Unanswered Prayer Two

By: David Chapman | Date: 2026-01-06

Unanswered prayer 2

Thank you for writing this teaching, Martin.

       You cover a very important part of our Christian experience. It was important that Jesus ‘learned obedience through the things He suffered’! It was not a matter of testing His obedience but obeying in different contexts. We learn to obey most of our lives. Jesus did not need this lesson.

         I have sometimes meditated on Christ’s prayer in Gethsemane. Was He asking for a way out? Was He only asking that a particular ‘cup’ could be bypassed? Whatever, we discover that the Father provided a way through! Just as Paul discovered:

1 Corinthians 10:13

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (LSB Strong's)

         So, whatever we see in Gethsemane – the Father provided a way of escape! Our prayers tend to want a ‘way out’, a way of avoidance, a backwards or sideways move. I wonder sometimes about the fact that Jesus asked the same thing three times. Paul did the same. We hear one side of the discussion. Except that God told Paul that there was sufficient grace for him. That was his way of escape, the door through to the next thing. Paul did not stop; Jesus did not stop. The door was opened for them to escape the current obstacle and to get through to the current purpose of God. Jesus yielded His will to the Father and so, the prayer is answered in ‘Thy will be done’.

        All this works out for us as individuals. Sometimes there are too many other people involved. They don’t understand, they seem to make matters worse! I am asking for better things, more obedience and spiritual life among us. I would like the Father to glorify His Name among us. This by adding to our numbers and spiritual strength. It is that second part that is not answered in the way I would like. However, I need to see that God is glorifying His Name through us. So, we end up yielding to Almighty God and saying, “Not my will but yours be done!”

Elijah had prayers answered because he knew God’s will about Israel at that time. He aligned himself with God’s will. Jesus knew the Father’s Will for Him. I can only conclude that the prayer was about some dreadful experience that was not revealed in Scripture or to Jesus until then! A mystery, like the hidden manna, the bread baked in a closed oven.

People who taught me would say something like:

There are no unanswered prayers. God will say “Yes” or “No” or “Wait”!