Jon Ludovina, the author of this post, serves as one of our pastors and oversees all of our teaching and preaching. For more information on our church's leadership, visit our
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The Crushing Weight of Religious Prayer
“How could God possibly love me? My whole life has been pain. He doesn’t hear my prayers. He hasn’t for years. Why won’t He answer me?”
She sobbed through the painful tears of religious frustration. Decades of praying with all her might, as skillfully as she could–even praying for good things–things she just knew God wanted her to pray for–countless prayers lobbed up at a God who now seemed distant and hard of hearing.
God Always Answers
Technically, there is no such thing as unheard or unanswered prayers when it comes to God. He knows all things. He hears all things. In Psalm 139, David writes, “Even before a word is on my tongue,behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” So technically, the issue is not whether or not He hears because He always does. The issue is whether or not He listens and whether He answers yes or no.
But technicalities don’t comfort a heart that is racked with pain.
Straight to the Gospel
So instead of correcting the inaccuracy, we talked about the gospel. We talked about the good news of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sake. We talked about the cross where Jesus died in our place for our sin. We talked about how Jesus’ prayer for God to let the cup of His wrath pass was answered with a no. And as the truth of God’s love and grace washed over her, you could visibly see her soul stop trembling with fear.
My favorite truth that Kent talked about on Sunday in his sermon, Landlord or Father, is that our understanding of God’s love is not based on his answers to our prayers. Our understanding of God’s love is based on the cross.
- We don’t judge God’s love based on the circumstances of our lives, no matter how painful or wonderful they might be.
- We believe His love based on the painfulness of Jesus’ suffering in our place.
- We don’t judge God’s love based on getting or receiving the things we ask.
- We believe His love based on Jesus giving up His life so we could receive more free love than we ever dreamed.
Since God loved us while we were His enemies – while we had done nothing to deserve His love whatsoever – He owes us nothing. He is not indebted to say yes to any of our prayers.
And yet…He says yes to many!
We don’t deserve a yes to all–nevermind any–of our prayers. And honestly, if we knew what God knows we wouldn’t want Him to say yes to all of the things we ask. But God frequently lets us be in on His will and His mission for our lives and for planet earth. In His sheer grace He often says yes to our prayers.
Not because we deserve it, but because He is good.
The gospel of Jesus is hope and freedom to pray for anything knowing that God is good no matter how He answers. The cross of Jesus beckons, “Come and abide in life-giving relationship with the God who suffered for you. Come and pray to God who’s love for you is unshakable.”
Come. Pray. And abide.
“…That my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11)