There isn't a good parent in the world who always says yes to what his or her kids want. Don't be surprised when God says, "No." You should expect it. And thank Him for it.

Andy Stanley just got through explaining to us when God's no opens the door for His strength to be made evident in our weakness. But God's no goes further than that. It protects us from the things we think are His will, or that we want to be His will, when it's not His will.

It's His won't.

Greg Laurie concludes our series on "When God Doesn't Answer" with some final thoughts on why we should lavish praise on God when He doesn't give us what we want. It's easy to praise Him when He does give us what we want. It's a sign of maturity to praise Him when He does not.

"Thank God for Unanswered Prayers" by Greg Laurie

I am so glad that God will overrule my prayers at times, because I have prayed for things fervently, believing they were the will of God, and they were flat-out wrong. I am so thankful that God said no to those prayers.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, as the cross was getting closer, Jesus prayed to the Father.

And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:41-42)

Yet I have actually heard some people say, “Never pray, ‘Not my will, but Yours be done.’ That is a lack of faith.” Some have even said, “What you should really pray is, ‘Not Your will, but mine be done.’”

Let’s just say that I don’t want to be standing too close to those people when lightning strikes, because they have things turned around.

Thy will be done.

Never be afraid to pray, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” By saying that, you are simply saying, “Lord, I don’t know all the facts. I don’t know everything there is to know. My knowledge is limited. My experience is limited. So if what I am praying is outside of Your will for any reason, please graciously overrule it.” You won’t always understand how you should pray. What it comes down to is telling God that you want His will more than your own.

20/20 Hindsight

I know this is hard at times. Sometimes you don’t understand why God doesn’t give you what you ask for. When you’re young and single, you may see a handsome guy or beautiful girl and just know that person is the one for you. But as the lyrics to a country song say, “Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers.”

As time passes, you will look back with 20/20 hindsight, and you will say, “Thank God He did not answer my prayers,” or “Thank God He answered my prayers,” whichever the case may be.

Finally … remember the words of Jesus: “Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern” (Matthew 6:32-33, NLT)

PRAY

Father, we praise You for knowing all things, for knowing what we want and what we need -- even before the words come to our lips. And we thank You for blocking those things that would cause us harm, even when we can't see it because we lack Your perspective. Thank You for being a good Heavenly Father. In Jesus' Name ... 

REFLECT

"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. — Matthew 20:22

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” — Luke 11:11-13

CONCLUSION

We pray that this series has been a blessing to you and that it may have removed some of the mystery of why it seems God to be silent when He's working things out for our good. May God bless you and we pray you find some of our other growth plans worthwhile in the days to come.