Why Aren’t My Prayers Getting Answered?
There are some vital necessities when it comes to the Christian life. All of them are very important;
Fellowship (from the Greek word koinonia) which means so much more Biblically than what it has been reduced to in Western culture (going to tackle this soon in my podcast, Randy In Real Life). True Biblical fellowship is one of the most powerful things you can experience on this side of eternity.
Bible Reading, which should lead to life transformation, not merely head knowledge.
We could list so much more (water baptism, communion, ekklesia) but I want to get right to the subject matter. I believe that prayer is perhaps THE most important thing you could possibly develop in your entire life. If you listen to Christians talk sometimes, you’d think we were experts on the subject, but sadly that is not the case.
Why do I rank prayer so high? Well, that’s an easy answer. Because Jesus did. Never do we read of the disciples asking the Lord to teach them how to raise the dead, heal the sick, cast out demons, or even the best way to bash, shred, and embarrass the Pharisees. You know what they did ask Him though? “Lord, teach us to pray.” Wouldn’t you just love to have had an opportunity to eavesdrop on the mountaintops late at night or early in the morning as Jesus was calling on His Father? Could you even imagine the shockwaves trembling throughout your body if you could have heard Him agonizing, pleading, and groaning in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His passion?
How about the Apostles? Read the Book of Acts slowly and catch a glimpse of the dependance the Early Church placed on prayer…and how buildings shook because of them.
I know pastors and ministry leaders who live in a perpetual state of guilt and condemnation, always moving full speed ahead and all the while knowing that they are neglecting the most important and sacred place of all - their prayer closet. My heart breaks for them as they run themselves ragged, taking on roles and responsibilities that the Lord never gave to them. I have been there so many times in my own life.
I cannot tell you how many people have reached out to me throughout the years, asking for help in the area of prayer.
It seems…
Everybody wants to pray, some exaggerate about praying, and a few actually roll up their sleeves and do it.
I want to help you DO IT.
It is my personal opinion that one of the primary reasons Christians do not pray is because they do not know how to get their prayers answered. Before long discouragement and disappointment sets in, and then all too quickly they throw in the towel.
But what if there are some simple reasons your prayers are not being answered? What if you could begin seeing results like never before? What if God really does want to speak to you, show you some things, desires to move on your behalf, and you are even closer than you realize, but just need to make a few changes?
Here are FIVE reasons your prayers may not be getting answered, and what you can do about them right now.
*A special BONUS reason is included at the end for the married men!
You don’t pray. I know…I’ve basically implied this with what I have already written, but let me be a little more clear and direct. Thinking about praying is not praying. Reading books about prayer is not prayer. Telling other people how you really want to begin praying more is not even taking the first step. You know how to take the first step? Stop talking to people about praying…and go pray. The Bible is pretty clear about why people don’t get prayers answered, “You have not because you ask not.” (Book of James). Go ahead and start praying, and go ahead and start asking!
You pray for the wrong things. God is never going to violate His Word. Never. So asking for things that He has clearly and expressly forbidden is an absolute waste of time. Again James tells us, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly…” Do I really need to elaborate more on this one?
You have unconfessed sin in your life. This is perhaps one of the top reasons for unanswered prayer. The Bible does not get any clearer here. Psalm 66:18 (NLT) tells us, “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Another powerful passage that also speaks to this is found in Isaiah 59:1-2 “Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” (emphasis mine) You can confess the Word of God over your life all day, but if you have known sin in your life and refuse to repent of it and to confess it to the Lord, then don’t expect to see that word working in your life too much. But be encouraged, the Bible also gives us this promise in I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Now, if you want to take the next few years of your life and be sad, dejected, depressed, and ashamed about some poor choices you’ve made, then go on ahead and waste your life. However, I would prefer you simply stand on these promises in the Word of God, confess your sins, and gain a newfound confidence in the presence of God.
Unforgiveness. There is only one thing you can do when you have been wronged, and that is choose to forgive. Holding on to wrongs, regardless of how severe they are, is like drinking poison and then waiting for the other person to die. Unforgiveness is a horrible prison to keep yourself locked in and impossible to break out of. You must have the key, and the name of that key is called forgiveness. Listen to these words from Jesus; “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” If you are struggling with forgiving someone, take a minute and think about what your sins did to Jesus. Then think of how He forgave you. Meditate on that for a little while, and then it will probably be very easy to go ahead and forgive those who have hurt you.
Lack of Trust. And…back to James; “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (1:5-8) I wonder how many prayers have been aborted right after the praying is done. We speak bold things in the secret place, but then go right out and speak words of doubt, fear, and unbelief, completely eradicating everything we just cried out for in prayer. The greatest confidence booster to our prayer life is God Himself. He is Almighty, El-Shaddai, Jehovah, Alpha & Omega, Beginning and End, The Bright and Morning Star, The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the I AM That I AM. He makes seas split, walls fall, shuts the mouths of lions, causes the sun to stand still, and the rain to pour. And He loves it when we trust Him.
Bonus For The Married Men: How Your Treat Your Wife. I’ll make this one short and sweet, and allow the Scripture to do most of the talking; I 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.” Oh my goodness. Let me sum up this point by saying that if you are harsh, rude, and a jerk to your wife, don’t expect your prayers to make it very far above your ceiling. God takes it very seriously how you treat His daughter, and so maybe before you try and go sit at His feet, you may just need to go sit at hers first and ask for forgiveness.
I hope this short article encouraged you! If you would like to chat with me about the subject of prayer (or anything really), please feel free to send me an email at randy@randygoudeau.com and know that I would love to connect with you.
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