UNANSWERED PRAYERS

Some have completely lost faith in God because they have prayed for things which they did not receive. Still others have come to doubt for the same reason. It is not necessary to blame God for unanswered prayer. A person’s first impulse may be to blame God when prayers are not answered, but there are other possibilities. Examine yourself. Examine your prayers. Examine your motives. If the person, the prayers, and the purpose are acceptable, then God will hear. He will answer according to His will and according to what is best for you. “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).

Let us look at some of the reasons for unanswered prayers? First, if the one praying is not a child of God, he will NOT receive spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3). The person outside of Christ has been promised no spiritual blessings; he does not have the privilege of prayer as the child of God does (Proverbs28:9). Second, a person may have obeyed the gospel at some time in the past but cannot pray acceptably because he is not living the life of a Christian. Maybe he has drifted out of fellowship with God. It is the prayer of the righteous man that “can accomplish much” (James 5:16). The erring child of God must repent before he can have the right to pray (Acts 8:22). Our prayers are often hindered by a wrong spirit toward others. We are to pray for the forgiveness of our sins to the extent that we forgive those who sin against us (Matthew 6:12).

If a prayer is unanswered, it may be that the prayer did not emanate from a believing heart. Maybe at times our prayers are not answered because we did not expect them to be! Our prayers are to be prayers of faith. “Ask in faith.” One who wavers with doubt is like “the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). Prayer is to be fervent—not lazy, Half-hearted, or indifferent (James 5:16). Talking to God is more than “saying a prayer.”

To find answer to the cause of unanswered prayer, consider this question: Is the prayer in harmony with God’s will? John wrote, “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14b). Are we praying for something that would be harmful to us? If so, then God must withhold it. He could not grant something that He knows would be detrimental to us. We should study in order to know God’s Word so that we may be able to pray more acceptably. Many have a difficult time offering acceptable prayers to God because they know so little about His will.

James pointed to motive as a possible hindrance to acceptable prayer: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3). If a prayer springs from selfishness, then the motive is not good. When we are praying to God for something, let us ask ourselves, “Why am I praying for this?” In so doing, we may find the reason for many unanswered prayers.

Word Affirmation: “The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee." – Psalm 20:1 (Don't just say it, mean it!)

“Talking to God is more than “saying a prayer.”"

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