Have you ever prayed for something, but you never get what you prayed for?

You anxiously wait for your prayers to be answered. You thought God would help you through it. But it didn’t happen. You start to feel disappointed. Then, you thought He never listened. You feel He wasn’t there when you needed Him. Then, you begin to doubt if God existed.

Stop right there! Don’t go further away from what you know is true.

God Answers in His Own Time and in His Own Way

God does answer prayers. But you must know that He answers in His own time and in His own way. Sometimes, answers come instantly. Most of the time, you must wait. And yes, it can be painful to know that there will be times that God’s answer is a big fat NO!

It can be very frustrating when you are already expecting that God will grant you all things you desired. You see, it’s not really that God did not answer your prayer. Sometimes He knows better than what we deserved, because He knows us better.

Sometimes, it can be a blessing that your relationship with someone didn’t work out because you were meant to find someone better. You soon will realize that there had been some red flags or unhealthy patterns in the relationship that you had been unwilling to see.

Sometimes, it can be a blessing that you didn’t get your dream job. Multiple interviewers rejected your application even if you have put your best foot forward. And you wonder why you did not qualify even if you have the right credentials or experience. Perhaps taking that dream job could mean a huge chunk of family time to sacrifice. Or perhaps God didn’t want you to experience the kind of environment and culture you will be dealing with in the workplace.

Soon you will thank Him for removing certain people or opportunities from your life because you never knew how toxic they would have been. When you accept the reality and start moving on with your life, you look back to understand that His ways are better than yours.

God’s promises are not always fulfilled as quickly as or in the way we might hope; they come according to His timing and in His ways. … The promises of the Lord, if perhaps not always swift, are always certain. – Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Continue in Patience | General Conference | April 2010

Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “[Our Father in Heaven’s] invitation ‘Ask, and ye shall receive’ (3 Nephi 27:29) does not assure that you will get what you want. It does guarantee that, if worthy, you will get what you need, as judged by a Father that loves you perfectly, who wants your eternal happiness even more than do you.”

No matter what happens, never cease to pray. Remember, He is always listening. He always wants what is best for us even if it doesn’t seem like it.