The Blessing of Unanswered Prayers

Doctrine and Covenants 4:7 Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.

We are all familiar with this concept taught in the scriptures. We sometimes mistakenly think this means that God will always give us the blessing or answer we are looking for. Let me share a story. 

A good friend of mine told me that his little boy was awake in the night throwing up. He pleaded with God to just help him sleep through the night. God is so powerful, and this was such a small thing that would help his family so much in that moment. His child proceeded to throw up multiple times that night. 

We all pray for things like this. Of course he loves his child and wants him to be healthy. So does God. So why did it feel like God didn’t answer his prayer? 

A few scriptures to help

D&C 88 

63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

64 Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you;

1 John 5

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

What we learn from these scriptures is that God does hear and answer our prayers, according to His will. He will bless us with what is expedient for us.

I have said this before, but learning to accept Gods will and timing is one of the hardest things to do. It takes Christlike attributes. We definitely need the help of the spirit. We need to have faith. We need to be obedient. We need to be extremely patient. It is not easy. 

God sees the bigger picture that we cannot. Sometimes what we see as unanswered prayers are actually part of God's broader plan for our lives. Trials are opportunities for growth. While it's incredibly tough, they can help deepen our faith, refine our character, and bring us closer to God as we continue to rely on Him. Even though the blessing I have asked for over and over hasn’t been granted, God has provided strength, comfort, and peace to endure my challenges. 

The most important lesson I can share from this is that no matter how many prayers we feel go unanswered, no matter how many hardships or trials we face, and no matter how frustrated we might be, we must NEVER blame God. He is our Father. He loves us all individually and perfectly. He wants nothing but the best for each and every one of us. He has done more for us than we can even imagine. We are so extremely lucky to know Him and His Son. Never doubt His love for you. Never doubt that He hears your prayers. I know that He hears every single prayer, no matter how small. He may not answer our prayers exactly when and how we would like, but that will never mean that He doesn’t care. 

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's assured that "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come.”

His ways are not our ways. May we all follow the example of Job.

Job 1

21: (…) the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.