Why does God answer ‘yes’ to some prayers and ‘no’ to others? Why does God miraculously heal some people and not others? Why does disaster strike one city and not another? Bad theology surrounding these questions can be very detrimental.

Bad Theology Hurts the Suffering
I know that God answers prayer. And we need to pray. God tells us to ask, and it will be given to us (Matthew 7:7). But what are we as believers to infer from natural disasters or epidemics where people’s prayers seemingly go unanswered? Can we simply draw straight lines between our requests and God’s answers? Years ago, I heard a pastor tell of his cancer that went into remission. When he told his congregation the good news, several commented, “We knew God would heal you. He had to. So many people were praying for you.”

While the pastor was thankful for others’ prayers, he also knew God did not owe him healing. Faithful believers throughout the ages have earnestly prayed and yet not been healed. The apostle Paul was not healed in order that God might show that his power could be made perfect in Paul’s weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

And then there was my own son, Paul, who died as an infant. We had prayed, fasted, and asked friends to pray for his healing. Several years after his death, we met a man who said when he learned of our loss, “Don’t take this wrong, but we prayed for all of our children before they were born. And they were all born healthy.” We had no words.

I have often been discouraged that others have been rescued while I was still suffering, because of the bad theology I had experienced. Prosperity gospel proponents have told me that if I had prayed in faith, my body would have been healed, my son would have been spared, and my marriage would have been restored. It was all up to me. If I just had the faith, I would have had a better outcome.

Their words have left me bruised and disillusioned, wondering what I was doing wrong.

But that bad theology is not the gospel. God’s response to our prayers is not dependent upon our worthiness but rather rests upon on his great mercy (Daniel 9:18). Because of Christ, who took our punishment, God is always for us (Romans 8:31). He wants to give us all things. Christ himself is ever interceding for us (Romans 8:31–34).

If you are in Christ, God is completely for you. Your suffering is not a punishment. Your struggles are not because you didn’t pray the right way, or because you didn’t pray enough, or because you have weak faith or insufficient intercessors. It is because God is using your suffering in ways that you may not understand now, but one day you will. One day you will see how God used your affliction to prepare you for an incomparable weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).

This is the gospel, not that bad theology. And it holds for all who love Christ.


Dear God, thank you that my suffering is light in comparison to the eternal weight of glory it will achieve for your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, amen.

letitrainnow:
■ Why does God answer ‘yes’ to some prayers and ‘no’ to others?
■ Why does God miraculously heal some people and not others? Why does disaster strike one city and not another?
■ Bad Theology Hurts the Suffering. I know that God answers prayer. And we need to pray. God tells us to ask, and it will be given to us (Matthew 7:7). But what are we as believers to infer from natural disasters or epidemics where people’s prayers seemingly go unanswered? Can we simply draw straight lines between our requests and God’s answers? Years ago, I heard a pastor tell of his cancer that went into remission. When he told his congregation the good news, several commented, “We knew God would heal you. He had to. So many people were praying for you.” While the pastor was thankful for others’ prayers, he also knew God did not owe him healing. Faithful believers throughout the ages have earnestly prayed and yet not been healed. The apostle Paul was not healed in order that God might show that his power could be made perfect in Paul’s weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

1. I am afraid what you observed isn't God but your mind desperately seeking to convince itself that it is God. God's promise is instead that He will answer ALL , not some, prayers said by those who are believing in Him.

2. God pours out His mercy every day on the world — even the wicked and the ungrateful— that doesn't mean He answers their prayers though.

3. The same God also said that He does not answer the prayers of sinners — the prayers of the unrighteous are an abomination onto Him. And we know from His teachings that it is not prayer that makes one righteous, nor frees one from slavery to sin, but instead continuous submission and obedience to the teachings and commandments of Jesus Christ that accomplishes that - John 8 vs 31 - 36. When it is said that God does not answer the prayer of sinners, what that equally means is that God does not answer your prayers asking for forgiveness of sins either. He only answers the prayers of those who have become Sons of God through the obedience of His Law, Jesus Christ.

