Why Won't God Answer My Prayers?
I think many people (if not all) who have walked the path of faith have experienced the feeling of being unheard by God. I was talking to a friend of mine, and he was asking me how to know if he was praying the “right” prayers because he wanted to be in line with God’s will. I believe if you are genuine in your relationship with Jesus, then your heart truly does want to be in God’s will, but how can we know for sure if we are?
In this blog, I hope to answer some questions you have about prayer, give you some encouragement to continue praying and seeking God, and offer a different perspective on hearing God’s answers. Again, everything I state will come from either a biblical standpoint (backed by verses), or thoughts I believe were given to me by the Holy Spirit.
To set up this blog, I want to make sure this point is very clear, so I will write it in bold and all caps. No, I’m not yelling at you. I just want this to stick with you next time you pray. So here it is… YOU SHOULD BE PRAYING WITH THE EXPECTATION OF AN ANSWER, BUT AN ANSWER DOESN’T MEAN A YES!
Ok, so what do I mean by that? Well, if I were to ask you to buy me a brand-new car if you say no, that is still an answer. So, when it comes to God, our prayers shouldn’t always be “asks,” but when they are, be OPEN to God’s answer, considering He knows best. Don’t just be praying for a YES, or that means God didn’t answer. God’s answers come in many forms not just “yes” or “no.”
First and foremost, your prayers do not fall on deaf ears, and many verses give us confidence in that (listed below). God is our perfect Father who desires a relationship with you, so when you call on Him, He hears you!
"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles." - Psalm 34:17.
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." — 1 John 5:14
"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer." — 1 Peter 3:12
God’s Answers
SILENCE
The first answer to prayer that I want to get into is God’s silence.
If every time we prayed to God and you got an instant answer, there would be no faith. Not very often are we just going to get a direct answer because the faith to act wouldn’t really be necessary since God directly told you which move to make. All we can really do is continue checking in with God and move with an honest heart after his will. If doors open, then walk through them, if not, pray and see if you’re in His will, and be open to pausing and walking in a different path.
Let’s talk about why God wouldn’t just tell you which move to make or answer just with a flat-out “yes” or “no”. You could ask God a question, and because He wouldn’t want you to feel like He has left or has forsaken you, He would just give you the answer. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." - Psalm 119:105. You see, God wants to do life WITH you, not FOR you! He wants you to CONSTANTLY be in prayer. "Pray without ceasing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:17. If you are praying for something, sometimes it will take time to get a response, but take heart because you’re not the first person this has happened to! Throughout scripture, we see God make a promise, but it took time to come to fruition. Or people prayed prayers that were answered plenty of time later! Let this next paragraph build up your strength to keep praying and seeking God, even when He APPEARS to be silent!
In the book of Daniel, we see that he prayed to God about a vision he had received, but the answer coming to him by way of an angel was held up because of spiritual warfare. If you don’t know, yes, this world is a lot more spiritual than you think. This angel was in a battle with the opposition and literally needed backup from another angel to win the spiritual battle and deliver the answer to prayer.
“Then he continued, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.’” - Daniel 10:12-13
You see, God may have “appeared” to be silent to Daniel, but really, He heard him on the first day of his prayer! Sometimes, for reasons that may be unknown, maybe it’s not the right timing, there is a spiritual battle you don’t know about, or anything in between that just delays your answer. Just stay in prayer and seek the Lord and He will answer you when the time is right!
I want to pose a question to you. When you talk to God, is it simply just a cry out for Him to do something for you? Do you just call on Him when you need something? It could be anything from needing a financial blessing to helping you get out of a sticky situation. If you don’t engage with God outside the means of Him doing something for you, then maybe that is why He is silent.
You see, God’s silence could be just to get you to continue seeking His comfort and relationship with Him. God is your friend, not your butler. Yes, Jesus came to serve, but if all God did was get you out of situations that you put yourself in, then you wouldn’t ever think to build an actual relationship with Him. You would just use Him as your get-out-of-jail-free card over and over again and continue living life the way you wanted to. God has no problem serving you, but serving you best could be choosing not to answer your prayer. Maybe the silence is God saying to you, “Just seek my presence, and the rest will fall into place.” God being silent could be the most loving answer at that current time.
NO
Sometimes, we pray to God, and He answers us, and sometimes, it’s incredibly clear, the only problem is that He said, “No.” We shouldn’t be approaching God with what He can do for us, but instead praying prayers that end with “If it is YOUR will, then let it be done.” You see, if we are praying prayers with GOD’S best intention, then if we get a “no,” we will actually be happy because it is what God wanted! The only reason we are upset with the answer “no” is because a part, no matter how big or small, of us wanted it to be a “yes.” I believe that an openhanded prayer is how God is able to do His best work because of our heart posture being open to His will, not ours. This is a possible format:
Approach
We could approach God and enter a quiet space to dwell with the Lord.
Thank
We are called to give thanks in all things, and God has already done so much for us, so we would be negligent not to start our conversation with gratitude for what God has already DONE!
Ask
Here is where we should approach God with the heart of His will being done. We will always have something that we desire, and sometimes, it’s our fleshly desires; other times, they are God's desires for us. "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." - Psalm 37:4. See when we are in connection with the Lord we become in sync with Him, and He will give you desires because He wants you to do something.
Listen
Make sure you pray with an open heart, and if God tells you “no,” then take that as your answer and move on.
I can’t tell you how many times I have prayed for something, it either didn’t happen or felt like God told me no, and I am so grateful that my prayer was denied!
