Why We Started An Un-Answered Prayer List

 

Prayer list, we all have them. Even prayers that don’t get answered, are still answered prayers!

Say what?

Yes. You read that right. Unanswered prayers are just not the answer we prayed for; or did we?

Answered Prayer Wall

A few weeks ago, we were sitting in our War Room, and we looked over the prayers on our wall. We do this often so we can move answered prayers over to our answered prayer wall. And praise God for what He has done. Then we look over the needs that are present and fervently pray over them.

One day, we looked over our prayer request, and there was a prayer that was not answered. It was a prayer for healing over a friend. As we were believing for a supernatural miracle; for life to be spared and protected.

However, our friend went home to be with the Lord. As we looked at the prayer request, we threw it away since it wasn’t an answered prayer.

We sat in silence with tears coming down, wondering why this prayer went un-answered?

Not having much strength to pray; we read over the prayers that were answered hanging up on our answered prayer wall.

We saw our friend’s name on several pages.  There were milestones he prayed for along the way. As a result, we were able to rejoice with him watching all those milestones come to pass.

Then it hit us, he did get to see what he desired while he was waiting on the complete manifestation of healing.

As we read his answered prayers, our hearts began to turn from feeling sad to feeling overjoyed. Not to mention, the truth is, in Heaven He did receive the complete manifestation of healing.

Our Revelation

Shortly after leaving our War Room, we asked ourselves, why is it that we don’t save our unanswered prayers? Why do we throw them away? Is it because it wasn’t the answer, we wanted?

A no, is still an answer. It may not be the answer we want; but it’s still an answer.

We keep a memorial of answered prayers to be reminded of God’s faithfulness. So why is it, that we don’t keep record of prayers unanswered?

After contemplating this for a while, we came up with why it would be beneficial to keep track of those unanswered prayers. As we realized, it would give us an opportunity to reflect by asking ourselves these questions:

1. What is God doing in this situation?

2.What good came from this situation?

3.What is there for me to learn or grow from in this situation?

All of these questions and more, are opportunities for us to meditate on what we didn’t get from our prayer. And it’s an opportunity to seek God about what He would have for us.

God Revealed His Word

Over the last few weeks this has been on the top of our minds. And the scripture God brought to our hearts was this:

“You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. ~ James 4:2-3 (NLT)

Sometimes, we’re disappointed when we don’t get what we prayed for, because we simply didn’t ask.

Other times we ask with wrong motives. And when we spend time to soul search and consider our hearts and intentions, we realize why we may not have received what we asked for.

Remember, everything you ask for isn’t always what you need. Only God truly knows what you NEED.

Everything you ask for isn’t always what you need. Click To Tweet

God’s thoughts and ways, are not our thoughts and ways. So we can’t trust our own thinking. God alone knows what is truly in our best interest.

Sometimes we ask for things that do not line up with God’s Word. Jesus tell us in John 14:14 that as long as we ask in His name and according to who He is, and what He is doing; He will answer it.

“From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it.” ~ John 14:14 (The Message)

 

Time To Seek God

When our prayers go unanswered, we must seek God. Ask the Holy Spirit to show us what we can learn from the situation. What is God trying to grow me in?

We can’t get to what God has for us, when we acknowledge a prayer that didn’t get answered; then quickly move on.

However, when we spend time with God and ask the Holy Spirit to show us; we begin to see with our spiritual eyes.

There is value in keeping track of these spiritual lessons when we take the time to see what God was doing and write them down. And these lessons can help us grow in our walk with God.

Our Un-Answered Prayer List

So starting today we’ve designated a notebook for OUR Unanswered Prayers to keep in our War Room.

This notebook will keep a list of prayers that go unanswered. As we will journal our reflections during our time with God.

We’re calling it OUR unanswered prayer list; because it’s an answer we didn’t want.

However, that does not mean it’s a prayer that went unanswered.

We are looking forward to seeing what truths and revelation’s God will give us, so we can grow in our faith walk and our prayer life.

Do you keep track of your unanswered prayers? Tell us in the comment section below about your experience, we’d love to hear about it.

~ André and Timberley Gray