Silence.

It’s been days, weeks, months, and for some of you…years. Still you wait. You wonder if God even hears you. You have prayed and prayed and now have come to a dreaded conclusion in your mind. You have started to doubt in God.

You imagine God lowering His head to listen to every word of desperation that comes out of your mouth. You beg God to please heal your son or daughter.

Silence.

Did God not care? Did He find someone else to help instead of my broken family? Why is He making me wait so long to see healing?

Do you ever feel that God isn’t answering? Have you prayed your heart-wrenching requests, crying out to the Lord and all remains quiet?

Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Waiting feels like FOREVER. If God is a miracle worker and has the ability to fix anything, why can’t He fix your problem or answer your prayer? This is something all of us struggling parents face.

I am so thankful that God is compassionate and understanding.  He knows you feel discouraged.  He knows your faith has been tested and have been left hurting and sad.

What I have learned is that God’s way of answering or not answering has a purpose behind it. Sometimes that purpose is not the way we like. We do not know the thoughts of God. We do not have the knowledge of God. We do not know what the future holds or how things will turn out.

Isaiah 55:8,9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.…

So, what does someone do when they call out to God and no answers come?

Don’t give up. Don’t stop praying. Don’t be in fear. Don’t doubt. Don’t try to fix it yourself.
Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.…

Do keep praying. Do ask for peace. Do remind yourself of God’s faithfulness through His Word. Do humble yourself and give thanks even in the most difficult circumstances.

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Can you fathom how Jesus felt on the cross, carrying the sins of the world. I’m sure Christ was thinking, “How much longer?” Despite those feelings, He knew the purpose behind it. However, I’m sure it didn’t make it less painful. God’s purpose for us can often take us down roads not easily traveled upon.  Be encouraged parent.  God is still working and still in charge no matter how bleak things may be.

Do know that God does fulfill His promises. Do know that He loves you and hasn’t forsaken you or your teen.

II Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

The more you remain in Him, the more you will see the evidence of God’s power.   Remember, God is working not just on your teen but you as well.

So, here are several challenges for you. For the next 90 days, journal your prayer requests. Write down the date of the request, what the request is, and how it was answered. That request can be about anything – family, friends, church, work, etc…

The second challenge is to listen to a Christian music station (I listen to KLove) for the same amount of days. Again, journal. Write down how God is speaking to you. When your 90 days are done, go back and see how God answered and how God is ministering to you.

Psalm 116:2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.