God desires that we understand His nature, that He is love, and trust Him even when our prayers seem unanswered. Whether the manifestation of His goodness arrives in this life or is revealed fully in eternity, He calls us to live with an eternal mindset. As citizens of heaven, He wants us to love Him unconditionally, beyond the boundaries of our earthly experiences, and independent of whether our prayers are answered or not.
Some years ago, I was called upon to pray for the dying wife of a close friend. She had been unable to speak or move from the spot where she laid for two to three days. All human hope for her recovery had evaporated, especially in light of the doctor’s grim assessment of her rapidly failing health. In deep emotional distress, his voice heavy with fear, heartbreak, and desperation, her husband reached out to me for prayer. I asked him to place the phone by her ear while I prayed, rebuked the sickness, and commanded healing in the mighty name of Jesus. Mustering what seemed to be the last strength in her body, she whispered, “Amen.”
Twenty‑four hours later, her husband called again, this time with excitement filling his voice. He told me, “My wife has started to respond. She’s doing things she couldn’t do before.” I rejoiced loudly, shouting, “Praise the Lord! Glory be to God!” I fully expected that she would make a complete and rapid recovery, and be discharged soon. I was convinced that God had performed a miracle in her life.
But less than a week later, the husband sent me a message that shattered my heart: “My wife passed on.” I was devastated. A flood of questions overwhelmed me, “Why, Lord? You answered that prayer. How does this bring glory to Your name?” It was in wrestling with this painful experience, and others I have encountered in life, ministry, and conversations with fellow believers and ministers, that a profound truth about God became clearer to me: He alone is God, and He alone has the final say, regardless of one’s anointing, unction, or spiritual gifts.
In recent times, the church has faced a wave of criticism concerning unanswered prayers, especially in light of our bold proclamations that at the name of Jesus, every knee must bow. But the lived realities of sickness, suffering, and death sometimes appear to contradict this scriptural declaration. Why do we call upon the name of Jesus in the face of sickness, yet believers still die? As the number of Christians who pass on prematurely or unexpectedly continues to rise, it becomes essential to understand why such things occur and what our biblical posture should be when they do.
From a theological standpoint, Scripture teaches the doctrine of divine sovereignty – God’s supreme authority and power to rule over all creation in such a way that nothing occurs outside His knowledge, will, or permission. God is the ultimate source of all reality and the final authority over every event – past, present, and future. The Bible consistently affirms this truth: In Daniel 4:35, God “does according to His will,” and no one can stop Him.
In Psalm 115:3, “Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.”
In 1 Timothy 6:15, God is “the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings.”
- We prayed fervently for my mother, yet she still died.
- We prayed for a beloved servant of God in Nigeria in the late 1980s, but he still died.
- We prayed earnestly for Ravi Zacharias, still he succumbed to cancer.
- Just last week, we prayed for a little baby who fell from a high table, yet he died.
The list seems endless.
The truth is that everyone must die – believer or unbeliever. The timing of death is ultimately determined by God, under any circumstance. For the believer, death is not a defeat, it is a doorway to endless eternity with Jesus. As Dr John MacArthur once said, “The only thing death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus.” While the timing and manner of death remain debated, its certainty is undeniable. Yet, Scripture also encourages us to exercise faith in God’s promises, trusting Him for protection, preservation, and prolonged life.
Across generations, countless testimonies have emerged of believers delivered from untimely death, healed of terminal and non‑terminal illnesses, spared from disasters, and rescued from near‑fatal experiences. I myself have been miraculously delivered from three fatal accidents that the enemy intended for my destruction.
Some things are known only to God. The question of why He answers some prayers and does not answer others cannot be reduced to faith alone. Sometimes the reasons are hidden within the mysteries of His sovereign will, revealed in time, or never revealed in this life, and perhaps would only be made clear in eternity. In such moments, our confidence must rest in the unwavering love of God.
However, this is not the experience of every believer in every circumstance. While the Bible strongly affirms supernatural protection, not every believer experiences deliverance at all times or in every nation, for reasons rooted in God’s sovereignty. The Scripture speaks plainly:
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever…” (Deuteronomy 29:29).
Years ago, we prayed fervently for one of the leaders in the Nigerian Pentecostal community, yet he died.
Some things are known only to God. The question of why He answers some prayers and does not answer others cannot be reduced to faith alone. Sometimes the reasons are hidden within the mysteries of His sovereign will, revealed in time, or never revealed in this life, and perhaps would only be made clear in eternity. In such moments, our confidence must rest in the unwavering love of God. Even though I may not fully understand why my prayers for my mother were not answered the way I expected them to be, I continue to trust in God’s love and purpose.
