Author: Eliana Tambunan

Life is disappointing. Sometimes, we can’t control things, and things don’t always go the way we want them to be. Sometimes, even when we pray to God for something, it doesn’t always go the way we want it to be. But does that mean God doesn’t answer prayer?

Blue eyes

This reminds me of a true story I read when I was younger, about the missionary Amy Carmichael (1867-1951). When she was a young child, she longed for blue eyes instead of her own brown eyes. Her mother had taught her that God always answered prayer, and the young girl had thought that if she prayed to God for blue eyes, God would give her blue eyes! 

She woke up the next day and immediately rushed to the mirror. However, to her disappointment, the eyes that were staring back at her were not blue but still brown. Her mother explained to young Amy that sometimes God could also answer “no” to prayer and that God meant for her to have brown eyes.

Many years later, Amy Carmichael was now a young woman with a passion to be a witness for Christ, and she believed that God had called her to be a missionary. She first served in Japan, but because of sickness, she moved to India and became a missionary there. There, she found out about the temple girls and how they were treated. Amy Carmichael found that she had to disguise herself as an Indian to find out about the real “behind the scenes” of what was happening in the temple. Here she realised God had a plan for giving her brown eyes. If she had blue eyes, she might not have been as accepted!

How about us?

Although we may not have the same experience as Amy Carmichael, we can see through her life how God answered her prayer, though not in the way she had first thought. 

In the Bible, God reminds us that He is never too busy nor limited to hear the prayer of His children. We are encouraged to pray, in both good times and bad. We shouldn’t just pray to God during suffering or when we need help. We must also pray to God during good times to give thanks and praise Him, and also to pray for others (see 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). When we pray, God doesn’t “do nothing”. God answers our prayer according to His will. 

When we pray, God answers either with yes, no or wait. When God answers “wait”, we must remember that God’s timing is perfect. God knows more than we do (see 1 John 3:20.) We are limited humans, but we have a limitless God.

When God says “no”, it may seem that God doesn’t listen to our prayer, rather, it is because God knows what’s best for us. I think we will better understand if we see what John Piper says in an interview regarding this topic, when God answers “no” our prayers. In Matthew 7:7–11, Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you…Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” God doesn’t say He will give us whatever we ask for. Rather, He says that He will give “good things” to His children. God knows what’s best for us.

We can’t control everything, and God doesn’t always say “yes” to our prayers. But may we remember that although God may say “no” to our prayer, God knows what’s best for His children. He is a God who is in control.

Music and song. It’s everywhere. From the jingle on tv to the school concert, music surrounds us. At church, we sing hymns with the congregation before the pastor preaches God’s Word. But have you ever wondered why we sing hymns?

Music is a gift from God. As Martin Luther puts it, “Music is a fair and lovely gift of God which has often wakened and moved me to the joy of preaching.” In fact, we can find God’s people singing praises to God throughout the whole Bible. Moses and the Israelites sang praises to God after they left Egypt; “I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted.” (Exodus 15:1-2). The book of Psalms is full of songs to God. In the New Testament, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God when they were put in prison. 

What do all these people do in common? They are singing to God with their heart, not half-heartedly singing. In a talk by John Piper about this issue, I found that it is the condition of our heart- how our heart is responding that really matters when we worship God. When we sing hymns to God, we are not singing for ourselves. In a book I am reading by Martyn Loyd Jones, he says: “So often we are in danger of abusing the Scriptures in this way. We use them as mere phrases in that manner, or light-heartedly we sing our hymns, and we feel better for the time being”. We do not sing hymns for ourselves- to “feel good” or as part of a routine every Sunday. Rather, we sing for the glory of God. 

Lyrics matter

When we sing hymns, we also have to remember that it is the lyrics that matter the most. Sure, the song might have good music, but are the lyrics giving the right message? I read an article about the theology and place of music in worship, and it mentions how music is supposed to accompany and reinforce the words. We all know that music is powerful – it can evoke powerful emotions. The music is still important. However, it is not supposed to be more important than the hymn’s lyrics.

Another reason why singing is important is that it helps us remember words – more importantly, God’s Word. In Deuteronomy 31, God uses music to help the Israelites, his chosen people, remember his Word through song. God instructs Moses to teach Israel a song as “many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring” (Deuteronomy 31:21). When Paul and Silas sang hymns in prison, the hymns were hymns that they remembered.

Hymns give encouragement

This leads me to my next point. Singing hymns can encourage Christians in whatever situation they are in. When I was younger, I used to be scared to go to the bathroom at night because of how dark it was. Eventually, I would build up my courage and force myself to walk there. Now, it seems pretty silly, though, at the time, it was pretty scary. As I walked over, I would sing a hymn or the choir song I was singing in my church’s children choir, not always out loud but in my heart. I found that it gave me courage when I sang a hymn, reminding me that God is in control. 

I know that my situation is small compared to the martyrs and persecuted Christians who sing hymns despite being in life-threatening danger, but it is my personal experience on how singing hymns gives courage. 

Hymns are our weapon in our spiritual battle

Last of all, singing hymns is a means of spiritual warfare. I read another article by John Piper, and this time, the article was about ambushing Satan through song. God uses spiritual songs as spiritual weapons against Satan. As William Law says, in his book  A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, “Just as singing is a natural effect of joy in the heart so it has also a natural power of rendering the heart joyful . . . There is nothing that so clears a way for your prayers, nothing that so disperses dullness of heart, nothing that so purifies the soul from poor and little passions, nothing that so opens heaven, or carries your heart so near it, as these songs of praise.” Satan will try to keep a church from becoming a singing church, so we must fight him with song. When we sing hymns, we have two weapons- God’s Word and song, which we must use in our spiritual war.

You see, hymns are more than some words put together with some nice-sounding music. Hymns are a form of worship to God from our hearts and a weapon in our spiritual battle in our life.