Why Isn't It Working?

I have heard many Christians say, "I've been praying. I wonder why it isn't working." An atheist would scoff, and say it is because there is no one there to hear our prayers. But how is the believer to respond?

If we buy into what some churches are teaching, we might conclude that God's greatest desire for us is our happiness. There are many professing Christians today who believe God doesn't want us to suffer hardship or want. They believe that God will remove every obstacle from their path so they can march to heaven on an easy path. Within this kind of thinking, unanswered prayer leaves the believer confused.

However, the Bible teaches a different way of understanding. We are promised tribulation in this world. The rest we yearn for is still yet to come, so we plod along relying on our Lord. God's great desire for believers is their holiness, not their happiness. Hardships teach us perseverance, and perseverance, when we have learned it well, produces faith.

It doesn't take much to make a child (or some adults) happy. You just have to give them what they want, when they want it. Holiness requires more. To be holy, one must often go against their own nature. They must deny themselves some of their desires. It takes effort, but holiness is what God demands from all people. Once the taste for holiness is required, it brings happiness. But until we do the hard work of waiting, learning, and growing, we will never experience lasting holiness or happiness.

With this backdrop, let us return to the opening question. Why do some prayers go unanswered? Charles Bridges, a pastor in the 1800s, addressed as similar question his book, The Christian Ministry. While his initial question was more concerned with why ministry isn't always as fruitful as one would hope, his answer applies here. He stated,

But why is this promised blessing withheld?--"Even so; Father; for so it seemth good in they sight." Yet we must not slumber in acquiescence without self-inquiry. Do we fervently seek and cherish this influence? Do we actively "stir up the gift of God which is in us?" Above all, does our pulpit set out that full exhibition of our Divine Master, which alone commands this heavenly blessing? The encouragement of prayer and faith are always the same. God is indeed absolutely sovereign in the distribution of his blessing; but by his command to seek, he has pledged himself, that we shall not seek in vain. Having freely promised, he will faithfully perform. Let all means be used in diligence, but in dependence--in self-denial, but in self-renunciation.

So the simple answer to our question is that God doesn't answer because he has chosen to hold back. The reasoning may escape us in the present (and possibly in the future), but we must push forward. When every effort has been made, every motive examined, every sin confessed, yet there is no discernible reason for our lack of success, we must trust in God's sovereign wisdom. He is worthy of our undying trust, even when we don't know what he is doing.

The Seasons of Faith

The cool somber gray of autumn has started to descend. The damp morning air clings to body and soul. Once proud leaves droop as greens fade to orange, yellow, red, and eventually, brown. The gentle breeze no longer offers its sweet relief, but sterner warnings of winter's coming. Things are changing, always changing.

Life, like the world it lives in, is always changing. Seasons come and seasons go. The seasons are life are no different. Some have equated the developmental stages of life to seasons: birth (spring), youth (summer), middle age (autumn), old age and death (winter). Yet even in those stages of life we go through cycles of seasons.

In my experience, spiritual life has its cycles of seasons. It's rare to move to the renewal of spring without going through the "death" of winter. Think of it this way: when we come to faith in Christ we are in the "spring" of our faith. Life is new and eager, yet not fully matured. With the passing of time and testing of the individual, they blossom into the maturity. In the summer of faith, life grows and matures. The autumn of faith is harvest time. Even as the believer experiences productivity, things begin to slow down. Winter, then, is a time when things cool off.

In this analogy, spiritual winter is not death. Like actual winter, it is more of a time of hibernation. Spiritual passions cool. Growth appears nonexistent. However, life is below the surface awaiting the right moment to ignite renewal.

Maybe you have just come through a particularly difficult spiritual summer. Maybe you feel withered under the hot sun of persecution or tribulation. You have prematurely browned into the autumn of faith. You are tired and uncertain.

What do you do? You endure. This, too, will pass. The seasons of faith are not like the seasons of the year. They don't have regular time periods. They can be cycled through rapidly, like in a time lapse video, or they may stretch out over the course of years.

The Lord renews those who wait upon him. Isaiah said, "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isa. 40:31, NIV).

Staying the Course

When you hear the words perseverance, endurance, and steadfastness, what image comes to mind? Do you envision a runner completing a marathon? Do you see a mountain climber reaching the peak of Everest? Do you see a child being potty trained or learning to tie their shoes?

What is perseverance? Put simply perseverance is not giving up. Those who persevere have a keep on keeping on attitude. Perseverance is one of the components of a vital faith. 2 Peter 1:5-8 gives us a chain of the necessary elements to maturity: faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.

Perseverance is central to eternal life. Jesus said, "But the one who endures to the end will be delivered" (Matt. 24:13, HCSB). The author of Hebrews warns,

For you need endurance, so that after you have done God's will, you may receive what was promised. 'For yet in a very little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him (Heb. 10:36-38, HCSB).

James, the brother of Jesus, explains why trials should be the source of joy.  He states,

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that yo may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4, NIV).

We should be grateful for testing. Why? Because it develops perseverance. Paul states,

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produce perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us (Rom. 5:3-5, NIV).

Perseverance pushes us forward. It keeps us moving toward the mark. Like exercise, it turns resistance into muscle. Like study, it sharpens the mind.

Perseverance must complete its work. The maturing process is engrained in the system of life on earth. Puppies are born, and we hope they'll grow to be dogs. Kittens are born, and we hope they'll grow to be cats. Babies are born, and we hope they'll grow up to be healthy, happy citizens.

Without testing, we would develop perseverance. Without perseverance, we wouldn't mature in our faith. We would be incomplete. We would be lacking something. So we are called to keep on keeping on. We push on in faith. We keep building ourselves up in our most holy faith. May it be said of us that we are staying the course.