“Why did God not answer my prayer?” Is a question that I get asked quite often and especially when negative events happen. While I understand that I am not God I have never had a prayer that He did not answer or that I was not thankful later that He did not answer. Here are 4 reasons why God does not answer prayer according to the Bible:
- Wrong Motive – Asking with the wrong motive will not move God’s hand in your life even if what you ask for is a blessing that He desires for His children. Are you asking for a raise because the extra money will help your status? Are you asking for a promotion so you can “show them”?
- Ask Amiss – Vague desires yield vague results. When you ask God for something you need to be so specific that it could be written down, given to someone else and they would know exactly what you wanted without you explanation.
- Unbelief – When you ask for something you have got to know that beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is going to answer and then keep on believing until He does answer because He will if you do not give up on Him.
- Guilty Conscious – If you have done something that you know is wrong and have not asked for forgiveness or if you are asking for something that you believe is wrong your prayer will not be answered. Why? Resulting from the guilt you do not feel worthy to come to God to ask Him to do something on your behalf therefore you will not confidently believe that He will answer you. If you know in your heart that you have done wrong simply ask for forgiveness and then move on. He will forgive you immediately, regardless of your wrong, He really is cool.
I have found that I can get 100% of my prayers answered when I pray for what God told me I can have. For the longest I would pray that He would bless me in this endeavor or in that business venture with no results. But, after I discovered the business that He desired for me to have my prayers regarding that business were answered.
Find out God’s will for your situation and then prayer according to His will. If He has not told you what to pray for, pray for someone else who is going through a similar situation and forget about your troubles until He gives you direction.
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Dear Mr. Roddy, I have been an Alcoholic most of my life but always a firm believer, always arguing on Gods behalf to un believers, I have always fallen on my face, gaining sobriety but only to fail again, I have prayed for the strength that other men seem to have that gets them through life successfully, no man is without hardship but why is my life full of utter failure but yet I continue to love him but somehow always fail him. I am starting to believe that God does not repair mens lives only to have them fail him.and even went so far to think that if God answers prayer of help and healing then who is the servant and who is the master. Deep down I feel I am wrong in some way and I hope I am, I have prayed for healing of of my spirit and whatever it is that makes different from other men for 35 years, times for me have gotten so bad I have prayed for death it’self. God did come to me once and filled me with his spirit in a way I can’t even begin to tell you but it was unbelievably powerful and yet the moment I sinned I fell back into the hellish nightmare of alcohol and all it’s darkness. I have always wanted to please and do Gods will for his greatness but he seems to ha no use for me especially after my huge failure I mentioned. I am no king Solomon or Job or any other man God put on a pedestal and used for his purpose I feel empty and void of God and his spirit and I feel I will never have any purpose to God. So many unbelievable things have happened to me in my life I could write a book on it. Why doe’s God not hear me any longer?
In the case of Job God was listening the whole time even though he was going through some pretty crazy trials. I can’t say why you are going through what you are going through but I can say that if you don’t give up God will show himself faithful.
Time and time again throughout the Bible great men of faith suffered great losses (Paul – beaten, Peter – crucified upside down, Job – lost his fortune and family). In a parable in the NT Jesus refers to God as an “unrighteous judge” who wouldn’t hear the widow woman. Its not that God is unrighteous it’s just that at times He seems like that because bad things happen to good people.
I certainly don’t claim to know everything concerning God nor do I claim to live perfect but the longer I live the more I realize that God doesn’t operate like you and I…and for that I am so very thankful. Hang in there and when you fall, get back up.
Praying for you…