The Unanswered Prayer: Did God forget about me?
It takes a deep level of faith to trust God when we feel lost in the middle of nowhere.
When God’s promises and opportunities don’t seem to appear, it feels like nothing is moving forward in life. Every door we try to open closes, leaving us wondering if God is truly with us. But, of course, He is—He promises never to leave or forsake us.
Even though we know God’s truth, it often feels like the opposite.
Has God forgotten the promise over my life?
We know we’ve heard from God because His promises have been confirmed throughout our lives. But when the timing doesn’t match our expectations, we start to question God, just as Sarah did.
God promised Abraham and Sarah a child, but when the wait grew long, Sarah took matters into her own hands, telling Abraham to sleep with their servant, Hagar. The result was Ishmael.
Like Sarah, we often try to bring about God’s promises on our own, but God isn’t imperfect. He won’t promise something He can’t fulfill.
The truth is, God doesn’t need our help to fulfill His promises.
Did I hear God correctly?
A delay in receiving a promise from God doesn’t mean we heard Him wrong. While it may feel like we’re being let down, we need to remember that God is not on our timeline.
God has His own perfect agenda. We must accept that our schedules, deadlines, and goals are not superior to God’s will. In fact, we need to surrender the pride that makes us think we have life figured out, and instead, seek God through prayer.
In the Bible, Sarah went through a period of desperation to see God’s promise fulfilled. She struggled with unbelief, thinking that conceiving a child was just a wish—a dream that would never come true for her.
“So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’”
Genesis 18:12
After years of waiting, Sarah laughed in disbelief. She couldn’t imagine a 90-year-old woman having a child. It’s hard to believe in what we can’t see, but Sarah’s story teaches us that even when we feel defeated, God will still show up.
How will we respond when years pass without seeing God’s promise fulfilled? Will we react like Sarah, or will we choose to keep believing in God?
God can do the impossible
Genesis 18:13-14 says, “Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
What’s remarkable is that despite Sarah’s doubts and Abraham’s mistakes, God still fulfilled His promise.
We must trust that God will show up in our lives because He always keeps His word.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6
God can accomplish the impossible, and His promises are always true.
Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”
Even if it seems like a promise is taking a long time to fulfill, we should continue to believe. God has demonstrated His faithfulness through many generations, and He will remain faithful.
Prayer to continue believing
Dear God,
This is so hard. I love You and believe in Your promises for my life and my family’s. I know Your Word is true, and I trust You with my heart, but I feel weary. I want to keep believing in your promises, even when my feelings betray me. Please grant me the grace to persevere. Help me focus on you rather than my circumstances. Activate my faith, Lord, and give me the strength to wait on Your promise. I surrender all unbelief, feelings of inadequacy, fear of the future, and confusion about my life. As I walk by faith, help me remain joyful, content, and trusting in you. I am confident that You will fulfill Your promise because You are faithful. In the name of Jesus, Amen.