Into the Depths of Why? 2

Adam Hamilton’s new book, Why?: Making Sense of God’s Will, is short. It’s wise. It asks four big questions:

Why do the innocent suffer?
Why do my prayers go unanswered?
What can’t I see God’s will for my life?
Why God’s love prevails

In chp 2 he asks about unanswered prayer — and wonder why (as some think) God answers prayers for parking lots and touchdown passes but not for those who have cancer or those whose unborn children will die?

How do you approach unanswered prayers? How do pastors out there explain these issues?

He begins with Jesus. A website observes that there are reasons why our prayers are not answered, one of which is sin — Adam: “Jesus heals because he is holy, not because those he heals are holy” (35). We need to be careful about this “reason” for unanswered prayer. Maybe we don’t know what Jesus meant when he said faith could move a mountain. We are to understand this hyperbolically but not hyper-literally. Then he drives this point to exaggeration: if this statement by Jesus is 100% literal, we wouldn’t have to do anything. We could just pray.

Two NT unanswered prayers. 2 Cor 12:7-10 (after the jump).

⁷ or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

And what of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden, that the cup would pass from him? Did God “answer” that prayer? God does not always answer our prayers as we want; but God does not abandon us; and God works through that situation (you wanted to happen but God didn’t answer your prayer).

How does God answer prayers? Normally through ordinary means. God does not suspend the free will of another to answer my prayers. God will be with us through our prayers.