Sunday Special: I pray, but God doesn't do anything.

This is such a beautiful topic to touch on on the day of the solemnity of Pentecost.

Imagine the Eleven disciples after the Ascension. Jesus promised that he will send a Paraclete. One day passed, than another and another. They were sitting in the Upper Room, waiting and praying and nothing seemed to be happening. And it took the whole nine days before the descend of the Holy Spirit. No doubt the disciples were praying for his coming, but they did not get what they wanted straight away. I don't think they got what they've expected either.

Sometimes it feels like God doesn't respond to our prayers at all. That he is not interested. That he does not listen. Or that he completely misheard what we were saying and gave us something that we didn't ask for at all.

The thing is, God always listens, but he has a peculiar way of responding to our prayer. I believe God has three answers for us.

Yes

Sometimes the Lord gives you just what you asked for. You pray for that job, that relationship, that difficult conversation, and God pours out his blessings in abundance. This is probably the response that we expect most frequently, but maybe feel like we don't get it. I think it's because God only wants to give us what is good for us, but we are actually hardly ever aware of what that is. We don't have a great idea what is good for us, as evidenced by the amount of tears and regrets in our lives. Sometimes we want something so much it almost hurts inside, but it is not something that helps us grow.

Yes, but not yet

When the time is right I, the Lord, will make it happen. (Isaiah 60:22) Sometimes the timing is not right. God know what your heart is ready for, what you can manage at any given time. You might be praying for marriage, but you are utterly unfit for such a commitment now. You might be praying for a new job, but actually you haven't fulfilled all your commitments in your current job yet and you might not be able to handle the change. The wait is difficult, because at the time it often feels like a no, but when you finally receive what you have asked for, you really do appreciate that it wasn't the right time. Sometimes even while waiting you are so relieved that you weren't given what you asked for a few months back.

I have something better for you

I have so many experiences of this answer. God really does have a better plan for us. And so many times I've been praying for something and it didn't materialise, but something much better and more beautiful did. It is probably the most difficult response to receive at the time, because you really desire something and it is not what you are getting. But God surprises us with things that we might not have dared to even think of. He really knows the depths of our souls and is able to gift us with those specially graces that really help us to flourish.

In my prayer I fluctuated between being really vague in my intentions, to being really specific, and now I am sort of back at being vague, but now I try to give God space for his divine plan. This is especially important for me when I am fragile and vulnerable. If I abandon all to God, I know that I will not be disappointed. So often instead of asking for something specific, I pray: Lord, I'm in this difficult situation and I have lots of ideas how best to solve it, but I know you have the best plan for me, so I abandon everything to you.

Ultimately, when we pray and nothing seems to be happening at all, you can be certain that God is at work. It's like the time between the death of Jesus and his rising from the dead: He was in the tomb and nothing seemed to be happening. And yet he has gone down to Hades and opened the gates of heaven! So trust the Lord and keep talking to him. He never disappoints.