We must trust that God has good plans for those who love Him. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28. If your prayer was denied, consider thanking God even when you don’t understand why. Your prayer could then shift to something like this, “Dear God, please check my heart for why I am feeling negative towards your ‘no,’ and help me see this from Your perspective. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen!” Believe that God is working for you, not against you, and trust that "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:9. Also, know that we don’t always (if we ever do) know what Jesus is doing. "Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’" - John 13:7.
A “no” could be the best answer to your prayer. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that it is the right answer to your prayer. Have faith in that.
YES
Let’s goooo! We got a “yes” from God! How exciting is that?! If you have prayed and got a “yes” from God, go with it! But make sure you are in constant prayer and keep checking in to see that you are going down the right path. Remember, God’s word is a lamp unto our feet, so if we are not in constant prayer, we can take a wrong step or be out of alignment with His will. But, take heart, prayer can get you right back in alignment and on the path God wants you on! Remember it is a constant relationship, conversation, and check-in!
Read Your Bible
Have you ever had a friend or someone you were talking to where it seems like all they want to do is talk, and when they’re listening to you, it is for the sole reason to respond and not to understand? I want to submit to you that sometimes we may be that friend to God. We have so much we want to say to God, as if He doesn’t already know everything we’re thinking, feeling, and about to say. Trust me it is GOOD that you are talking to God, but are you SPEAKING at God, or are you entering into a CONVERSATION with God? Hopefully, you are trying to enter into a conversation with God, but a conversation means both talking AND listening.
When God doesn’t “make it easy” on us and gives us a verbal response the moment we throw up a prayer, we sometimes get frustrated. But what if God is responding to you, just not in the form of communication that you WANT to be communicated by? You see, we HAVE the Word of God, and that is the Bible! God has spoken to prophets, churches, random individuals, demons, poor, rich, blind, etc., all throughout the Bible. So, you can’t say God doesn’t relate to or understand you or your situation! If anything, there is someone in the Bible who went through a similar, if not the exact, situation you are facing right now! Our first instinct when we feel like we aren’t “hearing” from God should be to run to His Word! Because, well, if you want to hear someone speak, you need to hear their words!
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." - Hebrews 13:8
That should be so encouraging to you because that means His Word is RELEVANT and APPLICABLE to our everyday lives! For example, they knew what anxiety was 2,000 years ago! "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:7 Anxiety levels have never been higher, yet they were dealing with the same issues you may be dealing with today!
Say you struggle with addiction, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13. See, God will always provide a way, even when your addiction seems like it’s an impossible battle! You know what else seemed impossible? God speaking to Moses through a bush, God splitting the Red Sea, and Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego not burning in the fiery furnace! And, if those don’t prove God’s ability to do the impossible, what about when He raised Jesus from the dead? Look at how God has done the “impossible” back then, and believe that He is still doing the “impossible” now! Because He is!
No matter what it is that you are going through, there is something in the Bible that will either comfort you or answer your prayer/question. If you are reading this blog, then odds are you also have the FREEDOM to be able to read God’s Word and not be persecuted, jailed, or even killed! Yes, that is still happening today! I am speaking from experience that every time I go a while from opening my Bible because I had been too busy, wasn’t “in the mood” to read, or just forgot/neglected it, every single time I open up the Bible I regret having spent so much time out of it.
"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." — Ephesians 6:16-17
GOD’S WORD IS NOT JUST YOUR SHIELD IT IS ALSO YOUR SWORD!
We have to understand the power of the Word. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." - John 1:1. Do you understand what that means? If God is our protector AND our provider, then what does that mean the Word is to us now? If you need a SHIELD, say for example you need comfort from a loved one passing away, then you grab your Bible, and God will comfort you through it. But, if you are experiencing a demonic encounter, an anxiety attack, or a mountain/giant (addiction/shame/guilt/etc.), then you pick up your Bible and that is your SWORD to slay that demon. If you didn’t know — addiction, shame, guilt, etc. are all demonic spirits trying to bring you down, and keep you in a state that isn’t praising God, which is God’s will for your life! "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
God speaks to us in many different ways, shapes, and forms; we just have to be listening. When you are praying, ask God for the eyes to see and ears to hear His voice. I think most times, God won’t give us a clear “yes” or “no” because He wants us to delve into His Word. Some of the times when I have felt closest to God is when I have been alone in my room reading my Bible. God loves when we are intentional because everything Jesus did was intentional, so I believe we should intentionally be putting aside time to just withdraw from the world and spend time with our heavenly Father in His Word!
I want you to know that all of this may seem easier said than done, but trust that God knows your heart. If you earnestly seek Him, then He will reveal Himself. Don’t get discouraged, find people who will carry your cross and burdens with you. Find a community that will pray for you and on your behalf even when you’re not around! I just want you to know that you are not alone. A relationship with God, especially when you are new to accepting or haven’t even accepted yet, can be extremely confusing or challenging. I want you to know that that never gets easier, lol it’s literally the creator of the entire universe that we are trying to wrap our tiny brains around. If we could understand it all, then how big and great would God really be? But, what does get easier is trusting in God because he ALWAYS comes through!
Please know my dm’s on all platforms stay open, email me at info@thedaltontice.com (even from an anonymous email), and I’ll answer what I can or point you in a direction that can. We shouldn’t be going through things on our own, and with social media, it has never been easier to find people who can help! This can be anything from good things in your life that you want community to celebrate with, to bad news where you need community to support and be there for you.
Be sure to take a couple of minutes to fill out your Kindness Act Of The Week by scrolling to the “HEROSE IMPACTS” section on the home page! I’m looking forward to seeing how you choose to spread kindness this week!
Thank you for taking the time to read “Why Won't God Answer My Prayers?” and remember Jesus loves you! See you next week, HERO!