I think Garth Brooks sang it best, “Some of God’s greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers.”

Many times I have prayed and prayed and begged others to join in me in prayer, praying every way that I’d been taught and to no avail. “I must be doing it wrong.” I would think to myself. I would worry about some unrealized or undealt with sin and try, again, to fix myself so my savior could hear my plea. But somehow, He still didn’t. At least that’s how my selfish heart felt.

As I read this scripture this morning, I read about a man, begging for God to save his life and spare him from a most gruesome death. A man named Jesus, called to die for my sins. He pleaded to have this removed from him, but instead of feeling that he prayed wrong, or believing God was deaf in regards to his prayers, he submitted his will to God’s.

Jesus’ prayer was not answered.

Had his prayers been answered there have been no cross. He wouldn’t have died. He wouldn’t have been resurrected. I would still be carrying the weight of every sin I have ever committed. There would be no need for grace. I have a salvation I would otherwise not know, had his prayers been answered that day.

My unanswered prayers have a greater purpose in His plan, than the all of the answered prayers have in mine.