What great nation has a god as near to them as the LORD our God is near to us whenever we call on him?  Deuteronomy 4:7

Search the internet for an answer to this question and you’ll get over 51 million results:  How does God answer prayer?

Yes, no and wait.  Those are the classic answers people give to the question, “How does God answer prayer?” God’s answer is often a yes, because as Scripture says, He is a giver of good gifts (Matthew 7:11).  But when God says no or wait, our response reveals what we think about God.

Griffin Gulledge writes, “God answers prayer in only two ways:  provision or protection.  “If he gives us what we ask for, it’s because of his great love. But the converse is also true (and what we so often miss): If the Lord isn’t giving us what we’re asking for, then he’s protecting us from it.”[1]

When we have trouble believing that all of God’s answers are for our provision or our protection, it’s because we don’t understand the biblical concept of providence.

Abraham was the first to speak of God as, Jehovah Jirah, which means, God will provide (Genesis 22:14).  R.C. Sproul wrote, “One of the oldest sayings of the ancient church summarizes the essence of the relationship between God and His people: Deus pro nobis. It means ‘God for us.’ That is what the doctrine of providence is all about.”[2]

As Moses asked, “Where is the God so near… as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call on him?” (Deuteronomy 4:7). You can trust Him to answer your prayers with His provision and His protection.

[1] Gulledge, Griffin. “God Answers Prayer in Only Two Ways.” The Gospel Coalition, 8 Feb. 2019, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/god-answers-prayer-two-ways/.

[2] Sproul, R.C. “What Is Providence?” Ligonier Ministries, 5 May 2021, https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/what-providence