Jesus' Unanswered Prayers

Do questions about prayer ever puzzle you? If God already knows what I need, then why do I need to ask Him for it? Why do I need to persist in asking? Why ask God to be merciful when He is already, by nature, merciful? If God already knows what is going to happen, then why do I need to pray at all?

It’s interesting to observe that the one who knew the answers to these questions - Jesus - prayed the most. So, even if I can’t answer such questions, I should persist in prayer simply because Jesus, as He walked this earth, prayed constantly. And still does (Hebrews 7:25).

It also helps me to know that Jesus sometimes experienced unanswered prayers. Remember the time in Luke 22 when He prayed for Peter? “Simon, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.” Hours later, Peter’s faith failed, not once, but three times. I don’t know why Jesus didn’t just tell Satan to bug off. But perhaps Peter’s failure and subsequent recovery was a part of God’s plan all along.

How about the time in Luke 6 when Jesus spent the whole night in prayer for His upcoming twelve disciples. And who did He get? There was Thomas the doubter, Judas the betrayer, Peter the impetuous, and James and John who couldn’t stop arguing about who was going to be the greatest. In the garden, when Jesus needed them most, his prayer partners chose to sleep instead. Don’t you think there were moments when Jesus was tempted to wonder, “Is this what I get when I pray?”

But Jesus never seemed to doubt God’s answers. Even in the garden, “Lord, if it be possible, take this cup away from me.” Of course, Jesus wasn’t afraid of death, but He was horrified at the thought of taking on your sins and my sins, thus experiencing separation from His Father for the first time in eternity. “Nevertheless,” Jesus said, “Thy will be done.” And “the cup” was not taken away.

Then, how about Jesus’ prayer in John 17, “that they may all be one, just as We are one…” At last count, there are over 4,000 registered Christian denominations in the world. Ouch! Sometimes prayers just don’t get answered, at least not on this side of heaven.

The problem with my questions earlier is they presuppose that the primary purpose of prayer is to get something from God. Not so with Jesus. For the Son, prayer was His way of keeping company with His Father, not to get something from Him, but because He relished the intimate time He could spend with the One who loved Him most. Answers to prayer were secondary to the need Jesus had to be in His Father’s presence, to hear His Father’s voice, to be comforted by His Father’s love.

In a world swirling with uncertainties, threats, temptations, and disappointments, don’t we have the same need? When the Enemy comes at us like a flood, when relationships break down, when the unexpected happens, when despair comes seeping into our hearts, try slipping away to your quiet place. Close the door and cuddle up in the corner. Cry a little if you need to. Then call out to your Father. Just call out to Him, that’s all. You don’t need to say anything more. He already knows what you need.