Why Answered Prayer Is Sometimes Like a Roundabout
Have you ever felt like God answers your prayers in ways you least anticipate? If so, you're not alone. But you can trust that his path is always best.
When I was a young Christian, I thought prayer was a linear process. That if I prayed for X, I should receive a clear yes or no response. But this is often not the case, and, as my wife Janan shared last week, God sometimes answers our prayers in ways we least expect.
Recently, I was reading 19th-century writer George MacDonald’s Unspoken Sermons, in which he writes, “It may be that the answer to prayer will come in a shape that seems a refusal. It may come even in an increase of that from which we seek deliverance.” MacDonald adds that,
Our vision is so circumscribed, our theories are so small—the garment of them not large enough to wrap us in; our faith so continually fashions itself to the fit of our dwarf intellect, that there is endless room for rebellion against ourselves: we must not let our poor knowledge limit our not so poor intellect, our intellect limit our faith, our faith limit our divine hope; reason must humbly watch over all—reason, the candle of the Lord.[1]
Translation? We often don’t know what we should pray because we don’t even know how to pray. Because our minds so naturally gravitate toward temporal needs, sometimes the deepest our prayers ever go is “Bless my family,” “Help my business to grow,” and “Make me live a long and prosperous life.”
But true prayer goes deeper, and it’s not until we begin to spend extended time with God that we better appreciate that many of our prayers are not answered in the way we see best.
When God Reroutes Our Prayers
Last week, I had my friend Trever Keaton write about what he learned from God after losing his mom to cancer. I loved what he had to share, and it was a poignant reminder that even in the midst of life's pain, God is at work.
Last year, a day after his mom’s funeral, Janan and I had lunch with Trever and his dad, Troy. Through this conversation, Troy shared that over his wife Janel’s cancer journey, they had prayed countless times that Janel would at least experience some relief. But this never happened, and she suffered.
God didn’t answer their prayers. Or did he?
Here’s what was interesting. While Janel’s suffering increased, so did her testimony to others. When I worked on staff under Troy years ago, Janel always preferred to remain behind the scenes. But through her cancer journey, God used her voice to be a source of comfort for thousands.
Never one to care about social media, it wasn’t long before her Instagram grew to nearly 100k followers. Not only that but Troy and Janel also witnessed numerous breakthroughs in their church congregation, with many people coming to faith in Christ in dramatic ways.
In a way, it was as if God took all those prayers Troy and Janel prayed for healing and shifted them into something even eternally better than they could have imagined. (I'd encourage you to watch these last few minutes of Troy's sermon he shared at Janel's funeral)
Like a Roundabout
One of the discoveries I've made is that prayer is a bit like a roundabout. Let me explain my first-hand experience with this.
Because the greater Boise area where I live is growing quickly, road construction is a constant reality. And over the past five years, I’ve watched one four-way stop after another be converted into a roundabout. At first, everyone who isn’t used to these is confused. However, it turns out that sometimes the best way from Point A to Point B isn’t a direct line but one that takes a slight detour.
Prayer is like this. We think that it should be simple. That we know what is eternally best for us and that our prayers deserve to be answered the way we expect. But God’s plan is very different. A few Biblical examples:
- In the Old Testament, we see how Hannah prayed earnestly for a child, but God didn’t just give her a son; he gave her Samuel, who became a mighty prophet (1 Samuel 1:10-20).
- Similarly, Paul pleaded with God to remove his “thorn in the flesh,” but instead of healing him outright, God assured Paul that his grace would be sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).
- And in the story of Joseph, while he might have prayed for release from prison, God answered by elevating him to a position of authority, using his hardship to save many lives (Genesis 41:14-40).
I could give you a number of personal examples of roundabout answers to prayer, but I’ll settle for merging two into one illustration. For years, I had prayed about pastoring a church in Toronto, Canada, and about writing. For me, the path looked linear. I’d start a church that would grow, God would use my story, and I’d write some best sellers.
Instead, God has blessed me with a much more behind-the-scenes role. Five years ago, after moving from Toronto to the greater Boise area, I started ghostwriting. This summer, I'll complete my thirtieth published book. And I've been blessed to work with authors all around the world, many of whom want to talk about their faith. Oh, and several of them have been from Toronto.
Despite still having questions about how God has worked, there is little doubt in my mind that he is working.
Embrace the Roundabout
Chances are that God is working some roundabout prayers in your life, and I’d challenge you to be open to them.
- Maybe you’re praying for a spouse, but God has allowed you to be a tremendous blessing to singles.
- Maybe you want kids, but God has allowed you to have more influence in a kids ministry.
- Maybe you long to see your business thrive, but instead, you’re able to be a mentor to others and see their businesses flourish.
Trust that God's path is always best.
[1] George MacDonald, Unspoken Sermons Series I., II., and II. (Function), Kindle edition, location 2507.
