Sometimes God answers prayers with 'NO'

Often when talking to other people about prayer I often hear things about how awesome God is 'when' he answers our prayers. The other day I was discussing a personal issue which I have been praying about for a few weeks now and my friend has been also praying with me and she said, "I know God is going to answer our prayers.. He is a good and amazing God."  Now most of us know what was meant by that, she was saying she knows God is going to answer our prayers the way we have asked.  

But,  God answers our prayers even when we don't get what we ask for. Sometimes, and many times God's answer is, "No." Or other times he answers in his own way, still fulfilling our prayers with what we consider to be a good answer, however it is not in our way of thinking of how He should be doing it. Just because God doesn't answer our prayers how we ask does not mean he is not listening or that he does not care or that he is ignoring us all together. It just sometimes means he did not have that planned for us and He has it all planned out differently than we can see it. Just because God says 'no' to our prayers does not make him less good or less amazing of a God.

A great reminder for me is when I think about my little buddy Per. I use to be diligent in praying that God would heal his body and let him live through his third bout of cancer. But, God did not heal him to live a long life here on this earth, He healed him by taking him to heaven where he would never suffer again.  This to some means God didn't hear my prayers, but I believe he did, he just didn't answer the prayers I prayed in the way I had directly asked. God had a different plan in mind. 

Just as when Jesus is found praying in the Garden in Matthew Chapter 6 before his arrest asking;' my father if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.' God the Father didn't answer Jesus requests by finding a different sacrifice for us but continued with His will and His desire as scary and as humiliating and uncomfortable as it may have been.  His will is perfect and he has a perfect plan for us. 
Even if His answers are No to our prayers we have to trust that He has a perfect plan and and his will for us is perfect.  That doesn't just include us and our lives but the lives of the rest of the world around us. There is a perfect plan for every 'yes' and every 'no' God gives. We just need to remember to stay in peace knowing a yes or no He's got it all planned perfectly for us.