But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” (Matthew 15:23 ESV)

Those who pray wholeheartedly but don’t get answers from God may take comfort from the story of the Canaanite woman. Jesus heard her prayers alright. He knew the urgency of her request. There was no question about the authenticity of her supplication: she was genuine, earnest, intense, and most of all, she had faith.

So why didn’t she get a prompt answer to her prayers?

Honestly, I have no idea. I just know for a fact that there are times when God simply takes His time. Without explanations, without warning, He goes silent. Maybe it is a test of our character. Or maybe because the time is not right.

Whatever the reason, we must remember that it is in moments like these when our souls pass through the fire of God. We wonder why other people seem to get prompt answers to their prayers while we stagger at the silence of God. It just doesn’t make sense.

You could pound the doors of heaven all you want, you could plead that you are earnest and sincere. But sincerity is not the only basis why God answers prayers. In the high heavens, God makes up decisions about our prayers on the basis of His omniscience and sovereignty. It takes faith to feel secure in the fact that the God who holds everything in His hands has your best interests at heart.

The Canaanite woman got her answers after a severe test of faith and wills. Her undaunting faith in the kindness of God prevailed. She knew deep within her heart that God would never turn away anyone who comes to Him.

But enough of the ancient Canaanite woman who’s already had a happy ending. The more relevant question to chew on today is this: Does it seem like God is giving you the cold shoulders? Aren’t your prayers getting answered? Take comfort in the fact that God heard them alright. He could just be taking His time. He’s not deaf, you know.

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. –James 5: 16

Many people think that this verse means that if we only pray long enough, hard enough and often enough, God will grant our prayers. That if we are just intense and emotional, the heavens would answer us.

I once had a conversation with a college friend who said that God has this one weakness: the tears of a praying Christian. While that sounds like a comforting (and cute) idea, it is actually theologically wrong on all fronts. God doesn’t have a weakness and our tears have no bearing in the way He will answer or not answer our prayers. He is not your mother for crying out loud! He is not fooled with your incessant yapping. He doesn’t answer prayers on the basis of the tears we shed or the emotional weight we put into our supplications.

The verse we quoted above actually says something entirely different. If we go back to the originals, the KJV rendering “effectual fervent” came from a single Greek word where we get our English “energy.” It literally means “to be at work or to effect something.” Meaning, something that is being powered (by God, as the context suggests).

The word “avail” in that verse also means “strength and ability.”

Put these two words together and you get a clearer meaning for this verse. It now says, “The God-powered prayer of a righteous man is strong.” Bible commentator Clarke says that this verse signify “energetic supplication, a prayer that is suggested to the soul and wrought in it by Divine energy.”

One thing I’d like to say here: the driving force behind a prayer should not be your emotions or your own intensity but the power of God. It is God that fuels your prayer life, it is His strength that does it. I believe this is liberating to a certain extent. Some people have this mistaken notion that they should be praying hard enough to get God to answer their wishes. The problem with this mentality is that nobody actually knows how much is hard enough.

So, would your tears make a difference when you pray? The answer is a big NO. It’s not tears that move Him, it’s faith.