God's Non-answer to Answered Prayer

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

I have read this passage many times in my short life, but as I read it today have I noticed something new. There are many times in our life when stressful situation rise or when we create our own stress. Bad things will happen, but in this passage Paul tries to help us understand that we can avoid these stresses by going directly to God.

I have always known that God can handle my stress, but what I found interesting is what is between verses six and seven. Or at least what is inferred. Right after Paul writes "present your requests to God" he goes into a statement of how the peace of God will "guard your hearts and your minds." Notice that Paul does not write, "And God will answer that prayer to your satisfaction." In this passage Paul seems to not care what the answer of our prayer will be. It could be "yes" or "no" or nothing at all. But what is clear is that the answer is not the important issue. The important issue is our obedience to God through his non-answer to our answered prayer. Ask yourself, "Am I willing to go to God with this for peace even though the answer may not be what I want?" If your answer is yes then God's non-answer is an answer after all.