"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16b)

After weeks and months of earnest prayer about a certain situation, I went to bed deeply disappointed when the outcome was just the opposite of what I'd hoped. I had prayed for God's will to be done, and I trusted it was, but I found it difficult to shift my perspective from what I had hoped to be God's will to what was reality.

I didn't sleep well that night, and the next day my outlook was dark. All I could think of were the many prayers in my life God had not answered as I'd wanted. I again asked the question I have in the past: Why do some people's prayers get answered as they'd like, and others' don't? I'm not talking about the "little" prayers most of us pray every day. I've had many such prayers answered with a "yes" and I'm deeply grateful. They've built my faith in a God who cares about the details of our lives.

But many of my "big" prayers - the prayers about things that really make a difference in the direction of my life or of others' lives, have been answered just opposite to what I had hoped. Why?

I don't know the answer to that question and no other human does either. The reason we don't is because we are finite beings and God is all-knowing. He alone knows the ins and outs of every situation and what is best overall for His purposes. We tend to think what we pray about is all about us, when there is so much more at stake than our personal wants, desires and happiness. The story of Job in the Bible comes to mind as a poignant example.

I can sincerely say that with every "big" prayer I've prayed, I've also prayed that ultimately God's will would be done, and truly meant it. I know deep down in my heart that when we pray for God's will to be done, we need to accept the answer as God's will, even though we might have preferred a different answer. That acceptance is, after all, what putting our trust in God means.

The term "unanswered prayer" is a misnomer. God answers all prayers. But He never promised to answer them exactly as we'd like. That would make Him out to be only a slot machine - with our only requirement being to shove the tokens of prayer His way. God is so much more than that - and our duty to Him so much more as well.

The very act of prayer is acknowledging there is a sovereign Deity who knows so much more than we know, and who has so much more power than we have. Our approaching Him with our requests means we are also bowing to Him in submission. He is not to be demanded of, but rather submitted to.

So what about the verse that says the prayers of the fervent and righteous avails much? Satan tempted me with that verse this past week to make me feel I must be neither fervent nor righteous. But a second look made me realize it does not say the prayers of the righteous will be answered in the way they desire. But rather that their prayers "avail much." My prayers did not result in my desires being fulfilled, but rather in God's will being done. Again, I must be satisfied with that if my declarations of trust in the Lord and submission to His will mean anything at all.

Let's pray for each other to grow in the spirit of gracious acceptance and trust in a God who cares so much about us, He is willing to override our wants and desires, to give us what is best.

© Fern Horst

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