on "Unanswered" Prayer
But our reflections must not end there, for we must move to "unanswered" prayer of a possibly different sort. It is not too difficult to see God's hand in the passing over of one girlfriend for another one, but what happens when God passes over life for death, peace for suffering, justice for injustice. Much ink has been spilled, with varying fruitfulness, in seeking to understand how God relates to suffering in the world, and I humbly add my own contribution, but without any intention of posing a definitive solution. Instead, let this be simply a small thought experiment on prayer and suffering.
Let us, without working out the exact definition or extent, begin with the premise that God is willing and able to act in the world, and that God is able to bring about that which God wills. (I understand the extent of the problems this starting point may provide for some, but wish to move forward, for the sake of experiment.) In this world, let us also imagine that God desires all people to be saved, and also that God is sensitive to earthly travail. If God, desiring to answer the prayers of His people, chose to alleviate suffering where it existed, in response to these supplications, much suffering would immediately and mercifully be extinguished.
But at what cost would this healing come about? If God were to respond and alleviate suffering each time a prayer was offered, would not prayer become something like a magic spell? If I say these words, then this will happen. God would become at least to some extent scientifically verifiable, for all people who were prayed for would be healed, no matter what the ailment, and no matter what the sample size. Faith would in some dimensions be replaced by certainty, hope with knowledge. Even if one couldn't directly prove the existence of God, one could prove the efficacy of prayer. While this may not at first glance seem like a problematic situation, let us continue the experiment. Imagining this state of affairs, it is easy to think how quickly "Christianity" would spread, because who wouldn't want to be healed? If I were sick, I would want to pray to God so that I might be healed. But precisely herein lies the problem. Christianity has given way to self-interest. God has become a tool for self-benefit.
In acknowledging that God doesn't always (or even often) choose to bring about miraculous physical healing, we are not saying that God doesn't care for our lives, but that God can see a larger context. The first context, which is often appealed to in discussions of this sort, is the placing of our present life in relation to the life to come.
Suffering here pales when we turn our eyes upon the life to come, which is better by far. This is certainly an important point, but let us also put this discussion in another context, one of witness. Faith in God's ability to heal, and a continued faith and peace in the absence of physical healing, in the very face of death, gives a very different type of testimony about God than if Christians always got what they wanted. People are not drawn to pursue Christ out of self-interest or personal gain, but instead are drawn into a new reality of faith, grace and new birth, in the person of Jesus Christ, in whom we at once affirm and forsake our worldly existence, living and dying not to ourselves, but to Him who is worthy of all glory and honor.
Finally, the Christian life is not an easy one. While I certainly affirm that there is no better way to live than to live for Christ, for in Him is found true joy and fulfillment, there would be a less painful way to go, if we judged by worldly standards. We could, if we so desired, live for ourselves, always choosing the path of least resistance. But Paul reminds us that to live is Christ. Let us not pray like living is for ourselves, and instead be drawn to Jesus Christ, who can and will deliver us from all sorrow and pain, in His own time.
