The final ruse employed by the devil to deceive believers is to create a sense of uncertainty in their minds about God’s consistency in answering prayers. Satan wants us to believe that God has disregarded our pleas and has left us to handle things on our own.
The question, “If God hears my prayers and I pray fervently, why is there so little proof that He is answering?” is one that many of God’s saints struggle to answer, to be honest. Have you been asking God to answer a particular prayer for a very long time but it hasn’t happened yet? Have months or even years gone by while you’ve been waiting, speculating, and holding out hope?
It is time for Christians to investigate why our prayers are not being answered in a genuine way. It is possible for us to hold God responsible for our acts when, in fact, we are the ones who need to pay the price. I’ll only mention six of the many explanations for why our prayers are not answered.
First Reason: Our prayers are not answered when they are not in accordance with God’s will.
We are not free to randomly pray for anything our egotistical minds can conjure up. We are not permitted to come into his company and talk about our ridiculous theories and pointless babbling. If God immediately granted all of our pleas, He would ultimately lose His glory.
There is a prayer rule! The law’s objective is to weed out trivial, self-serving prayers while enabling real seekers to submit their petitions. In other words, we can ask for anything as long as it is in God’s will.
“If we ask Him in line with His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14).
The disciples were not praying in line with God’s will when they prayed for retribution and vengeance. They pleaded with God, “Should we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” Jesus responded, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of” (Luke 9:54, 55).
Job begged God to end his life as he cried out to him. What if God had approved such a request? Such a request was contrary to the will of God. The Bible warns, “Let not thy lip be hasty to utter a matter before the Lord.”
Daniel prayed in the right way. He began by examining the Scriptures to see what was on God’s mind. He has gotten clear instruction and is assured of God’s plan, so he goes to God’s throne with a tremendous assurance. “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer,” says Daniel 9:3.
We know much too much about our wishes and far too little about what He wants.
Second Reason: We might give up on our prayers if they are intended to appease our inner lust, delusions, or dreams.
“You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lust,” according to James 4:3.
God will not hear any prayer that would elevate our status or make it easier for us to succumb to temptation. First of all, God will never answer the request of someone who harbors lust in their heart. Removing the evil, the lust, and the troublesome sins from our hearts is the first step toward finding all the answers.
Psalm 66:18 states, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”
It’s simple to ascertain whether the reason behind our request is lust. Our reactions to delays and denials provide the hint. Quick answers are necessary for passionate prayers that are urgent. If it does not have its way, the lustful heart whimpers, screams, swoons, and faints. Or other it falls into a murmur and whines till it declares God to be deaf.
“Why have we fasted and thou seeest not?” they inquire. (Isaiah 58:3).
The lustful heart cannot see God’s glory in His denials and delays. But when Christ prayed to be saved, if at all possible, from death, did God not gain even more glory? I can’t even begin to imagine where we would be right now if God had answered that request.
In the interest of justice, God is entitled to withhold His response to our requests until they are devoid of all desire and self-interest.
Could there possibly be a reason why most of our prayers go unanswered? Is it that we’re still experimenting with a bothersome sin or lust? Have we forgotten that only those with pure hearts and clean hands are permitted to enter His holy hill? To fully give up a pet sin is the only way to get the blessings and open the gates of paradise.
Instead of giving in, we try to deal with despondency, emptiness, and restlessness by consulting several counselors. However, it is all in vain if lust and sin persist. Sin is the root of all of our problems. We will never achieve serenity unless we give up and refrain from all lust and concealed evil.
Reason Three: Our prayers can be ignored if we don’t make an effort to assist God in providing the solution.
We approach God as if He were a wealthy relative who would help us and fulfill all of our wishes, but we provide Him no assistance in return. We place our hands in our pockets after lifting them up in prayer to God.
We anticipate our prayers to move God to act on our behalf while we sit back and think to ourselves, “He has all the power; I have none, so I will simply stand still and let him do the work.”
It is not sound theology, even though it appears to be. At God’s door, there won’t be any idle beggars. God forbids even showing kindness to those who on earth refuse to work.
“We command you that if any would not work, he should not eat,” says 2 Thessalonians 3:10.
Scripture does not oppose the practice of combining tears with sweat. Think about the matter of seeking assistance to overcome a persistent secret desire within oneself. Do you just wait for it to go away on its own while praying to God for a miracle removal? No sin in the heart has ever been completely removed without help from people, like Joshua’s was. He spent the entire night crying at Israel’s defeat while lying prone. “Get up; why are you lying thus upon your face?” they exclaimed. He was lifted to his feet by God. Israel is a people of sin. Raise up, holy people. (John 7:10–13).
God has the right to pull us from our knees and ask, “Why do you sit around aimlessly, expecting a miracle? Did I not warn you to flee the moment you think of anything evil? You are commanded to run from your lust as much as to pray against it. Until you’ve completed all the instructions, you can’t stop.
We cannot succumb to our carnal and immoral desires all day long and then spend the night hiding in the secret closet, begging for a miracle of deliverance.
Unrepentant sin basically means that we are supporting the devil, so it is challenging for us to remain on God’s side when we pray. God’s name includes “Revealer of Secrets” (Daniel 2:47). He has to divulge the dark secrets, regardless of how saintly the person attempting to hide it may be. If someone goes to greater measures to hide their wrongdoing, God is more likely to reveal it. It’s never simple to deal with secret sin.
“Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance,” says Psalm 90:8.
Ultimately, God will protect his honor over the reputation of those who secretly commit offenses. God disclosed David’s sins to preserve His glory in the eyes of ungodly men. Each time David is described in the Scriptures, we see him standing in front of us, vulnerable, but still confessing. David was quite jealous of his own reputation and good name.
No, after stealing water from God’s sacred fountain, we cannot attempt to drink from it again. Not only will our hidden transgression be exposed, but it will also rob us of God’s best and send us reeling in a wave of doubt, anxiety, and despair.
Don’t hold God responsible for not answering your prayers if you’re not experiencing His call to obedience. You will ultimately become angry with God and accuse Him of being irresponsible, even though you were all along the wrong person.
Reason Four: Our prayers may not be answered if we harbor a secret animosity toward someone else.
An attitude that is resentful and unforgiving will not prevail over Christ. We are to “lay aside every malice, envy, and ill speech, and crave the true milk of the Word, as newborn infants do,” according to 1 Peter 2:1–2.
Someone who is jangling, clinging, and unforgiving will not even hear from Christ. God’s law of prayer on this topic is to raise up pure hands without anger or dispute (1 Timothy 2:8). If we do not forgive the sins committed against us, God will not be able to bless and pardon us. He gave us instructions to pray, “Forgive us, as we forgive others.”
Is there someone that you harbor animosity toward? Think of it as simply something you have a right to. For God, such things are extremely important. All the fights and squabbles among Christian brothers and sisters must break His heart more than all the sins of the godless. It is understandable that we are becoming so consumed with our own hurt feelings and concerns about being mistreated by others that our prayers are being impeded.
There is also a growing malignant mistrust in religious groups. May there be an end to all jealousies, rudeness, bitterness, and retaliatory spirits in the name of God. We shouldn’t worry about if God shuts the doors of paradise on us until we learn to love and forgive. Yes, even those who have caused us the greatest harm. If you take this Jonah out of your ship, the storm will pass.
Reason Five: We run the risk of having our prayers denied if we don’t have high expectations for them.
A person who prays with little power or authority will not be able to pray with considerable authority. When we begin to question the effectiveness of prayer, we lose it. The adversary tries to deprive us of hope by giving the impression that prayer is ineffective.
How crafty of Satan to try to mislead us by disseminating false information and concerns. Isaac was sickened to despair upon learning that Joseph had been slain, despite the fact that it was a falsehood. Joseph’s father was weeping because he had been duped, even if Joseph was living and prospering. Therefore, Satan is deceiving us in this day and age by telling lies.
A believer loses joy and confidence in God if they reject their beliefs. God hears only prayers that are sincere. Every prayer is not heard by him. Prayer is our sole line of protection against the enemy’s blazing darkness. We won’t have any other defense against Satan’s falsehoods if we don’t carry that weapon with extreme confidence. God’s reputation is in danger.
It is clear from our impatience that we shouldn’t expect much from prayer. We are ready to keep making mistakes after sneaking out of the prayer closet, and we wouldn’t be shocked if God answered.
We believe God has not heard us since we are not receiving any response. But you can be sure that the longer you wait to offer a prayer, the more flawless it will become in the end. Moreover, the more profound the quiet, the louder the response.
Abraham’s wish for a child was granted by God. And yet, how many years had gone by before he had the baby in his arms? All honest prayers are answered immediately, but God is free to reply on His own terms and in His own way. While we wait for the fulfillment of the naked promises, God expects us to celebrate the bare promises and feast on hope. Additionally, He covers His rejections with a beautiful blanket of love to prevent us from quitting up.
Reason Six: We find ourselves praying in vain when we try to direct God’s response to our requests.
The only person we establish boundaries with is our own lack of trust. We give people we trust the latitude to behave morally. It all boils down to having a mistrustful attitude.
The believer submits to God’s faithfulness, goodness, and wisdom after pouring out his heart to the Lord in prayer. A true believer will not interfere with the process of formulating their answer to God’s grace. Any form that God chooses to respond in, the believer will receive it.
David pledged to honor God’s agreement after fervently praying for his family, stating, “Though my house be not so with God, yet He hath made with me a covenant” (2 Samuel 23:5).
In a sense, God is constrained by those who dictate to him when and how to react. They are Israel’s Holy One. God won’t deliver the solution through the front door, so they won’t know He’s around the back. Conclusions are trusted, not promises. But God’s response will not be limited by time, place, or resources. He consistently goes above and above whatever we could ask for or think of asking for. He will answer with a grace that surpasses both health and well-being. He’s going to send love, or better still, something. He’ll either meet your expectations or beyond them.
To sum up
God’s Saints, we alone will fail if we don’t start watching and praying again. Away from the prayer closet, we become distant, alluring, and playful. Whoever has been lazy their entire life and now mistakenly harbors concealed hatred toward God for not answering their prayers is in for a gloomy shock. We haven’t been zealous and productive. We haven’t cut off communication with Him. We are still burdened by our annoying transgressions. Primarily, we have begged to consume it out of self-centered want. When we doubt, question, believe, and have a materialistic mindset, we then wonder why our prayers go unanswered.
When Christ comes back, unless we go into the closet and spend time alone with Him and His Word, He will not find faith on earth.
