Just a Matter of Time

We have in a couple of biblical passages some really sticky promises related to prayer. Take, for instance, the promise "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:14). Let's see ... the conditions: "Ask anything in My name", and the promise: "I will do it." Simple, right? And yet we ask things all the time in His name and we don't see it happening. Or take James's, "Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him" (James 5:14-15). Let's see here. Conditions? "The prayer offered in faith." Oh sure, there's the whole "call for the elders" and "anointing him with oil" and all that. But look at the promise! This "will restore the one who is sick"! Wow! So that seems pretty clear cut. Why don't we see it very often?

We know that "faith" is not the answer. You know, "the prayer answered in faith" is the catch, right? No. Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. There can be no doubt that Jesus prayed in faith. But the cup did not pass from Him. It's not a faith problem. I mean, it might be (James 1:6-7), but that's not the final answer, despite the many who would try to make it so. And it is always wise to lay Scripture against Scripture, so we also read, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" (John 15:7). Abiding in Him, then, is critical, but that just throws in another of those sticky promises, doesn't it? And there is always the very issue that Jesus named in His garden prayer: "not My will, but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42). So everything has to go through the will of God to be accomplished. I mean, it doesn't follow that we can force God into doing things against His will by asking in Jesus's name or calling elders and anointing with oil and asking in faith or abiding in Him, does it? So there's that.

But we're still stuck. Surely there are prayers we ask in Jesus's name, meeting all the criteria, that are obviously the will of God and we don't get them. I know I have. Haven't you? So what can we conclude? Well, there are a few possibilities. The skeptic would offer, "See? God is a liar and, therefore, nonexistent." We'll throw that out at the start. The next obvious response is that we're just not meeting the requirements. We lack faith or we're not abiding in Him or we're not asking according to His will ... even when we're certain of all of these things. That makes the promise of answered prayer pointless, doesn't it? That would mean, "Well, sure, I'll always give you what you ask when you meet these requirements ... but you'll never know when you do. Don't bother trying."

I would like to suggest a third possibility. I notice in none of these promises a time reference. I see, "I will do it" but I don't see when. I see it "will restore the one who is sick", but I don't see when. I see that God promises to answer prayers in many places, but I don't see when. Could it be that God fulfills His promise to answer prayers prayed under the proper conditions when He chooses to and not on our schedule? If, for instance, the prayer offered in faith results in the death of the loved one who was prayed for, are they not then restored to perfect health? I mean, "new body" is about as good as it gets, isn't it? We can pray with absolute certainty "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" because Jesus commanded us to and be absolutely sure that it will happen, even if it doesn't meet our time restrictions.

I believe the promises of answered prayer. I think we often place an unnecessary restriction on God when we not only ask for His will, but demand when He will fulfill it. I mean, after all, isn't "when" also a matter of His will? So if you are sure you've prayed in faith and prayed in His name and prayed for His will and you don't see answers yet, be assured. He will do it. It is a certainty. It's just a matter of time. And, like the hymn says, He "doeth all things well."