Does God Exist? Why Isn't He Answering My Prayer?

One our listeners wrote in with kinda a deep question:

Hi does God actually exist? Because He never helps out my life and it always gets worse.

I’m really sorry to hear that she’s going through such a hard time that she’s wondering if God exists. I asked my friend Aurora what she thought of the question:

First, I want to say how sorry I am that you’ve been experiencing so many tough things. You’ve asked an important question, so I have kind of a long answer.

I can promise you something—God exists, and He isn’t ignoring you. We know that God answers every prayer in one of three ways: yes, no, or wait. We don’t know all the reasons why God chooses to answer some prayers with a no or wait, but we do know some important truths:

1. God is good, and He is working all things for His good purposes (Psalm 34:8; Romans 8:28). His timing is different than ours, but it is perfect (2 Peter 3:8-9). We are humans who are sinful, and God is God and free from sin. He can see things that we can’t, so sometimes what He does can be confusing (Isaiah 55:8-9)

2. Illness, suffering, and death aren’t things that God made. They are bad things that come from our world, which was created good but was broken and twisted by sin and its effects (Genesis 1:31; Romans 8:18-23). Sin is doing anything in rebellion against God, who is the definition of good and the source of life. When sin entered the world, it brought illness, suffering, and death.

3. Our suffering makes God sad too—so much that He came to die on the cross and come back to life so that He could beat sin, suffering, and death. When Jesus’ friend Lazarus became sick and died, Jesus wept, even though He knew that He would raise Lazarus from the grave (John 11:1-44). Because He is human and came and lived with us, Jesus knows our hurts, and it’s important that we come to Him with them because He loves us so much (Hebrews 4:14-16).

4. One day, Jesus will return and make all things new, free from sin, illness, suffering, and death (Revelation 21:1-5). Those who trust Him as their Savior from sin will live forever with Him on the new heavens and earth.

Because of all these truths, we can hold on to the promises of God, even when He tells us no or wait and even when we experience pain. Talk to Jesus about your hurts. He cares, He is working, and He has not forgotten you (1 Peter 5:7). He understands our suffering because He came as a human, and He wants to hear from us. And He will one day end all bad things at just the right time.

It’s okay if you still have questions! If you want to know more about Jesus and what it means to know Him as your Savior, we have more information about that here.

If you’ve doubted God yourself, I hope that this has helped you remember God’s promises, and that yes, He is real and He loves you!