Unexpected Answers to Prayer

Have you ever asked God for something only to be disappointed?

I know I’ve been severely disappointed when God didn’t answer my prayers. When my prayers for my husband’s repentance went unanswered. When my prayers for a ministry of reconciliation failed. When my prayers for restoration of my marriage feel of deaf ears.

Honestly, I almost lost my faith over those seemingly unanswered prayers. Why should I continue to follow God if my faithfulness and service to Him went unrecognized? Why should I continue to follow Him if my commitment to Him had the same results as those who had lived life on their own terms? It was a very difficult season in my life, one that almost caused me to walk away from God.

But God…

My God was so incredibly loving and patient with me! He pursued me relentlessly. He fought for my affections. And I learned that at the depths of my being, I was His! I could not walk away from the God who had been faithful all my life!

What I didn’t know at the time was the work God had already begun in the life of an old friend. You see, even as I fell to my knees in surrender, I reconnected with an old friend through social media. Little did I know that in the years to come, he would choose repentance and surrender to the faith of his childhood. Little did I know God would work a story of renewal and ministry into his life. Little did I know he would one day become the story of restoration of a marriage.

No, the answers to my prayers did not look anything like I wanted or expected at the time. However, looking back, I am so incredibly thankful for the unexpected answers to my prayers.

Have you ever thought about biblical characters having unanswered prayers? My mind immediately goes to Joseph.

I can hear Joseph calling out to God as he sat in the pit, begging God to rescue him. Instead, his brothers sold him into slavery.

I can hear Joseph asking God to give him strength in the face of temptation from Potiphar’s wife’s advances. Instead, he was wrongly accused and thrown into prison.

I can hear Joseph asking God to remember him as he languished in prison. Instead, the chief cup bearer forgot about him when he was restored to his position.

I can hear Joseph crying out to God, wondering why he continued to cling to the dream he had as a young boy when his life had taken wrong turn after wrong turn.

I’m sure Joseph had many moments of anger, frustration, confusion and doubt. I’m sure he felt forgotten at times. I’m certain he struggled to understand how the God who had promised to always be faithful could forsake him.

Yet, every single setback in Joseph’s life moved him a step closer to God’s plan for him, the saving of many people. I’m certain Joseph never expected to suffer so much before seeing God’s promise fulfilled, before seeing his dream become reality.

How did Joseph endure the twenty or so years of unanswered prayers?

He focused on becoming who God called him to be!

He remained faithful to who God created him to be. It didn’t matter if Joseph was being sold to a band of Ishmaelites or languishing in a jail cell. It didn’t matter if people were watching or he was alone. Joseph continued to give his everything. Despite being sold into servitude, he became a trusted servant of Potiphar. While in prison, he became the right-hand man of the jailer. When he was finally freed from prison, he was a trusted advisor to the Pharaoh. No matter what injustice was thrown his way, he continued to serve faithfully. It seems he never just sulked in the raw deal life had handed him. Instead, he chose to continue faithfully serving God and man.

He maintained the highest levels of integrity. Do you remember when Joseph was accosted by Potiphar’s wife? If not, you can read it in Genesis 39:1-19. Joseph was a trusted member of Potiphar’s household, and Potiphar’s wife took notice of him. She demanded that he sleep with her. However, Joseph maintained his integrity. Day after day, Potiphar’s wife begged him to come to bed with her. Joseph repeatedly refused. And then one day, he didn’t have anyone else around to help him. That’s when Potiphar’s wife grabbed hold of him, and Joseph managed to escape. However, his escape meant he left his cloak behind, a cloak Potiphar’s wife used to wrongfully accuse him. However, in the midst of it all, Joseph maintained his integrity by never giving into the pressure she placed on him.

He continually looked to the future. Even when he was at his lowest points—betrayed by his brothers, wrongfully accused, forgotten by those he had helped—Joseph never seemed to lose hope for a better future. Maybe it was because he had seen God protect him, even in horrible situations. Maybe it was because he clung to the dreams of his childhood. Maybe it was because he had found a way to keep his faith in tact despite his circumstances. For whatever reason, Joseph believed in a better future.

How did he have unexpected answers to his prayers? Sharing his dream led his brothers to betray him and sell him into slavery. That’s how he ended up in Potiphar’s home. Potiphar’s advances led him to prison where he met the chief cup bearer. Eventually, the cup bearer brought him before Pharaoh where all of his dreams came to fruition. It was a difficult 20+ years, but it all culminated in the restoration of everything Joseph had lost—and more. In the end, he saw God’s faithfulness in amazing ways!

What about you? What prayers have gone unanswered for you? What unanswered prayers have caused you to walk away from your faith? What unanswered prayers are causing you to doubt your faith?

Is it possible God has an unexpected answer for you? Maybe, just maybe, he’s working something incredible behind the scenes that you will only understand when you get to the other side.