How
many people have said or thought, “I prayed for something, but God did not
answer”? This has been a stumbling block
for many who have attempted to begin or grow in a relationship with God, but
feel like God let them down. Jesus said,
“Whatever you ask in my name, that will I do” (John 14:13). So, why did God not answer my prayer? Below are some of the reasons God does not
seem to answer prayers.
Belief
We
must believe and have faith in God that He will answer the prayer. “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting,
for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For
let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James
1:6-7). Jesus said, “if you have faith
and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even
if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will
happen. And all things you ask in
prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matthew 21:21-22).
The name of Jesus
We must pray to God
the Father, in the name of Jesus, as we saw in John 14:13. However, this should not be interpreted
formulaically. Simply by saying the
right words, whether they are “in the name of Jesus”, or “Hail Mary full of
grace” or “abracadabra” will not automatically guarantee a positive result with
God. We must first have a relationship
with Him and answered prayers are an outgrowth of that relationship. A key principle of Biblical interpretation is
that individual verses must be understood in the backdrop of the entirety of
scripture. There is more to having
prayers answered than believing and speaking in Jesus’ name.
Motivation
We must pray with the
proper motives. James, the brother of
Jesus, stated, “You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may
consume it upon your lusts” (James 4:3).
It is important that we always seriously consider the reason we are
asking. Praying for God to make me rich,
famous, or successful to feed my own ego and hedonistic tendencies would seem
to fall under the purview of this verse.
Prayer for a legitimate need is certainly acceptable, as the word
states, “my God will supply all your needs” (Philippians 4:19).
Stumbling blocks to
prayer
Some issues come
between us and God which interfere with having prayers answered. “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord
will not hear”, Psalm 66:18 states.
Isaiah similarly stated, “your sins have hidden His face from you, so
that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). We
are also informed that God will not converse with those who harbor sin: “these men have set up their idols in their
hearts and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their
iniquity. Should I be consulted by them
at all?” (Ezekiel 14:3) Refusing to turn
from unrepentant sin will hinder our prayers.
But, given the fact that most of us sin with disappointing consistency,
how can anyone have prayers answered?
Fortunately, John
informs concerning those sins committed after salvation, “if anyone sins, we
have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John
2:1). The writer of Hebrews addresses
this also by saying, “we do not have a high priest
who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all
things as we are, yet without sin.
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews
4:15-16). None of us is perfect, but
when we do sin, we need to repent and confess that sin to God to continue in
relationship with Him. Then, our prayers
will be heard.
Delayed answer
Sometimes
God does answer the prayer affirmatively, and the answer is coming, but not
immediately. A glimpse into the spirit
world was given to us when Daniel prayed to God. An angel came to Daniel and said, “"Do
not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain
understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard,
and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom
(an angel of darkness) resisted me 21 days. Then Michael, one of the chief
princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia”
(Daniel 10:12-14). God had sent the
answer to Daniel, but the response took time due to delays in the spirit
realm. In another example, God said to
Abraham,"look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to
count them" and He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned
it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:5-6).
But, Abraham had to wait 25 years for his first son to be born. Sometimes we need to be patient and wait for
God’s timing.
What is God’s will?
If I pray for
something that is not within His will, I cannot expect to receive what I
ask. We are informed by John that, “This
is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according
to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14).
How do we know His will? If it’s
in the Bible, then it is His will. The
Bible states that it is God’s will for all to be saved. God does not wish for “any to perish
but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9) and if someone repents,
their sins will be wiped away (Acts 3:19).
So, if someone offers a prayer of repentance to God, that person can be
assured according to His word, God will save him and wipe away his sins.
But, what if my
request is not in the Bible? For
example, someone may pray for God to help make a decision concerning whom to
marry or what job to take. This is where
the separation is made between God’s general will (written for all persons in
the Bible) and His specific will (for each of our individual lives). In these types of cases, He promises to give
us wisdom if we ask for it and do not doubt.
We are informed in James 1:5-6, “if any of you
lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without
reproach, and it will be given to him.
But he must ask in faith without any doubting”. An important point here is that we should not
normally look only to one scripture verse for a conclusive answer. For example, God will give wisdom if we ask
in faith, but we may receive that wisdom from others. Proverbs 15:22 informs that, “without
consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.”
Relationship with God
As we develop our
relationship with God, we increase our ability to discern His will for our
lives.
Jesus said, “"If you abide
in me, and my words abide in
you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). In John 16:26-27, Jesus told His disciples,
“In that day (after the resurrection) you will ask in my name. I am not saying
that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you
because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” Do these verses apply to all people? No, Jesus is speaking to His followers. If we are followers of Jesus today, these
words apply to us. We can still abide in
Him through His word, Spirit, and prayer.
What is God’s
purpose?
Here’s a key question
we must ask: What is God’s purpose in my
life? Is it His responsibility to give
me a comfortable life? If something does
not go my way, am I justified in blaming God?
Is it God’s job to sit inside the lamp and, whenever I rub it, He pops
out to grant my wish? Unfortunately,
many drop out of relationship with God because of misguided expectations. He stated through the prophet, “I am God and there is no one like me, declaring the end
from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done,
saying, my purpose will be established and I will accomplish all My good
pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10). God did not
say He would establish my purpose, but His. It is vitally important that we align
our purpose in life with His. It may
difficult for us to hear, but God does not live to serve us. We live to serve Him. Our primary motivation in life should always
be as Paul said, “whatever you do, do all to the
glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). If that is our motivation in prayer – and in
life – God will accomplish some great things through our prayers.
[Scripture references
are from the New American Standard Bible.]
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