When God Answers a Prayer You Didn't Pray - iBelieve Truth - July 28
When God Answers Prayers You Didn’t Pray
By Alexis A. Goring
“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” – Isaiah 65:24 NIV
Have you ever realized that God answered a prayer you didn’t think to pray?
I realized this remarkable truth a few months ago when I was thinking about my childhood. I loved reading books and enjoyed immersing myself in a good story.
This was also a safe haven for me because I felt like books were my only real friends. I’d ask the teacher to let me go to the school library and read during recess because I dreaded not having anyone to play with outside. I was one of the kids who was picked last for every sports team at recess and in physical education class. I felt the sting of rejection and wanted to retreat to a safe place, and, in my case, that was stories of fictional worlds. As I grew up, I learned to turn to Jesus Christ because He is the most true and faithful friend you and I can ever have in our life.
Though I often felt lonely as a child, keeping my head in make-believe stories whenever I had free time helped me feel like I belonged. When I read stories about characters who were struggling like me, it helped me see that I was not alone. However, what I didn’t know is that God heard the cries of my heart and He was already working on a way to answer a prayer I didn’t think to pray: God blessed me with author friends!
I never thought to ask God for friendship with the writers of my favorite books. Who knew that what I read as a young adult after college would lead to some of the most treasured friendships I have today? In adulthood, my heart has always been for nonfiction (usually devotionals or Christian Living books) and Christian fiction (Contemporary Romance stories). I ended up writing those genres as I became an author myself. Thanks to the rise of social media, I was able to connect with many of my favorite Christian fiction authors, and we became “Facebook friends”. This led to real offline friendships with some of them. We call each other and keep in touch via Zoom Meetings. Additionally, when I attended my first conference for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), I met most of my favorite authors in person and remain friends with some of them to this day!
As a lonely child who struggled socially, I never thought to take my concerns to God. I could never imagine what He had in store. God planned these connections. He knew what I needed, and in His perfect timing, God showered me with these blessings.
Maybe you’re not struggling socially or in need of real friends. Maybe you’re missing a romantic relationship that your heart desires, or you want to be married, be a parent, land a dream job, or buy a house or car. Whatever is in your life that’s causing pain or that you feel you’re missing can be taken to God. Pray to Him from your heart. Be honest; He can handle it. Then trust Him to make a way for you.
If you don’t have the words to say or if you don’t even realize what you should be praying for right now, it’s okay! God specializes in answering prayers we didn’t think to pray. He knows our heart’s desires, and He knows the plans He has for us. The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11 that God’s plans for us are good and will not harm us. His plans give us hope. Remember: God knows what we need before we do, and He promises to meet our every need (Philippians 4:19).
Let’s Pray: Dear God, thank You for the gift of life. Thank You that when we have no one to turn to, we can always turn to You. Thank You for hearing the cries of our hearts and answering the prayers we never thought to pray. Thank You for blessing us. Help us to honor and obey you for all the days of our life. And help us to remember we always have hope and a true friend in Jesus, who loves us and will never leave us. We love You, Lord. In Jesus’s Name, I pray. Amen.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/millann
Related Resource: Instead of Doing More This Summer, Maybe You Need to Do Less
If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.
Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.
I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
