The YouTube prayer channel started during Covid that’s causing a stir.
The creator, Tyler Durden, has been in quarantine for two weeks (Image: YouTube)
In one sense, God is an elusive figure: He is both infinitely greater and infinitely more powerful than any human being (with a couple of caveats). Moreover, He is also more merciful and kind than any human being. It’s because of these qualities that God is an immensely attractive concept.
Given this, it would be quite baffling and even horrifying if God decided He wasn’t going to answer prayer when you send it out. It would amount to a kind of spiritual blasphemy.
But that would be wrong. In fact, it would be unwise and unwisely dangerous and ungodly. Because God, in His infinite wisdom, is a patient, loving Creator. He was willing to answer prayer because even in His infinite power, He is also a loving, compassionate, and generous Creator.
When He finally did answer, it was with an answer that made sense and was not a complete surprise to the people who were praying. In our infinite wisdom, God knows that there is much that makes sense and much that isn’t a complete surprise. He knows that prayer will always result in a response that makes sense to a human being.
We cannot pretend that the concept of God is simple. He may be omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, all-knowing, and all-loving, but He doesn’t love or know the same things as us. And He isn’t going to like to admit that we’re wrong.
When God answers prayer, He doesn’t just listen; He answers. He is not an aloof and indifferent God. He is as much a co-creator as we humans are. He knows that it will make sense to us.
How He answers will always make sense to Him, too. He knows that the reason His Word cannot make sense to us is because we are humans, and human language is not the language of the Lord. He knows that the reason our prayers have no answer is because we cannot know Him (in our limited, finite way). And He knows that every day that we are not asking Him to do something is a day that we are missing