This is a hard truth. When Dr Tony Evans lost his beloved wife, Lois, he said something profound during the first Sunday service after her passing: “We can ask God questions, but we cannot question God.” They had prayed for months for her healing, yet she still died.
With his voice heavy with emotion, Dr Evans added, “Sometimes God can be confusing. You may be riding with Him on a highway, and He may suddenly make a turn you did not see coming.”
Throughout history, saints have struggled with the tension of unanswered prayers, even though Scripture clearly presents God as a prayer‑answering God:
“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14).
Consider the examples across the body of Christ:
Kenneth E. Hagin’s wife battled cancer that did not respond to the prayers of a man God used to heal countless others. Many ministers across Europe, Africa, and America have died from illnesses despite vast numbers of people praying for them. This has led to ongoing debates within the church about the certainty of answered prayers, particularly regarding physical healing. Some have even embraced the erroneous notion that miracles ceased with the apostles. These individuals are known as cessationists.
If that were true, then the scientifically documented healings in the ministries of Reinhard Bonnke, A.A. Allen, Smith Wigglesworth, and Kenneth E. Hagin would all have to be fabrications. For instance, during a Christ for All Nations fire conference in England in the 1980s, the British media captured the dramatic healing of a well‑known crippled woman. The cameras from skeptical, atheistic media outlets recorded her rising from her wheelchair in real time. Her medical records confirmed her condition, and after thorough investigation, the media found no ground to refute the miracle they had witnessed. Thousands of such healings occurred in that ministry. Yet, does God heal every crippled person? No. Even during His earthly ministry, Jesus did not heal everyone. At the pool of Bethesda, surrounded by multitudes of sick people, He healed only one man and left.
Pastors, we can only pray, but only God answers. Do not guarantee results unless God has given a clear prophetic word that cannot fail. Lead people to see God as the ultimate source, not you. Do not solicit seeds on the premise that God must answer their prayers; doing so risks your integrity and misrepresents God.
This aspect of God’s character – the God who heals one today and not another tomorrow – has confused many believers. It is the same God who answers a faith‑filled prayer in one situation and allows another prayer to seem unanswered in another. The truth is: we cannot fully understand His ways, but we can fully trust His heart. Regardless of the outcome, heaven compensates for every earthly loss. No matter what we lose or gain here, eternity outweighs it infinitely.
As Dr Erwin Lutzer often says, “God doesn’t need to win on earth to win in eternity. He doesn’t need to win physically to win spiritually.” Sometimes God permits one loss to bring about a greater, eternal gain. Some unanswered prayers preserve us from paths that would derail God’s plan for our lives. Some losses draw us closer to Him. The reasons are limitless and beyond our full comprehension.
The Scripture reassures us in Romans 8:28:
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
For the child of God, all things, answered prayers, unanswered prayers, victories, disappointments, open doors, closed doors, ultimately work together for good. God is still answering prayers around the world. The name of Jesus still has power over darkness. Doors continue to open through prayer. But when we encounter seasons of unanswered prayers, our faith must remain anchored in His love.
I cannot tell you why God didn’t answer your prayer to heal your mother, just as I cannot fully explain why mine wasn’t healed either. But I can confidently say this: you are alive today only because of the mercies of God. He may not have answered five of your prayers, but He has delivered you from thousands of unseen dangers.
Pastors, we can only pray, but only God answers. Do not guarantee results unless God has given a clear prophetic word that cannot fail. Lead people to see God as the ultimate source, not you. Do not solicit seeds on the premise that God must answer their prayers; doing so risks your integrity and misrepresents God.
God desires that we understand His nature, that He is love, and trust Him even when our prayers seem unanswered. Whether the manifestation of His goodness arrives in this life or is revealed fully in eternity, He calls us to live with an eternal mindset. As citizens of heaven, He wants us to love Him unconditionally, beyond the boundaries of our earthly experiences, and independent of whether our prayers are answered or not. He wants us to see the end through the eyes of faith, knowing that no earthly loss can outweigh the glory of eternity, and no earthly joy can compare to the pleasure of heaven.
Ayo Akerele is the senior pastor of Rhema Assembly and the founder of the Voice of the Watchmen Ministries in Ontario, Canada. He can be reached through [email protected]. You can connect with him on: YouTube: @VoiceoftheWatchmen, TikTok: @drayoakerele, Instagram: @drayoakerele, Facebook: @Ayo Akerele
