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So often we are inclined to think that the only answer God can give our prayers is “yes.” We need to remember that “no” is an answer also. “No” is certainly an answer of love on the part of our Heavenly Father when we ask Him for things which are not really for our good or for His glory. God does not always give us what we want; He gives us what we need. Just as a good parent does not grant all the requests of his child, God does not answer every request in the way we desire. When we think of “unanswered” prayer, it may be that we do not understand the way in which God responds to our requests. He may not grant an immediate answer, and sometimes our prayers are answered in a way that we fail to recognize. We pray for prosperity, and sometimes financial stress is given. But our souls are made stronger for the test. We pray for health, and affliction is given, and we are better able to sympathize with those in affliction. God makes no mistakes, though at times we may question His wisdom. Our motive for making a request to God must be pure. If your prayer is self-centered, concerned with the gratification of your own desires, God cannot, in faithfulness, grant your requests. James 4:3 says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” Perhaps you are praying for a person close to you, and you have not seen any changes. God can work through your prayers to soften a heart or to bring about circumstances to draw those for whom you are praying closer to Him. However, God has given man a free will. If your prayers are not always answered as you expect, it is not because God is not working in the situation. It may be that the person for whom you are praying has not yet responded to God’s call. You must not permit yourself to give in to despair. You should, however, continue in prayer, knowing that the Lord is more concerned for them than you are and that it is His will to help them; read 1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9, and 1 John 5:14-15.
Prayer can be a touchy subject for nonbelievers and even for many who do profess to be Christians because it so frequently doesn’t seem to work. Many of us feel like our requests for something good are denied or that God doesn’t even hear us. Many of us might feel like we’re just doing something wrong. There is no recipe for prayer. The Holy Spirit is ever present among each of us and lends us an ear when we call out to Him. You cannot formulate a better “ritual” or means of communicating to God than by freely and directly speaking to Him. So, if you’ve been praying and you feel like God won’t answer your prayer, it’s not that you’re praying wrong. It’s more likely that God wants something better for you or that you might not be praying in earnest. God wants something better for youOften, our prayers are cries for help or to receive some sort of blessing. Many of these prayers appear to go unnoticed. Many sick people remain sick and many poor people remain poor, so does this mean God doesn’t care about them? No. We might not understand why God doesn’t heal everybody or fix everybody’s problems because we have a finite view of life. However, God has an eternal view. He has an ultimate plan of redemption and goodness for humankind that is slowly unfolding as history goes on. Each of us, whether we know it or not, are playing a role in this history. You might be facing a trial now and feel like God is ignoring you by not giving you what you ask for, but ultimately, He has something better in plan for all of us. You are not asking in faithIn the book of James, the author tells us to pray and believe in the power of our prayers: If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. — James 1:5-8 (MSG) We’ll be a little careful here because this verse is meant to inspire us to truly trust God when we pray to Him, not to pray as a backup plan. However, many people weaponize this verse to criticize people for having a lack of faith when they don’t get what they pray for. That’s not what this verse is meant to do. Just keep in mind that when you pray, you must do so earnestly. No one can tell you if your prayer is earnest except for yourself, so be honest with yourself about your prayers. Do you feel like you truly believe or hope God will answer your prayer? Then He just might do so. Centerpoint Church is ready to walk with you on your faith journeyIf you feel like God won’t answer your prayer, you might feel hopeless or alone. This is not the case. There is a welcoming community at Centerpoint Church in the Tampa, Florida, area. We would love to meet you at one of our three services on Sunday and join you on your faith journey as you wrestle with prayer and strive to follow the Lord. You might feel like God won’t answer your prayer, but maybe His will is that you meet a community of believers like ours to have fellowship and friends. You’ve heard the old cliché, “Prayer changes things.” Yeah, okay, but what about the times when it just flat doesn’t? What’s wrong?  (Photo by Photodune) Why doesn’t God answer your prayers? As I’ve searched the Scriptures, I have discovered at least 5 reasons. In some cases, we are not waiting on God; He is waiting on us. 1. It could be you’re not a child of God.This may sound obvious or even cruel, but God has no obligation to answer the prayers of unbelievers (Psalm 34:15, 17; Proverbs 15:8, 29; John 9:31; 1 Peter 3:12). He may answer, but He has not obligated Himself to do so. The only prayer an unbeliever may be assured God will answer—and answer immediately—is a prayer of faith and acceptance of His Son, who died on the cross and rose again, as the basis for the forgiveness of your sins. 2. It could be your motives or actions.As Christians, there are a couple of reasons God may choose to delay or deny answering our prayers. In these cases, He is waiting on us.
3. It could be your misunderstanding of God’s priorities.Some of the problems we have with prayer arise out of a wrong understanding of God. The better we know about God in the Scriptures, the better we will understand how to pray—and why God responds to prayer as He does. God answers prayer according to His will (1 John 5:14-15). But just like us, the desires are not all equal. My desire to remain faithful to my wife until I die is not on the same level of my desire to take a nap on Sunday. It’s a matter of priorities. God has a will too, but not all aspects of His will are of equal priority. For example: All are His will, but this final priority comes after the first two. Our problems with prayer often come when we think the first thing on God’s mind is our happiness and not His glory. (Photo by Robert Bishop, CC-BY-SA-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons) 4. It could be that it’s just not time yet.So let’s say we are living for Christ in our attitude and actions and praying according to His will. What do we do when all systems are go, but the answer still hasn’t come? You keep praying.
You don’t lose heart. Here’s why:
5. It could be God wants to give you more than you’re asking for.If God is able to answer (and He is), and if He has promised to answer the prayers of His children (and He has), then the delay in the answer—we must know—is not that God is apathetic or absent.
In the final analysis, it may be that God desires to give you more than the simple answer to your prayer, making the answer—once it is received—all the more sweet. Our relationship with God is a beautiful one that can grow and change. If you are looking to feel closer to God, consider embarking on a journey of God's Word.
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Why doesn t god answer my prayers
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