8 Reasons Why God Doesn’t Answer Our Prayers
Sometimes we do not receive answers to our prayers, despite our perseverance and patience. Has God forgotten us? What have we done wrong that He decides to ignore us?
Contrary to what many people think, the silence of God is not necessarily something negative and the absence of response on his part can be explained in several ways. Here are 8 reasons why God does not answer our prayers.
8 Reasons Why God Doesn’t Answer Our Prayers
1. You lack faith
“Therefore I say to you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and you will see it come to pass” Mark 11:24
When we pray, we must have unwavering faith! To pray is to place one’s trust in God and to be assured that He will not fail. Our prayers should be filled with conviction and assurance that God will answer us according to His will.
2. You are in sin
“We know that God does not hear sinners; but, if someone honors him and does his will, it is he whom he hears. » John 9:31
You would never dare ask a favor from someone with whom you are at odds: with God, it’s the same thing. Make sure you have a good relationship and intimacy with the Lord, that you don’t have any sins to confess on your heart or that you are in conflict with someone, for example. If in your daily life you are not walking according to the Word, God will not answer your prayers. Therefore, it is important to begin your prayers with sincere repentance.
3. You don’t pray the right way
“You ask, and you do not receive because you ask badly, in order to satisfy your passions. » James 4:3
Your prayers should not be selfish and centered on your own needs. God is not a genie of the lamp or a game machine which, once activated, fulfills all our wishes. His will always take precedence over ours. Therefore when you pray, remember to always submit your desires to His.
4. He answered you but you did not pay attention or do not want this answer
“God speaks, however, sometimes in one way, sometimes in another, and no one pays attention to it” Job 33.14
God can answer our prayers in different ways, and it is up to us to learn to recognize his language. Let us sharpen our discernment to be able to recognize His voice, just as we recognize that of our parents. Moreover, when God answers us, and His answer does not suit us, let’s not play the ostrich pretending to have seen and heard nothing. His answer has been given: it is up to us to accept it and submit to His perfect will.
5. What you desire is not His will
“Be transformed by renewing the mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good, pleasing, and perfect. » Romans 12:2
The Will of God must always come before our own will. If the Lord does not grant you something, it is probably because He knows that you would not use it well, or that it does not suit Him. God is a good Father and He only gives His children the things that will bring them closer to Him! And sometimes, we ask for things that will only lead us away from His way…
6. It is not yet God’s time
“He does everything good in its time” Ecclesiastes 3:11
With God, you have to know how to be patient. His time is not ours. Sometimes we are in too much of a rush to receive things that can become poisonous if we don’t have the maturity to use them. Let us learn to respect the Lord’s timing and to trust Him. He is the master of times and circumstances.
7. You must persevere
“Persevere in prayer, watch over it with thanksgiving” Colossians 4:2
It is by persevering in your prayers that God will respond favorably. The Lord will always look at your desire, your motivation, and the ardor with which you desire the thing you ask of Him. If He hasn’t answered you yet, it may be because He expects more from you.
Keep praying. Perseverance always pays off! But beware, if God doesn’t agree with what you want, no matter how much you persevere, nothing will happen. In this situation, you will have to return to point n°5.
8. Because he has something better for you
“For I know the plans that I have formed for you, says the Lord, plans of peace and not of evil, in order to give you a future and hope” Jeremiah 29:11
In this passage, God speaks to the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah. Although it is not directly addressed to us, this verse allows us to grasp the way in which God acts towards those whom he loves. As a good Father, God wants our happiness, even if this happiness does not necessarily correspond to the definition we have.
Divine plans will always be far greater and more wonderful than our plans, no matter how ambitious! If God isn’t answering your prayers, it may be because He has something even better in store for you! Isn’t it wonderful?
