God doesn’t say no for its own sake. He’s not some power-hungry CEO that takes enjoyment out of rejecting requests. It’s not as if he gets a thrill out of not answering the prayers of his children. When God says no, it’s for a reason.

We may never get to know that reason, and thankfully we don’t need to. But we must remind ourselves that God has a reason for everything, especially when he leaves prayers unan- swered. When we think God is aloof, just minding his own business and not paying a lick of attention to us; when we wonder if God even knows we’re talking; when it seems like he is turning his back on us—it’s in those moments of pain, of heartache, of confusion that God is working. He is always working. “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life,” John Piper tweeted, “and you may be aware of three of them.”

Don’t think for one second that God has stopped caring, stopped loving, and stopped providing for you. When you lose your job and your financial stability flies out the window, remember that not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from our Father. If he cares enough for the sparrow, he certainly will care more for you, his beloved child. When your child just died unexpectedly, remember that the Father killed his own son (Is. 53:10)—so that you may reap what Christ sowed on earth.

This devotional was taken from a small excerpt of my new book Taking No for an Answer: How to When God Says No to Our Prayers.