So, the skeptic says God doesn’t answer prayer.

Prayer is something God tells us to do regularly.  However, the typical refrain of the skeptic goes something like this: you ask God for things that are easy to do, and when they happen coincidentally, you say God answered your prayer.  However, when you ask God to do something difficult (grow a limb, heal the sick, etc.) and it doesn’t happen, you convince yourself that God said no to your prayer.

 So, God doesn’t answer prayer.  Whattaya Do?

I typically like to ask a question; Is “yes” the only answer you will accept when you pray?  If so, then you think G.O.D. stands for genie on demand.  God is not a genie in a bottle that grants you wishes whenever you want, wherever you want and however you want.  No, He is God Almighty and will answer according to His sovereign plan.

 For example:

For example, when my eight year old asks me for the keys to the car, I don’t give them to him because I love him and don’t want him to hurt himself.  There will be a time when it is appropriate to give him those keys, but not right now.

Did you ever see a kid who gets everything he wants?  Yikes, I have!  We often question the parents ability to raise their children when we see spoiled kids like that.  Giving kids what they want, when they want it produces bad character, and it’s not loving.  

God’s will for us is our sanctification, and He will answer our prayers according to His will.

How can God answer prayer?

There are three possible answers to prayer: yes, no and not yet.  God can answer our prayers in any way He sees fit to accomplish His will; remember we are to pray “thy will be done on earth”.  There may be very sufficient reasons that God says “no” to one of your prayers, however God’s delay may not be God’s denial.  He may be working in us to grow our faith and trust in Him, or soemthing else we cannot forsee.  If God exists, and He does, then He knows infinitely more than I do, so I can trust His answer to prayer over my desire to hear “yes”.

God Answers Yes

Last, what about the prayers that God answers “yes” to that are difficult?  There have been many extraordinary answers to prayers for miracles that have happened.  I personally know people who have been healed of cancer and heart issues.  I’ve also seen God intervene in various other ways to heal alcoholics, drug addicts, change hardened hearts, and give financial provision where none was humanly possible.

Doesn’t this mean that God can exist, answer prayer, and that He can hear us and intervene in miraculous ways, or, are all of these answers to prayer just coincidental on the skeptic’s view?

What’s the conclusion?

It’s funny how when God answers “no” the skeptic, he claims God doesn’t exist, yet when the answer is yes, it’s a coincidence!   The skeptic claims that we make excuses for God when we don’t get the answers we’re looking for, yet it seems that they are the very ones making excuses when we do.  I can tell you from personal experience that I’m very happy that God didn’t answer every prayer I prayed the way I thought He should.  

So, now you know Whattaya Do.  Thanks for asking.