A Closer Walk
"Hear my prayer, O Lord, Give ear to my supplications! Answer me in Thy faithfulness, in Thy righteousness!" Psalm 143:1 NASB. The Psalmist, in this case David the shepherd boy who became king of all Israel, wants God to answer his prayer. David has prayed his prayer and at this point has not received his answer. He reminds the Lord of His faithfulness and His righteousness, and calls on Him to send His answer because of God's own faithfulness and righteousness. So he pleads with the Lord for the answer. He seems certain that the answer to his prayer has not yet come.
How do we know if and when a prayer has been answered? Is it possible that God can answer our prayer and us not know that the answer has been provided? If our Lord does provide an answer to any prayer we offer wouldn't He want us to know that? So if God grants our request then we would receive what we asked for. And we would likely know that. Occasions when we wouldn't know we have received our answer would be when we are praying for something spiritual rather than tangible. For example, such as when we are praying for someone's salvation. We may not know if we have received an answer to this type of prayer this side of heaven. But that shouldn't stop us from praying them.
God may choose to answer a prayer with a “No!” The Apostle Paul once received a firm “No” to one of his prayers. “And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh... Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness...,'” 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 NASB. Three times Paul entreated the Lord that He would remove this thorn in Paul's flesh. It was only after the third entreaty that Paul's answer did finally come. And that answer was “No.”
As feeble human beings we should expect that at least some of God's answers to our prayers would be “No.” Why? We may be asking for something that is outside of the Lord's will for us. Or we may be asking for something that our gracious Heavenly Father knows would be harmful to us or to our families. There is also what some call asking amiss. “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts,” James 4:3 KJV. Here is an example: “Lord if you would give me a brand new Cadillac every year, I could use that Cadillac to take people to church so they could worship you and serve you and give offerings to your church. I just need that brand new Cadillac. Every year.” Is a brand new Cadillac necessary to pick people up and drive them to church? Does this person even need a Cadillac to do what he is claiming he desires to do? Wouldn't a Chevy or a Ford accomplish the task? So why is he asking not only for a Cadillac but a brand new Cadillac? Every year? Is he not asking amiss so that he may spend it on his lusts? If God did grant that request (which He could do for His own reasons), how long would it be before taking people to church became too burdensome for this person and they stopped doing it?
It's possible that asking amiss may be easy for us. It is also possible that we may be asking for something that is outside the Lord's will for us. And we could even be asking for something that God knows would be harmful to us or to our family. So we should rejoice for each and every “No” answer that we receive to our prayers. He answers out of His faithfulness and righteousness. Besides, it is our God that has infinite wisdom, and not us. Agreed?