Episode 26: What Do I Do When My Prayers STILL Aren't Answered? (5 UNEXPECTED Gifts Of UNANSWERED Prayers)
How do you keep standing strong in faith… even when your prayers STILL haven’t been answered… and it HURTS?
For example - Does this feel familiar to you?
You summon the courage to pray and ask for God for something. (Maybe about work, a relationship, someone’s salvation, or a dream or desire you have.)
You wait on God to make it “come true.”
A few weeks pass by.
Nothing happens.
Okay. Not a huge deal. You wait a few more weeks.
Still… nothing happens.
The weeks turn into months.
Nothing. Hmm.
People try to encourage you by saying: “God’s will is perfect. Just keep trusting him. He’ll come through.”
Sure, okay. You throw up another prayer.
Oh! A hopeful sign!
A few months (or maybe years) go by.
…It falls through.
You feel defeated. And flooded with doubts.
“Was it foolish of me to even hope? Did I not have enough faith? Did I do something wrong? Do prayers even work? Is God even real?”
Today, we dive deep into this very common, and often painful, and often deeply private, struggle:
How do we honestly grapple with unanswered prayers - and all the complex emotions, doubts, and internal tensions that come with them?
Tune in as we share our personal experiences, including Grace journeying through this in singleness and Alex's struggles in less-than-ideal job situations.
We unpack five hidden blessings we’ve personally gleaned in these seasons that can be easily overlooked… but once we pay attention to them, we realize are key to our own transformation.
We also share practical tips for how to “wait well” - and take care of your heart, mind, and soul when you’re still in the season of “not yet.”
If you're feeling discouraged or find yourself in waves of doubt because of the dreams or desires that haven’t come to fruition yet… friend, you are NOT alone.
We pray this conversation encourages you and equips you with perspectives and tools for greater hope, strength, and endurance to keep going.
KEY TOPICS:
3:19 - Personal examples of our own “not yet” seasons
5:47 - Toxic “Scripture-slapping”
7:21 - How NOT to comfort someone going through this struggle
9:03 - The danger of “conditional” thinking
10:46 - Gift #1 of unanswered prayers
13:43 - Gift #2 of unanswered prayers
18:39 - Gift #3 of unanswered prayers
29:00 - Gift #4 of unanswered prayers
35:00 - Gift #5 of unanswered prayers
45:50 - Practical tips if you’re feeling this
49:02 - Key takeways & Final encouragements
51:00 - A prayer for you ♥️
And more...
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Transcript
Coming soon