Sometimes claiming that God is just not there in our time of need. And asking things like “Why isn’t God helping me through this?”, or, “Why isn’t he answering my prayers?”, or “How could he just be so silent right now?”. This is something that we all are guilty of at some point or another, but it’s because we aren’t thinking about things in the correct manner.

So, the common argument for this is: “The Bible tells us that if we pray, God will answer our prayers!”. And while this is true, we are forgetting a very important piece to the puzzle. 1 John 5:14 tells us that “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”. If we ask according to His will. God isn’t some magical genie whose job is to make all of our wishes come true.

Maybe, just maybe, the problem lies within us. Maybe, when we are in desperate situations and in desperate places, we are so busy asking God for the help we think we need, that we forget to be quiet enough to listen for Him. God would never leave us in our troubled times, but He will definitely test us. Just because you are asking for help in one way, and God doesn’t open that door, does not mean that He is not listening or answering our prayers. No is an answer, too. It might not be the answer we want, but it is the answer that will place us in God’s will for our life.

The problem is that we try to control too much, and when we try to take control, we forget that God is that one that’s actually in control. He knows the whole story, while we only know what has already happened. When things don’t go your way, it’s because they weren’t supposed to go that way, because there is something much better planned for you. What He has planned for you is so much better than what you have planned for you, and you have to trust that, even if you don’t understand it right now.

We also tend to get tunnel vision during times of trial. We are so focused on this thing that has hurt us, or this thing that didn’t go as planned, or this thing that we just can’t have anymore, that it’s all we think about. Our prayers change from giving thanks, to begging for this problem to be fixed, and the hurt to go away. But, sometimes we get so consumed in asking for the problem to go away, we don’t even think about asking to be shown where to go next. We have to actively listen to learn what God’s will is for right now, and we have to be open to change, because that’s the only way to find it.

God is never silent. He might be teaching us something, but He is there every step of the way. Just because you aren’t getting the answer you want, doesn’t mean you aren’t getting an answer. He’s still with you, and it’s okay to call on Him, even though you might be afraid of the answer. God isn’t abandoning you during your trial, He’s been there all along, ready to hold you before it even happened. Accept that no is an answer, too, and seek God’s plan for you.