Unanswered Prayer?

 

This week I have been studying and writing about hearing God. Listening to hear what He has to say to us is necessary but His voice can be very clear or it can be a little difficult to discern. Sometimes we pray and we see or hear an almost immediate answer. Other times we pray and it seems like God just wants us to wait. But it also seems that from time to time every Christian experiences the very frustrating time when God seems to be silent — our prayers seem to go unanswered.

I remember a time shortly after I had become a Christian when I went to hear Elizabeth Elliott speak. At the end of her talk she took questions from the audience. She got a question from a lady saying that she needed a response for her single daughter in her early thirties who thought that God had deliberately not answered her prayers for a husband. The daughter’s only proof of that was that she didn’t have one (pretty convincing argument). The woman was looking for a way to encourage her daughter that God would not keep such a good thing from her. Elizabeth Elliott quietly pointed out that the daughter was quite right, God had not given her a husband yet. He, for reasons of His own, was allowing her to stay single. The only thing we know for sure is that God always works things together for the good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). All this family could hear was silence.

We all love 1 John 5:14. It says, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” We believe that everything we ask is in God’s will but God has the perfect view. Do we expect Him to respond to our prayers like a genie in a bottle or are we praying with respect for God’s will and leading in our lives?

1 John 3:22 says, “and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” I’m not sure that we ever really examine our behavior or ask God, “Am I obeying Your commands and pleasing You?” but that needs to be a regular part of our prayer life. We just confidently pray as though all is well between God and us, as though no possibility of sin exists.

We tend to be a proud lot. It doesn’t matter to us that it says in Proverbs 28:9, “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” So, if we don’t honor God’s Word He won’t honor our prayers!

It’s probably wise to take a personal spiritual inventory from time to time. Are we obeying God’s commands? Do we do what pleases Him? That could run from putting Him first in all we do to giving to the poor, giving to our churches, and keeping fellowship with other believers. If we don’t know the Word of God we can’t please God.

There are a couple of more specific things that God says hinder our prayers. James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” What are the motives behind your prayers and my prayers? Do we pray for the good of others or our own personal gain?

God expects godly behavior from His children. He has ordained marriage and wants it respected by everyone. Did you know that a man who shows disrespect for his wife hinders his own prayers? Look at 1 Peter 3:7. “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”

Are you wondering why God is not answering a prayer? Let’s take a serious look at our behavior and our attitudes. God has given us His Word. He has told us that He has prepared good works for us to do. He’s clearly taught us that His answers to our prayers are directly related to our relationship with Him. Does He have a good reason not to answer our prayer? If we can honestly say that to the best of our ability we are obeying His commands, living a righteous life before Him, and confessing when we fall short of His glory, then He WILL answer our prayers. He may be saying wait, He may show us a sin we hadn’t realized was there, but He will answer the prayers of His faithful children.

If you are listening but all you hear is silence, will you check with Him to make sure that you’re in a personal relationship with Him, then, confess whatever sin He reveals to you, forgive another if it’s needed and then ask again.

He who has ears, let him hear.