the way we expect, and even more suffering may attend us before the light of God’s revelation shines through.

In writing an essay on “Unanswered Prayer” Gerald L. Sittser gave  an example familiar to those of us who have kept somewhat abreast of Christian missions and the prices those pay who go to hard places to bear the Good News of Jesus Christ.  The year was 1955, Jim Eliot led a team of missionaries into the jungles of Ecuador to witness to the Auca Indians.  Jim had communicated to his friend, Rev. Bob Mitchell, the president of Young Life, to have Bob and others pray earnestly for the team.  In the letter of request Jim Eliot had urged consistent prayer and said with gladness, “the gospel is creeping a little farther out into this big no-man’s land of Amazonia.”  Jim Eliot urged his friend Bob to pray for the team and that others be enlisted to pray.  Of course Bob Mitchell was faithful in praying.  We know the story. Jim Eliot and four others were murdered by the tribe they had gone to evangelize.  Why were Bob Mitchell’s prayers and those of others unanswered?

Move forward in time.  Years later, Rev. Bob Mitchell was attending a Christian international conference for evangelism in Europe.  An old friend of Bob’s introduced him to a dynamic South American evangelist.  The person was an Auca Indian, one of the very ones who, in 1955, had killed Bob’s friend Jim Eliot and his team.  Because Elisabeth Eliot and others in that team to Amazonia had forgiven the atrocity and pressed on to continue bearing the truth of God’s Word to the Auca, God had been faithful to answer prayers for this Auca man’s salvation—as well as many others in his tribe.  God’s Word and love indeed crept into that ‘no-man’s land.’

I like the quotation by Jean Ingelow who wrote:  “I have lived to thank God that all my prayers have not been answered.”  We can say that we have also lived to see that God has answered all of our prayers, with a “Yes,” a “No,” a “Wait Awhile”, or a  “God’s Alternative” that is in the plan and will of God and that is far better than we expected or dreamed.

Prayer.  Father, Like David of old, help us to reconsider when we dejectedly think ‘You do not hear us.’  You may have surprises in store for us, blessings that we did not anticipate.  We thank You, assuredly, for answering prayers in your own omniscient manner.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

To Escape, or to Cast Burdens on the Lord?

“My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me.  Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.  And I say, ‘Oh, that I had wings like a dove!  I would fly away and be at rest; yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest…Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.” –Psalm 55:4-8, 22 (ESV.  Read Psalm 55).

Many, I am sure, can identify with David, believed to be the writer of the lament voiced in Psalm 55.  In his anguish and pain he wished he could be as a dove and soar with wings away from the dangers, troubles and perplexities that assailed him.  Scholars have examined carefully what has been recorded of David’s life to try to pinpoint which of his many troubles might have inspired the words penned in this lament.  Some scholars surmise that he wrote it following the experience of being betrayed by his own son, Absalom, as recorded in 2 Samuel 15:1-12 and 16:15-23.  Other scholars surmise that, since David mentions “friend” and  that they had “sweet counsel” together (Psalm 55:13-15) that David could have been referring to the time when his chief counselor Ahitophel turned against King David (see 2 Samuel 15:12 and 16:15-23).  Regardless of the exact circumstances that might have inspired David to write this particular lament, its words are as timeless as this day in which we live and its truths applicable to the changing human emotions we all deal with if we are honest with ourselves. We would like our faith to be strong and unquenchable.  But we must admit that at times we sink into deep valleys of despondency and doubt, and we need help to come through the “anguish,”  “fear and trembling” and “horror” that can overwhelm and from which we truly want to escape.

But the truth is that we can’t sprout wings like a beautiful dove and fly away from situations.  We cannot always find a means of escape.  We must walk through the valley of the shadows.  But then a strong assurance comes—and herein is the heart of David’s lament:  Not to escape, but to learn how to be sustained, how to walk through.  And the answer is “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you.  He will never permit the righteous to be moved.”  Notice that David did not come to the conclusion that all the troubles and terrors would vanish, for God permits adversity.  But the triumph comes in that God is there to help us bear whatever we face.

Every day brings strong testimony to God’s presence and power to help us overcome whatever we meet in life.  Yesterday I had an unexpected visit from a beautiful young lady who a few years ago helped me with home care when my beloved husband was ill.  During those days when she was assisting me with nursing duties, we developed a strong rapport and we talked much about the mercies of God and the love He has for us.  Yesterday she shared with me, as a matter of prayer and concern, the fact that she is now going through intensive care of her own mother who suffers from the ravages of cancer.  From attending those who were her charges when she was a home health nursing aide, she now has one very dear to her whom she must attend and help to make comfortable.  My heart goes out in prayer to this young lady as she seeks to make her mother’s last days as comfortable and peaceful as possible.  “Pray for me,” she said as we embraced upon her leaving, “that I can continue to cast all my cares upon the Lord.”  For my friend, her mother, and all of us who bear burdens, what deep gratitude we have in the knowledge that escape is not the answer but dependence on God’s mercies is sufficient.

For those who hurt today:  Don’t fly away as a dove.  Know that God loves you and understands.  “Cast your burden upon the Lord, for He cares for you!”

How Can we Cast Cares on the Lord?

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.” –Psalm 55:22 (ESV). “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” –I Peter 5:6-7 (ESV).

We have so many admonitions in Scripture to cast our cares upon the Lord. The two verses cited above urge us to let the Lord bear our burdens. Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7, ESV). We probably know these verses, can quote them, or at least know where to find them easily in our Bibles. But how easy is it for us to follow their teachings? How can we truly cast our cares upon the Lord?

Acrostics are a favorite way of mine to make something I should really learn and follow stick in my mind. Let us consider an acrostic for cast, and in particular in casting our burdens upon the Lord:

C – Commit your worries, situation, circumstances into the Lord’s hands. He knows about the situations already, and knows why they have come your way. He knows in advance how you are to be made strong through them. “He will sustaqin you.” “He cares for you.” Herein lie two good reasons for committing circumstances to Him. He has already promised to sustain us, and He definitely cares for us and has our best interests at heart. Commit the situation to God. He can handle it. And do this as humbly, unpretentiously as you possibly can, knowing that He (not yourself) has the answer. Following church Sunday morning, I had a brief moment of prayer with a young Christian lady and we asked the Lord that she commit her concerns fully to the Lord, trusting that He already knows the solution and is providing a way to work it out for good (Romans 8:28).

A – Ask God for His guidance, strength and understanding. Claim His promises that this is what should be done: “Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.” (Matthew 7:7).
S – Surrender the situation to God’s will. “Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34).
T – Trust Him. Don’t take your burdens to Him and then take them upon yourself again. Really believe Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” (ESV). Following church on Sunday night, I was able to talk to a fine young Christian man who hopes to transition soon from “a job” (honorable though it is) to a Christian career, and so far no openings have come. We agreed to continue to pray, to cast the burden upon the Lord, and in particular to trust Him. Commit, ask, surrender, trust; these are four positive actions toward victorious Christian living as we cast our cares upon the Lord.