An Answered Prayer Masquerading As Unanswered

For 33 years, I have earnestly prayed for Jesus to save two of my extended family members.

In the beginning, I would read passages like Acts 16:31 and be encouraged by Paul’s words to the jailer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” I remember clinging to that passage, believing it for my family, and waiting for Jesus to make it happen.

As the years went by, I continued to pray and trust Jesus for their salvation. But the more time passed and the more exposure they had to the gospel, the more their resistance grew. To me, it felt like rubber balls bouncing off a cement wall.

Three decades later, I am still praying for my family members’ salvation. But something I have realized during this time is that Jesus has faithfully answered my prayers all along the way!

He has provided multiple opportunities for my family to hear the gospel and be saved. The Holy Spirit has moved upon their hearts and convicted them of their sins in tears. Even their friends have given them Christian materials and books that I did not know about until later.

But the one thing Jesus never does—no matter how fervently I pray and believe—is force people to receive His gift of salvation against their will. Yes, He offers it willingly and freely. But they must choose to accept it by faith willfully.

I know I may never see the end result of my prayers in the way I had hoped. But I am convinced that Jesus wants them saved even more than I do (2 Peter 3:9) and will continue doing everything in His power to make it happen, shy of forcing them into it. The rest is up to them.

What about you? Have you have been praying for something or someone, but your prayers “seem” to fall on deaf ears? My encouragement is not to give up or assume your prayers are being ignored. However, I also encourage you to meditate on 1 John 5:14-15 and make sure your requests align with God’s will, purpose, plan, and written Word.