Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayers?
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Before getting into Why God Doesn’t Answer My Prayers, let’s address a frequent question. Namely, why pray? After all Jesus tells us, “…your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” Matt. 6:8, so why pray?
First of all, God is not threatened by our sincere questions; nor does He consider us unfaithful for having them. Would a loving human parent be disturbed by the sincere question of their child? Of course not. Neither is God.
In 1 Thess. 5:17, we are instructed to, “Pray without ceasing.” Luke Chapter 18 records a parable Jesus told the whole purpose of which was to stress the point, “…men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” Luke 18:1. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus found the disciples sleeping. He said to them, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation….” Matt. 26:41. It seems highly unlikely they were being tempted while they were sleeping; why did He make such a comment?
Dutch Sheets in his book “Intercessory Prayer” (one of our recommended books) addresses this subject much better and more thoroughly than we could. We would only add; God has instructed us to pray. Do we really need a better reason?
An aside: The instruction to pray without ceasing does not mean we are to pray constantly. I ate yesterday; I’ve eaten today; if God gives me life, I plan to eat tomorrow. I am not constantly eating, but I have no plans to cease eating. Nor do I have plans to cease praying.
Quotes from the Bible are from the King James Version.
Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayers?
Self Centered – Not God Centered
Some of my prayers are not answered because they are self-centered.
Jesus tells us, “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it,” John 14:14, and He repeats that idea John 15:7 and 16:23 and 24.
Okay, here’s my prayer. “Lord please help me rob the bank and get away scot-free. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Why won’t God answer that prayer? James gives me a partial answer; “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts,” James 4:3.
In the passages referenced above from the Gospel of John, Jesus effectively gave us the power of attorney over, or made us trustees of, His power.
If we were to go to an attorney’s office tomorrow and draw up the proper documents, you could give me control of your assets, or make me trustee of the trust you had created. However, those documents would specify the limits of my authority and what I could do with your assets. Furthermore, our courts would require me, while acting in your place, to act like you would act and do what you would do.
The Bible is God’s trust and power of attorney document. It specifies what I can and cannot do. God will ignore my silly prayer because His “document” prohibits theft.
Even a brief and casual reading of the New Testament reveals the primary motivation of Christ was to do the Father’s will all the way from, “…How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? Luke 2:49, to, “…nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt,” Mark 14:36.
Thus, one of the reasons God doesn’t answer my prayers is because my prayers are not consistent with the will of the Father. Thus, I am not praying like Jesus would pray. When that is the case, it doesn’t make any difference how many times I say, “…in Jesus’ name,” because my prayer really isn’t in His name…no matter the tag I put on it.
Lack of Bible Reading
Another reason God doesn’t answer some of my prayers is because I haven’t spent enough time reading His word. In fact that’s one of the reasons for the failure mentioned above. How can I know the Father’s will, and thus pray like Jesus, if I haven’t spent time learning what His will is?
Years ago I became engaged to my sweetheart school teacher. When the school year was over she traveled to her home to prepare for our wedding. She wrote love letters to me. I devoured those letters. I wanted to know what she had done, what she was doing and what she expected from me.
The Bible is God’s love letter to us. It answers those questions. It not only tells me He expects me to pray, it is filled with examples, and with a little imagination there are almost an unlimited number of prayers for us to pray. For example, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly…” Ps. 1:1. “Oh, God, give me wisdom to discern ungodly counsel and the courage to walk away from it. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
How many pages are there from Genius to Revelation? I dare say there isn’t a single page where, with a bit of imagination, I can see where God has given us a prayer.
It seems doubtful He will accept the excuse, “I don’t know how to pray.” Maybe we should start by praying, “God, increase my desire to pray.” Or “God, increase my desire to read Your word with an eye for seeing the prayers You would have me pray. I ask this in Jesus’ name.”
“O God, increase my hunger and thirst for righteousness. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.” (See Matt. 5:6) What do you suppose would happen if we earnestly prayed that prayer for the next thirty days?
Lack of Faith
Another reason God doesn’t answer some of my prayers is due to my lack faith.
At Hebrews 11:6, the writer emphatically states, “…without faith it is impossible to please (God)….” Then he addresses the faith of Old Testament saints using the phrases “by faith” or “through faith” no less than sixteen times. Repeatedly Christ says, “…thy faith made thee whole….” Matt. 9:22, Mark 5:34 and 10:52, Luke 8:48.
In the Sermon on the Mount while speaking to the multitudes about worrying over the necessities of life, Christ said, “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith.” Matt.6:30. He also chided the disciples using the same phrase. (See Matt. 8:26).
When the disciples could not cast the demon out of lad, Christ said to the father, “…If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Mark 9:23-24
Now there’s another prayer for me; “Oh, God, I believe, but please help my unbelief. Increase my faith. For I ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Lack of Intensity
Too often my prayers lack intensity.
