When our prayers are unanswered

When a prayer seems unanswered, God is not depriving us of a blessing. He is delivering us to a better blessing.

One of the greatest challenges for those trying to connect with God is the challenge of unanswered prayers—especially when that prayer is about something we feel would be a great blessing for us. Why would God deny or deprive us of such a blessing? That question can indeed be confusing, even confounding.

An essential aspect of developing a relationship with God is understanding that his vision sees further than ours, his wisdom knows far more than our minds can grasp, and his heart is filled with far more love for us than even our hearts can hold—for God, or even for ourselves. Knowing this fundamental dynamic of the human-divine relationship, we can trust that God is preparing a better and brighter future for us. He may want us to let go of this particular blessing so that he can give us a bigger blessing in the future.

The present difficulties are often like God’s sculpting chisels, shaping our heart to make it ready for his future blessings. When a stone is being sculpted, it has to be broken and pierced. Similarly, our heart may feel broken or pierced when we do not get what we had sought. But just as a beautiful sculpture emerges through all the chiseling, our heart becomes wiser, sweeter, and overall better through this transformative process.

The chiseling is sometimes experienced through attachments that we hold dear becoming unattainable. The Bhagavad-gita 7.26 declares that God knows the past, present, and future. While we can only see what we have been deprived of in the present, he can see what will be delivered to us in the future. Rather than letting our vision be blocked and locked by the prayer that has not been answered, we can direct our vision and devotion to the God who will deliver a bigger and better blessing.

Summary:

• When our prayers go unanswered, we may question why God has seemingly deprived us of a blessing.
• God’s wisdom and love are far beyond our understanding, and he may withhold one blessing to prepare us for a greater one.
• By focusing on God’s loving intentions, we can avoid being blinded by our loss and allow his chiseling to shape our hearts.

Think it over:

• What is the fundamental truth of the human-divine relationship that we need to keep in mind when facing the dilemma of unanswered prayers?
• When our heart feels broken, what metaphor can give us solace?
• How can we shift our vision when we feel disappointed by lost blessings?

***

07.26 O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows.