No Answer

He has put my brothers far from me, and those who knew me are wholly estranged from me. My relatives have failed me, my close friends have forgotten me. The guests in my house and my maidservants count me as a stranger; I have become a foreigner in their eyes. I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer; I must plead with him with my mouth for mercy.
Job 19:13–16
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No Answer
What do you do when you cry out to God, and you do not get an answer?  This is what Job is struggling with, and it is what many of us struggle with, especially in times of pain and suffering. However, we should not forget that God never ignores the prayers of His people. “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you” (Jeremiah 29:12).  God does hear our prayers and always answers them, it is just that the answer is not always the one we want or expect.  God answers prayers in three ways, yes, no, not now.  And when we recognize this, we find comfort in God and His desire to hear our prayers.  The hard part often comes when our prayers, our will, for our lives do not conform to God’s will for our lives.  This is why we also pray for understanding of God’s will and if not understanding than for acceptance of it.  It is extremely hard to understand God’s will in the midst of tragedy, yet it is precisely in those time when we need to turn to Him for comfort. It is in these times in which we turn to our Father in prayer knowing He hears and will answer in accordance with His good and gracious will. Therefore, never allow the devil, the world, or your own sinful flesh to convince you God does not care and does not hear your cries for deliverance.

I cried to him with my mouth,
and high praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
But truly God has listened;
he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me!
(Psalm 66:17-20)