letitrainnow:
■ Why does God answer ‘yes’ to some prayers and ‘no’ to others? Why does God miraculously heal some people and not others? Why does disaster strike one city and not another? Bad theology surrounding these questions can be very detrimental. I know that God answers prayer. And we need to pray. God tells us to ask, and it will be given to us (Matthew 7:7). But what are we as believers to infer from natural disasters or epidemics where people’s prayers seemingly go unanswered? Can we simply draw straight lines between our requests and God’s answers?
■ Years ago, I heard a pastor tell of his cancer that went into remission. When he told his congregation the good news, several commented, “We knew God would heal you. He had to. So many people were praying for you.” While the pastor was thankful for others’ prayers, he also knew God did not owe him healing. Faithful believers throughout the ages have earnestly prayed and yet not been healed. The apostle Paul was not healed in order that God might show that his power could be made perfect in Paul’s weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
■ And then there was my own son, Paul, who died as an infant. We had prayed, fasted, and asked friends to pray for his healing. Several years after his death, we met a man who said when he learned of our loss, “Don’t take this wrong, but we prayed for all of our children before they were born. And they were all born healthy.” We had no words. I have often been discouraged that others have been rescued while I was still suffering, because of the bad theology I had experienced. Prosperity gospel proponents have told me that if I had prayed in faith, my body would have been healed, my son would have been spared, and my marriage would have been restored. It was all up to me. If I just had the faith, I would have had a better outcome. Their words have left me bruised and disillusioned, wondering what I was doing wrong.
■ But that bad theology is not the gospel. God’s response to our prayers is not dependent upon our worthiness but rather rests upon on his great mercy (Daniel 9:18). Because of Christ, who took our punishment, God is always for us (Romans 8:31). He wants to give us all things. Christ himself is ever interceding for us (Romans 8:31–34). If you are in Christ, God is completely for you. Your suffering is not a punishment. Your struggles are not because you didn’t pray the right way, or because you didn’t pray enough, or because you have weak faith or insufficient intercessors. It is because God is using your suffering in ways that you may not understand now, but one day you will. One day you will see how God used your affliction to prepare you for an incomparable weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17). This is the gospel, not that bad theology. And it holds for all who love Christ.
■ Dear God, thank you that my suffering is light in comparison to the eternal weight of glory it will achieve for your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, amen.

1. That there is what is terrible theology! God never said He answers No to some prayers and Yes to others. Instead, what God said is that He does not answer at all the prayers of the unrighteous because their prayers/requests/pleas are an abomination to Him. God, however, answers all of the prayers of the righteous.

2. Again, terrible theology. God's mercy is poured out daily on even the wicked and the ungrateful, and so in much the same way your pastors there claimed his cancer went into remission, it so happens that even some unbelievers who no one prayed for also saw their cancers go into remission. God's miracles are not only for those who claim they know God. It happens to pagans and non-believers across the world every single day. Does that mean that God answers the prayers of unbelievers? No, It instead means that God's kindness/mercy is not limited to just those who claim to believe in God like your pastors there. Does this mean your pastor's prayers were answered by God? Absolutely not, because, again, God does not answer the prayers of the unrighteous and yes, your pastor is unrighteous because no man who loves God would sit as a pastor over anyone using God's name.

3. It isn't just faith alone, we are talking about righteousness here. You must first become holy, then become righteous in other for God to delight in granting you the very desires of your heart — all of them.

4. I am afraid you are not paying attention to what God is saying to you. Jesus Christ said, once you become born-again — enter into the Kingdom of God — seek first the Kingdom of God (holiness), and God's righteousness, and then all these things — the benefits of the Kingdom including answers to prayers — shall be added onto you. Without righteousness, you are not worthy of any of the benefits that are the Kingdom of God. That is what Jesus Christ equally told you in His Gospel. When you become born-again, you are born of the Spirit of Eternal Life but you will not get the Spirit of Truth until after you become worthy of Him through continuous submission and obedience to the teachings and commandments of Jesus Christ — John 8 vs 31 - 44. It is then after you are led by the Spirit of Truth aka Holy Spirit that you can then do works of righteousness to please God who then approves you as one worthy of His benefits in His time.

There is no other way except to do it Christ's way.

5. God definitely does not answer prayers said in the fashion of the hypocrites either - Matthew 6 vs 6 - 15