He Bridged the Gap Between God and Man
What's New
On our home page, a new poem called Praise to the Lamb.
Full-length Hymn Midis These are distinct from the midis included with the hymn lyrics files, which are quite short.
What Christians Believe A series of articles about the basics of our faith.
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Why Does God Not Answer My Prayers?
The Bible's Answers to Man's Questions
Key Verses: Psalms 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
Matthew 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
The answers to this question could easily fill an entire book. In this brief space, all I can do is hit the highlights. There are two very broad categories to address first of all: the prayers of nonbelievers and those of believers. The Lord will not listen to the prayers of an unsaved sinner except as these relate to repentance and salvation. This article is directed primarily to Christians, but two of the verses given hear deal just with this problem, though the principles can apply to Christians as well. If we hold onto sin in our lives, God's ears are closed to us. Christians are certainly not immune to sin, and unconfessed sin can hinder our prayers just as it does those of the unsaved. The very first step we need to take when our prayers go unanswered, then, is to examine our lives, and go to the Lord with anything we're involved in that has broken our fellowship with him.
A similar idea is to make sure our priorities are right. When our jobs, our finances, even our families take first place in our lives, the abundance of God's grace dries up in our lives. Just as sinners first need to seek God's kingdom, by finding salvation in Christ, so we Christians need to put God first in our lives, as he wants and expects to be. We don't even to pray about our basic needs; he supplies those anyway, and we just need to thank him for his provision. Even more, though, seeking God's kingdom involves that abiding, or living, in Christ that carries with it one of the great promises of scripture. If we have our life in Christ, and the truth of his Word lives in us, his promise is that all of our prayers will be answered. If that is not the case, then it may well be that we don't have that kind of relationship in Christ.
That's not a blank check, or some kind of "name it, claim it" philosophy. If we truly are seeking God's kingdom first, and abiding in Christ, we won't ask for things to meet our selfish wants. As James writes, very specifically, when we "ask amiss" in such prayers, we should not be surprised when they're not answered. That brings up another point, though; answers to prayer aren't always "yes". God, in his wisdom, knows what is best for us, when we often don't. Giving us what we ask for may ultimately doing us greater harm than good. It also may mean interfering with his will, either in our own lives, or in those of others. Even Jesus himself had a prayer to which the answer was "No", when he prayed in the Garden that the cup of his suffering might be removed from him (Matthew 26:39).
Another possible answer to prayer is "Yes, but wait". This is sometimes the most difficult one of all. Many of us have prayed for salvation of our loved ones for many years; many are ultimately saved, though of course many are not. The point, though, is that God never said "No" to our prayer for someone who was ultimately saved. Such prayers often require persistence and faith, though sometimes God gives us the assurance that the prayer will be answered right away, even if the manifestation is delayed. In such cases, we just need to thank his consistently for his promised answer.
Unforgiveness can also block answers to our prayers, because it destroys fellowship. When we hold grudges against other people, which is a type of sin, God's forgiveness of our own sins is hindered. Since we are holding on to sin, or iniquity, God will not hear us when we pray. Along with confessing our sins, we also need to take steps to turn loose of any resentments we hold against others, however justified we think they may be.
Finally, at least for purposes of this discussion, anything that is wrong in our relationships with either God or others can cause our prayers to be blocked. One interesting thing to note is that if a husband does not treat his wife with love and respect, his prayers will be hindered (1 Peter 3:7). Realizing that the answers we get will not always be those we want, or when we want, we can do things to insure that the answers do come. These are fundamental to the walk of faith: confession of our sins, repentance for disobedience, abiding in Christ, and putting God first in all things.
