Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayers?

God will always hear and answer the prayer of a sinner calling out to God to forgive their sins.

Romans 10:13 “Whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Also, Acts 2: 21

There are many verses that tell us that God will answer when we call to him.

Once we become a “child of God” in our spirit, and we walk with God and try our best to obey Him—-we have many prayers about many things—-and when those prayers are not answered—-we wonder why?

There are some general reasons why our prayers are not answered in the way we want:

1. God may hear what we asked for but He knows it would not be good for us.

2. God may decide to answer that prayer in a different way than we thought it would come.

3. Our prayer may be about other people and God needs time to work on their heart.

4. God may need time to work out all the things that need to happen to answer our prayer.

5. God may be saying, “NO” because He has a different plan for us.

There are some reasons God does not answer prayer and it is because of things we are doing:

1. When we keep doing sins that we know are wrong.

Isaiah 59:1,2 “Behold (Look), the Lord’s hand is not short that it cannot save; and his ear is not heavy (deaf) that he cannot hear: but your sins have separated you from God, and your sins have made him hide his face from you, and he will not hear you.”

Psalm 66:18 “If I keep sin in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”

Before you came to Jesus and asked for forgiveness—–when you were walking in your own way and ignored God—-you were not God’s child spiritually. God may have answered some prayers for you because he is full of mercy, but since you were not his spiritual child—-he could have ignored you. After all you were not talking to God, you did not care about him. You did not want him. So God left you alone.

When you saw you needed God to forgive your sins, you called on God he forgave you because of what Jesus did for you.

After we understand that our sin keeps us from God—–then we need stop doing sin. If we keep on doing sin—-we have not understood what God is saying. Sin keeps us from God. Sin breaks that relationship.

If we let sin in our life or mind—-and keep doing it—-we have not been honest and sincere about being sorry for our sin. We were not truthful to God when we said we were sorry and asked for forgiveness.

God sees that. He is not fooled. He knows our hearts and minds.

We are human and we sin and fail God. Sin sometimes happens. We ask forgiveness again. God forgives.

But to keep doing sin over and over and plan to do sin or keep being weak and not seeking God’s Holy Spirit to make us strong—-is wrong—it is not being honest and sincere about wanting to follow and obey God.

That kind of sin doing will break your relationship with God it will block (stop) your prayers.

2. When we will not forgive others.

Matthew 6: 14, 15 Jesus said, “If you forgive men their trespasses (sins, wrong doing) against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you, but if you forgive not men their trespasses (sins, wrong doing) neither (not) will your heavenly Father forgive you of your trespasses (sins, wrong doing).”

Jesus is very clear. There are other verses that say the same thing. We must forgive what people have done to us, if we want God to forgive our wrong doing.

It may be that someone has done terrible things to you. Things you do not want to remember or talk about. Things you think you can not forgive.

But you must if you want God to forgive you.

God knows what you have been through. God knows about that terrible thing. God will help you come to a place in your heart and mind where you can forgive.

Forgiving does not mean forgetting. Forgiving does not mean that you now think that what happened was ok. Forgiving does not mean that person should not be punished or

be responsible.

Forgiving means—–that you are not going to try to make that person admit they are guilty. You are not going to keep being angry and hating that person. You are not going to keep trying to make that person pay for what they did to you. You are not going to keep thinking that someday that person will see their guilty and be sorry.

You make a choice—–you say to yourself—–I will not keep doing these things. I will turn this terrible thing over into God’s hands and I will let God punish that person someday for what they did to me. I will put this thing out of my mind—-every time it come into my mind I will put it out again. I will not keep thinking, thinking about this thing.

I will move on. I will ask God to heal my heart and mind. I will ask God to make me whole and healed. I will trust God to bring me to a place where I can truly put that bad thing into God’s hands and let him take care of that person. And I will move on.

3.When we leave God and go our own way again.

II Chronicles 15:2 A prophet came to King Asa and said to him, “The Lord is with you, while you are with him; and if you seek (look for) him, you will find him; but if you forsake (leave) him, he will forsake you.”

We cannot have a relationship with God if we are going our own way and ignoring him. Our sin, our stubborn thinking, our wanting our own way, our not believing—-will break our relationship with God. And our prayers may not be answered.

