Is there something in your life that you’ve been praying about for a long time and it seems God is silent? Me too. I bet we’re all been there before. 

Sometimes it’s about small things, sometimes it’s about big things. Praying fervently for any situation, but seeing nothing change, can cause weariness in anyone.

But we must take heart because God is never really silent. He’s always there, always reigning, always working, always almighty. 

I’m writing all of this as much for me as I am for anyone else. 

Myself, and a lot of other people, have been praying for healing for my mom for a long time. She suffers from severe back pain on a regular basis and so far, none of the treatments have helped. She’s done PT, had pain blocks and steroid shots, and had surgery. It makes it difficult for her to sleep or to sit, stand or walk for long periods of time.

I must confess, I’m weary of praying. I pray and pray and pray and she still tells me she’s in so much pain it brings her to tears most nights. I’m helpless to bring her any relief. I struggle to understand why God won’t heal her and won’t ease her pain.

But He is God and He is trustworthy. 

“He hears my voice”

Why do we know He is trustworthy? 

Because of His character demonstrated throughout the pages of Scripture — His goodness, His faithfulness, His omnipotence, His love. 

Because of His promises to us in Scripture — He promises to never leave or forsake us (Deut. 31:8), He promises to work out everything for our good (Romans 8:28).

Because we know He hears our prayers. Psalm 55 says, “But I call to God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and He hears my voice” (vv. 16–17, emphasis added).

God hears every prayer that His children pray. That is promised. Does that mean God will answer every prayer the way we want or think is right? No. 

The God we pray to isn’t a genie in a bottle. He doesn’t grant us our every request. And that’s a good thing.

Our God is the almighty, all-knowing creator of the universe. We may think we know what is right and best, but God knows what actually is best. And we can trust His best because He is infinitely good and infinitely loving.

Yesterday, today and forever

It’s not always easy to surrender your prayers to God and truly ask for His will to be done, but it is necessary. In everything, rest assured that God is faithful yesterday, today and forever. He hears your prayers and He will answer them in the way He knows is best. But don’t take this to mean that we should stop praying. We must pray.

I still pray for my mom’s healing every day. But I also pray that no matter what, God’s will be done and His glory would be shown. God never promises healing, but He does promise that He will see us through this life until we reach a new heaven and a new earth. A place with no mourning, crying or pain (Rev. 21).

I pray 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 often for my mom. After telling of his thorn in the flesh and his pleas to God that it would be gone, Paul says, “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”