In the Scripture referenced above, it says the father, “…cried out, and said with tears….” That was no mammy-pammby prayer. Nor was it a prayer so oft’ repeated it was memorized all the way from, “Our Father who art…” to the “Amen.”
Is God impressed when I pray The Lord’s Prayer seldom thinking about what being said? In that vein, I wonder if God really believes I am truly thankful for the food He has provided. Too many of my prayers along those lines can be described as, “Mouth running: Heart not engaged.”
Do I really believe God is moved into action in response to, “God, bless Mommy and Daddy. Bless Jack and Jill and all the missionaries. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen?” God may be pleased with it coming from a small child, but I doubt He’s impressed with it coming from me.
Lack of Specificity
Another reason God may not answer my prayers is because they lack specificity; they are too general.
“God, please bless our church.”
Paul, this is God speaking.
Oh, my. “Yes, God, what is it?”
Paul, do you want Me to bless the building or the people?
“Oh, sorry. My bad; I should have said ‘our congregation.’”
Good. We’re making progress. But let me ask you, Paul, are most of them breathing?
Enough of my weird sense of humor.
But do I want God’s Holy Spirit to sweep down across our sanctuary, blessing the people in each pew with His holy comfort; with holy conviction; with holy encouragement; with another of His holy infillings?
Do I want Him to bless my pastor with insight; with wisdom; with courage? What do I want God to do for my church?
Don’t ask me why God wants me to be specific. I’m not sure why. But whatever the real reason is, it has to do with me, not God. Because He knows what is on my mind, and more than that; He knows what is needed.
Yet knowing full well what was needed and desired, He asked blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:51), two other blind men (Matt. 20:32) and the man at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:6) what was it they wanted Him to do; specifically.
That is not to say God will not answer my nonspecific prayers; but why should I make general requests when I have specific things in mind?
Lack of Persistence
One reason God doesn’t answer my prayers is because I am not persistent; I give up.
Chapter 18 of the Gospel of Luke begins, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” (Underline mine.)
At times it is easy to understand why an answer to prayer is delayed. A pastor had three families in his church that were consistently projecting a negative spirit, which in turn put a damper on worship and almost all spiritual aspects of the church. He began to pray, “God, get’em in, or get’em out.” After praying that for quite some time, one family changed churches, about a month later another moved out of state and the following month the third moved to still another state. About two weeks later God’s Holy Spirit descended on that congregation.
(The pastor’s prayer may seem crude. But notice what Jesus said and did to those who interfered with the worship of others. {See Matt. 12:34, 15:7, 16:4, 23:13-36, and Mark 11:15-17.})
But there is nothing in the Luke 18 parable requiring a passage of time; the judge could have responded to the widow’s first request. Why then doesn’t God move more quickly to answer my prayers when a significant amount of time is not involved?
Bottom line: I do not know. Perhaps it is to test my faith; perhaps it is to test the level of my commitment to the need.
Persistence implies waiting. We know the disciples were told to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. (See Acts 1:4.)
Waiting requires patience which St. Paul tells us is one of the fruits of the Spirit. (See Gal. 5:22.) Thus, persistence can be an avenue of spiritual growth. But regardless of the reason, at times God requires my persistence before He will act. Too often that has been lacking.
Lack of Forgiveness
It is my view that nothing serves as a roadblock to answered prayer greater than the sin of lack of forgiveness.
Following The Lord’s Prayer Jesus enlarged upon one and only one aspect of the prayer. “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matt. 6:14 and 15.
Jesus told a parable of a servant who was given extra time to pay his debt to the king. But then the servant went and put a third person in prison because of the latter’s lack of ability to pay a debt owed him. When the king learned of it, he recanted his forgiveness and turned the servant over to the “tormentors.” Christ concludes the parable saying, “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” Matt. 18:35. (Underline mine.)
“Oh, my God! You have forgiven me so much. Help me to be a forgiving person. I asked you in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
It has helped me to recall my Christ died for all who have wronged me…just as He died for me.
Unforgiven Sin
If unforgiven sin remains how can I expect God, who stands ready to forgive, to answer my prayers? How can I have the required faith? Simply stated, I cannot.
But you say, “I don’t know of any unforgiven sin.” Great! I’m happy for you.
However, why do you suppose “…forgive us our trespasses…” is in The Lord’s Prayer? The psalmist said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Ps. 139: 23 and 24.
Surely he wasn’t playing games with God.
I would do well to pray the same prayer. That is, if I sincerely want to face my own sinfulness.
Psychologists tell us it often takes more than a little time of sincere searching for old buried resentments (unforgiven acts or words) to surface.
Conclusion
“O, my God! Forgive me for my trespasses. Especially, forgive me for being careless in praying. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Create in me and my brothers and sisters a greater desire to pray effectual and fervent prayers.
God, we do not need better people behind our pulpits; we need better pray-ers. O, God, give us better pray-ers! I ask you in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
May God bless you as you seek to serve Him.
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