4. When husbands do not do right to their wives.

I Peter 3:7 ” So also, you husbands, live with your wives giving them honor, as to the weaker one, because you receive grace and blessings from the Lord together in life, so that your prayers be not hindered (hurt, stopped, blocked)

If husbands do not treat their wives right—–God will not answer their prayers.

Through history—men have been in leadership over women. Some get very bossy and mean. Some have been selfish and did not consider the woman’s needs or wants. God said that is not right. And he will not hear the prayers of men who treat their wives like that. Paul said to “Love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.”

The meaning behind these verses about the husband is that     not just husbands   but we all      are to treat others with respect and honor. Any one who says they are a follower of God/Christ and is mean and selfish to other people—-is not following Christ’s teachings.   Your prayers may not be answered until you start behaving right.　

5. When we will not help the poor when we can.

Proverbs 21:13 “Whoever stops his ears to the cry of the poor then when he cries for help he will not be heard”

Be kind. Help out. Even if you only have a little to give. Someday you may need help.

People will remember if you helped people or not.

Zechariah 7:10, 11,12,13 God told the people: ” Do not make heavy burdens for the widow, for the children with no fathers, for the stranger, or the poor.”

“But they would not listen they pulled away their shoulder and stopped their ears so that could not hear. They made their hearts like stone, so they would not hear the law, and the words that the Lord of hosts has sent by his spirit, by the prophets (preachers),

so then came the wrath (anger) of from the Lord. ……so now they have cried (to Me the Lord), and I would not hear, says the Lord.”

6. When we will not hear God’s word

Proverbs 28:9 “He that turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination (to have strong dislike for).”

God will have strong dislike for prayers that come from someone who does not want to hear God’s word to him.

7. When you say prayers, just so other people can hear you pray.

Matthew 6: 5, 6 Luke 18:11-14 These verse tell the story of a Jewish leader who went into the temple/church and prayed loud enough for others to hear what he said—-he was proud and showing off—-God said his prayer was not heard.

8. When you say the same short sentence prayer over and over and over like a chant or a ritual.

Matthew 6: 7 “But when you pray do not say vain (empty) repeating of words as the heathen (who worship idols), they think they will be heard for saying the same thing over and over much speaking. ”

In vs. 9-13 Jesus teaches the people to say a simple prayer. We call it the Lord’s Prayer.

9. When we give up praying too soon—-we need to “hold on” and keep praying.

Luke 18: 1-8 This story shows how keeping on asking brings the answer.

James 1:6,7,8 “But let him ask in faith not wavering (not waving—going back and for)…”

10. When we ask for things just to use them selfishly for our own pleasure—especially selfish, shallow, or sinful pleasures.

James 4:3 “You ask and receive not because you ask wrongly you ask so you can have something to use for your own lusts (selfish wants and pleasures)”

God wants us give us some things for our pleasure especially healthy unselfish ones.

God wants us to enjoy good things in life—-and he gives us many good things—- God gives them because he is gracious to us—-they are not things we should demand.

It is okay to ask God for things you want, but remember they are wants not needs.

God hears us when we pray:

I John 5:14,15 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us; and if we know that he hears us whatever we ask

we know we will receive that request we have asked from him.”

I John 3:22 “And whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that please him.”

Psalm 34: 15 “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”

Proverbs 15:29 “The Lord is far from the wicked (sinful), but he hears the prayer of the righteous.”

Matthew 7: 7,8,9,10 “Ask and it shall be given unto you; seek (look) and you will find,

Knock, and it shall be opened up to you; for everyone who asks will receive, and everyone who seeks will find, and everyone who knocks–it will be opened.

Or what man is there of you, who if his son ask for bread would he give his son a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, would give his son a snake?

If you being sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?”

Matthew 9:29 Jesus told two blind men, “According (As to) your faith so be it unto you.”

We must have faith and believe that God will answer our prayer.

Some things we can not understand. Some things God does or does not do we cannot understand or why God lets it be that way. Especially, if we feel the hurt.

Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God:

But those things which are revealed (shown) belong to us…”

God’s ways, God’s plan, God’s reason for things——we may not understand —–maybe in heaven some day we will see why God did things that way.

For now those things are “secret” to God. He has not shown us. That is why we say the Christian life is one of “faith”. We trust God. And whatever He chooses —-is okay with us. We bow to His kingship and Godship. We allow Him to be God and we do not try to tell Him how it should be done.