Why Isn't God Answering?

H​ave you ever found yourself asking for something, but God didn't seem to be answering? I have. Often, I wondered why? 

I had learned over the years to trust Him, knowing that even at times where I don't understand He is still the merciful, loving God taking care of me. In other words, I have faith in His goodness. I have faith in His love for me even when my situation is blinding me to that love. Much like clouds preventing the sunlight from reaching the earth, so it is with our situations and God. Yet God still exists and His love doesn't change.

Yesterday, I learned something more profound. I learned "why". As I read Romans 8:26-27
"In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will." I saw the answer to my question written in scripture. There it said it all. I do not know how to pray, or what to pray for. All I know is that sometimes, words escape my lips creating a seemingly comprehensible sentence, but in reality it is not what my heart is seeking to say.

My Godson is a toddler. He is slowly beginning to speak. He understand what I say and tries to communicate back with me. Yet his sentences, aren't always sentences and aren't always comprehensible. Somehow, I understand what he is asking for. He sometimes grabs an orange and says "apple". What he wants isn't the apple, he wants the orange. The word the he uttered is clear to the ear, but doesn't not mirror the intentions of the heart.

So it is with us and Christ, as my lips align words in an adequate grammatical structure, the Spirit takes these words and transforms them into the true desires of my heart which is God's will above and before everything else. The Spirit takes my prayers and my tears and offers them to God. 

Sometimes, I pray for a situation to change but it doesn't. Instead, slowly I am given strength to overcome. This doesn't mean God didn't answer, it means He answered in the most appropriate manner, keeping in mind that our objective isn't solely our earthly lives, but more important our journey towards eternity. Therefore, the Spirit takes my prayers to God and God, the All-Knowing, dispenses His graces as He sees fitting. 

So why doesn't God always answer? Well, He does always answer, but the prayers that are spoken by us are transformed to fit our needs as God sees fitting.