Spotlight 11/2024: Silence is also an answer
Prayer works! Not every plea is granted, but God answers every prayer. District Apostle Kububa Soko from Zambia is convinced of this. In his article on our annual motto he explains how God’s answers can be interpreted.
Prayer is a form of communication which an individual or a group of individuals has with God. Generally, prayer is comprised of worship, gratitude, and petition among others. We worship God because it is a duty of a believer to worship Him. We express our gratitude to God for His goodness: He created us in His own image and gave us dominion over all creation. We express our gratitude to Him for providing everything we need to live. We thank God for His love which also made Him send His son to die for us so that there is reconciliation between God and humankind. And we thank Him for many blessings.
In the Bible, we find a lot of examples of people who prayed and whose prayers were answered. In the book of Joshua 10: 12–14, we can read that Joshua spoke with God and his plea was fulfilled. The sun stood still for about a whole day. The book of James 5: 17–18 tells us that Elijah prayed earnestly so that it would not rain. And it did not rain for three years and six months. Later he prayed that it should rain, and it rained. Jesus spoke to His Father and thanked Him and then called for Lazarus to come out of the grave (John 11: 41–44).
These are some of the examples which show that prayer works. We can say prayer works when they are answered. But for prayers to be answered, we must believe that they will be answered. It takes trust, confidence, and strong faith in God. It is also important to be sincere and serious and pray for genuine things. The most important prayer is to ask God to sustain our faith!
It is important to note that all our prayers are answered. When we pray and nothing happens or things do not turn out the way we wanted them to, that too is an answer. Silence or no action by God are also answers. It means that God is satisfied or comfortable with our situation. In 2 Corinthians 12: 7–9, Apostle Paul pleaded with the Lord three times for the thorn in his flesh to be taken away. But the Lord was satisfied with the “thorn in the flesh” and He did not remove it. Instead, He told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
So, when we feel God has not answered our pleas, we must know that God is satisfied with our situation, and He will strengthen us. Therefore, prayer works!
