I believe that no child of God calls upon the Lord in vain. God does not answer often the way we think He should and many times it often perplexes us at how He responds to us. I believe in some way God has dealt with every prayer we have prayed. Sometimes God may say no, sometimes it is a direct yes, other times it is wait a while, and in other instances the Lord may say, "If you will just be patient, I have something better for you than what you asked for in your prayer. "Panic is no solution for what seems to be denials to our petitions. Let’s consider three occasions in the Bible where prayer was not answered. Since it involves the particular ones who are mentioned, it should give us encouragement when we seem to find ourselves with unanswered prayer.

I. The Sickness Of Paul. All you have to do is read 2 Cor.2:7-10. Three times the Apostle Paul asked the Lord to remove his thorn in the flesh, but God did not see fit to do so. Some say his sickness was epilepsy; other say migraine headaches, while others say an eye disease or a speech problem. Sickness has various aspects of ministry. First, it has an humbling ministry. Since Paul had so many revelations from God, he felt the Lord let it come his way to humble him. Secondly, it has a helping ministry. Some folks would never have attained their greatness if they did not possess a handicap. Thirdly, it has a hence-forth ministry. After experiencing the ministry that sickness can have upon us, we are made more like the Savior.

II. The Service Of The Gadarene. See Luke 9:38-39. The Bible tells us the man, who had the demons in him driven away by Christ, wanted to follow Jesus. The Lord had a place for Him- Gadara. The Lord also had a plan for him- that being to tell others in his own country what the Lord did for him. Missions begin at home.

III. The Sin Bearing Of The Savior. Read Matt.26:39. The Lord Jesus prayed for the "cup" to be removed from Him, but the request was denied of the Father. Why was it denied? First, it was planned that he die for sinners (1 Pet. 1:20). Secondly, it was planned that he be "made sin"(2 Cor. 5:21). Thirdly, it was planned that Christ be - "The Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29. We would never have known spiritual things now had that been answered.