Does God really ignore some of his children’s requests?
The reason why prayers are not answered is a major concern for many believers. Yes, I understand you have made many requests in your prayers, yet there are still a few of them that seem to hang on or ‘unanswered.’
Let me tell you emphatically that there was no record of unanswered prayers in the Bible, not one. The challenge of unanswered prayer has and will never be with God. In fact, God is always eager to grant your request. If there is a man to pray, there is a God to answer. But then, why do we pray sometimes and do not have our request met.
Below are some of the major reasons why prayers are not answered:
- Lack of Faith is a Major Reason Why Prayers Are Not Answered
- Inconstancy or Giving up too early
- Unforgiveness is a reason why prayers are not answered
- Praying out of God’s will
- Sin hinders prayers
1. Lack of Faith is a Major Reason Why Prayers Are Not Answered
“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.”
James 1:6
Let me share with you a story. A friend of mine whose mother suffered a terminal illness, prayed relentlessly for her mother to recover and be whole. She prayed very often and even fasted. But every time she spoke to me or someone else about her sick mother, you could tell from her words that she did not believe in her own prayers.
There are times when the mountain before you might look bigger than you and seems like it would swallow you up. Surely, there will be situations that would look like God is not coming through for you. There would be times when it feels like heaven is quiet about your matter.
At those times, hold on to your faith in God. God wants us to trust Him with our life, even when the situation does not look promising by all human calculation. A prayer prayed in disbelief will not be answered. It takes faith in God to receive the answers to your prayers.
How does one become strong in faith?
It is only by God’s word. Faith comes by hearing God’s word (Romans 10:17). Feed your mind and ears on God’s word daily. Allow it to become the words on your lips at all times.
Also, reading books on the Christian faith, written by believers inspired by the Holy Ghost, can help you overcome your doubt and build your trust in the Lord.
Perhaps this is why you have not received the answers to your prayers.
2. Inconstancy or Giving up too early
Now, you could say, but you have faith, why do your prayers seem not answered yet. Now, the reason is that you excuse yourself from your answer by giving up too quickly. When you pray for a particular thing, and the answer does not come at your expected time, this often results in weariness and sometimes frustration.
Sometimes, some people even say maybe God does not want them to have what they prayed for, so they give God reasons why their prayers cannot be answered. You see, once God’s word says it, believe it and pray it until you see it becomes evident in your life. Do not give up on your prayers. Your breakthrough could be nearer than you think.
To give up early is like telling God that you no longer need what you have prayed for. This affects the result of the prayers of many and is why some prayers are not answered.
Hannah, who later became the mother of the prophet Samuel persisted in her prayers to God when she could not have a child (1 Samuel 1:12-28). The Bible says that Hannah continued in prayers… If she had stopped at one Shiloh, maybe she would have stayed barren all her life. But, Hannah believed God’s word that says none shall be barren in the land (Exodus 23:26). She went to Shiloh again and again.
What is it that you have been praying about but stopped in the process? Rise up again and pray. Do not allow your inconstancy to hinder your prayers.
3. Unforgiveness is a Reason Why Prayers are not Answered
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
Matthew 6:12
Unforgiveness is a state of a heart filled with grudges, hate and disdain. You must know that it is impossible to receive from God when you have an unsettled dispute with your neighbor.
Jesus, in a parable, spoke about a man whose king forgave his debt and he also was owed by a fellow servant (Matthew 18:21-35). After the king had relieved him, he went further to press on his colleague to pay him back. When his fellow servant could not afford to pay, he locked him up in prison. The king heard it and was displeased. He called back the man and asked him to pay his debt. Jesus taught that this is how God would respond to anyone who harbors unforgiveness.
Before you make your requests known to God, endeavor to forgive everyone who has offended you. When you do, you will no longer experience unanswered prayers.
4. Praying out of God’s will
Praying out of God’s will is another major reason why prayers are not answered. Imagine that your 7-year-old son comes to ask you for a million dollars. Although you are wealthy enough to get him such money, will you? I am sure that you will not pay attention to his request because you know he cannot handle such an amount at that age. So that child could keep asking, yet his request is not given.
This is how it is with God and some of our prayer requests. God has great plans for us and sometimes what we pray for is not in accordance with what he wants for us. So, it looks as though there is a delay or unanswered prayer. But it is not so. It is just that you have refused to know what God’s will is for your life and how to pray it into manifestation.
Find out God’s will in His word so that you will not pray to satisfy your lust but align with his thought towards you. Apostle James, in his letter, said we ask and we do not receive because we pray amiss (James 4:3). To pray amiss is to pray out of the will of God.
5. Sin hinders prayers
“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”
Isaiah 59:1-2
God is holy and cannot stand unrighteousness. Sin hinders prayers. The prayers will not get to God, let alone him answering it. The prayer of a sinner is an abomination to God. God’s hatred for sin cannot be overemphasized.
Sin makes it impossible to receive anything from God. Although I understand that sometimes, it seems like a struggle to stop some bad habits. Nevertheless, God has always made a provision for us in His word and through some inspired materials to help you forgo sin and live with God’s consciousness always wholeheartedly to God. Dear readers, acknowledge your sins, confess them and see God answering your prayers.
In conclusion, all of the above are reasons why prayers are not answered. It takes you to make your prayer work. Check yourself whenever you have an unanswered prayer because the problem is not with God but with you.
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