God hears prayer. He takes delight in hearing his children calling upon His name for help. God is indeed our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). Prayer is the sweet communion of believers with God. It involves praising, thanking, petitioning, requesting, interceding and listening to His voice. Prayer is avast topic and can be looked into from different angles. Here in this article, the writer particularly focuses on why our prayers sometimes stand unanswered. And in doing so, Biblical answers have to be pointed out for a valid, authentic response.
1. You do not Ask God
In John 14:14, Jesus explicitly said, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Now that’s an amazing statement! Was Jesus merely stating a religious discourse to his disciples? No. Was it a promise that God will hear anything if we ask him? The verse seems to imply ‘yes’ to that. But you may ask, then why are my prayers not answered? A huge question mark, isn’t it? James 4:2b answers it clearly, “You do not have because you do not ask God.” Now, that’s a text out of context but the implication remains similar. Many of the times people’s prayers are not answered simply because we do not ask God in Jesus’ name. In fact, asking God is the last option for many believers. God is placed in the lowest category of our help-meet. We focus too much on our problems that God is no more in view.
When Naaman, the commander of Aram’s army approached the king of Israel for the cure of his malady, the King of Israel was dumbfounded. He began to tear his robe and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” (2 Kings 5:7) In this speech, the king of Israel took offence at the king of Aram for his incredulous request. He failed to believe that there was a prophet in Israel who can mediate before God. He took the problem upon his own self and in the process developed fear and annoyance at this grim situation. Many times our prayers are not answered because we fail to ask God for solution. Remember the promise of Jesus in Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who ask receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Today, if you are preoccupied with the idea that God does not answer prayer; Ask, Seek and Knock on the door of God’s promises. He will surely come through to you.
2. You ask with wrong intention
Turning to James 4:3, Scripture says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” This is another killer to your prayers. When we pray, it’s a good thing to examine why we’re praying for it.The intention of the heart plays a major role in answers to prayers.Sometimes the intent from human’s perspective may be right but wrong in God’s sight. If the result of our prayers will boost our ego, selfishness, pride, materialism and worldliness, then the prayers will never be heard!
The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9ff is a prayer of unselfishness. It is not a prayer of “Bless MY family, Bless ME and I alone.” No, it contains words as “our..us… and we..” In Isaiah 1:15-17, God says that the many prayers being offered were rejected because the people of God did not have any concern outside of their own household. They failed to seek justice for the oppressed, defend the fatherless and plead for widows. Thereby, their prayers were stalled. Jesus’ prayer was a prototype of selfless prayer. He did not pray for angels to be sent to His protection (Matthew 26:53); but prayed for Simon Peter’s protection from Satan (Luke 22:31, 32). He did not perform a miracle for His hunger (Matthew 4:2-4); but multiplied bread and fish for others (Matthew 14:15-21).
John 15:7 gives an amazing promise that says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” The word “If” is a conditional clause with the promise that we remain in Jesus and in His word, then our wish will be granted to us. In simple sense, when we pray, we’re not praying with our own selfish ideas and understanding but we pray the Words back to the Father. “Put me in remembrance,”declares God. “Let us argue together; set forth your case, that you may be proved right,” (Isaiah 43:26). Unscriptural prayers can never and will never be answered. Therefore, knowing and obeying the Scriptures is a prerequisite to prayers being answered!
3. You ask with sin-filled lives
Sin repels God from answering our prayers. Repenting and renouncing sins will clear the path of our prayers to God. Isaiah 59:3f mentions some specific sins that blocks God’s face from our prayers. Isaiah describes the various members of the body-the hands, the fingers, the lips, the tongue, the feet as the agents by which people commit iniquity. Focusing verse 3, it says, “for your hands are stained with blood,” the blood here speaks of murder, bloodshed, cruelties or ways of injustice, extortion, oppression, whereby men are deprived of a livelihood. Now, in connection with 1 John 3:15, hating our brothers is called a murder. The love missing for our fellow neighbours is the reason for our unanswered prayers. The next phrase adds, “your fingers with guilt,” this is mentioned as if to point out that the least part of you is not free from injustice and sin.
The fingers in the Scriptures are represented as the agents by which any purpose is executed (Isa. 2:8). The fingers are the instruments by which theft-especially the lighter and more delicate kinds of theft-is executed. Thus the word ‘light-fingered’ is to denote anyone who is addicted to petty thefts. In short, if we have wrong our fellow neighbours in deeds, then our prayers will remain unanswered. The following phrase,“Your lips have spoken lies” speaks ofthe nation as false, and no confidence can be reposed in the declarations which are made. It means that the nation did not keep their promises. The individual who fails to keep or execute their words can never be trusted. “And your tongue mutter wicked things,” the word “mutter” gives the idea that they do not only speak evil but they did it with complaining, discontented, or malicious spirit. It may mean that they calumniated the government of God, and complained of his laws.Remember the Israelites in the wilderness, they complained and murmured against God and his servant Moses for the food and environment, God got infuriated and killed scores of them. Prayers can never be answered if we are constantly in the habit of whining, complaining, judging and muttering about the uneven situations around us. Philippians 4:6 says to us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, WITH THANKSGIVING, present your request to God.
4. You ask with unforgiving heart
Jesus ended the model of prayer in Matthew 6:14, 15 with this caution, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” This verses points to the fact that God’s forgiveness can only be expected in that we forgive our fellow men. Unforgiveness is a barrier to prayer. Therefore, Jesus declared, “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). This is a sobering verse to be kept in mind whenever we come to God. If the relation with our neighbour is not right, then the prayers are nulled every time. The Didache, the earliest Christian book on public worship, dating back to about 100 AD, states: “Let no one who has a quarrel with his neighbour come to us, until they are reconciled.” Therefore, confession of sin not just to God but to one another is also commanded in James 5:16a and only then prayer become effective, (v 16b) Amen.
5. You ask to be seen by men
Jesus explicitly stated that prayers should be offered to God secretly not publicly (Matthew 6:5, 6). Now, don’t misunderstand me that we should not pray in the open. Jesus prayed publicly for the lame, sick, paralysed and demon-possessed. He prayed and thank God in public for the 5 loaves and 2 fish (Mark 6:41). The point here is in the attitude of one’s heart. What is the reason for your prayers? Is it for the sole reason of praise from men that you’re praying? Are you praying to gain awe from people around you? If prayers are done to be recognised by men, then according to Jesus, the reward is already received in full. E.M. Bounds said this: “The secret of prayer is praying in secret.” Not only that, fanciful and sundry words do not impress God. It only rebuffs him in turning away from your prayers. Therefore, prayer should be honest, sincere, secretive and simple.
Blowing one’s own horn in prayer is an insult to God. Also comparing our own righteousness with others in prayers should be avoided (Luke 18:10). That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
Finally, it should be clear that God is not judgemental in listening to our prayers. He is affectionate, gracious and merciful in hearing our most pitiable plea to Him. He is a loving Father who readily answers the cry of His children (Luke 11:13). And He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen (Ephesians 3:20, 21).
