{"id":370,"date":"2021-03-09T21:21:51","date_gmt":"2021-03-09T21:21:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/?p=370"},"modified":"2021-03-09T21:31:21","modified_gmt":"2021-03-09T21:31:21","slug":"10-reasons-for-unanswered-prayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/?p=370","title":{"rendered":"10 Reasons for Unanswered Prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We all face dry spells when prayer feels like a waste of time. Every Christian experiences times when God seems a million miles away. Then we must walk by faith and not by our feelings. When we can\u2019t trace God\u2019s hand, we must trust His heart. Excluding Psalms, the Bible records over 650 prayers, of which at least 450 have recorded answers. So, we should expect God to answer our prayers. However, we should also identify and remove any hindrances. Consider ten common reasons for unanswered prayer: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Unconfessed Sin: <\/strong>Sin separates us from God and is a big barrier to prayer (Is. 59:1-2). David wrote, \u201cIf I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me\u201d<\/em> (Ps. 66:18, KJV). God can\u2019t look upon iniquity with favor or approval (Hab. 1:13a). Instead of running from God, we should run toward Him. Confess sin swiftly, repent of it, and ask God to remove it, and He will restore you (1 Jn. 1:9). Either prayer will keep us from sinning or sin will keep us from praying.

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  2. Asking Amiss: <\/strong>\u201cYou ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss<\/strong>\u201d<\/em> (Jam. 4:3, NKJV). The Living Bible reads, \u201cEven when you do ask you don\u2019t get it because your whole aim is wrong.\u201d<\/em> Prayer is like archery and the target is God\u2019s will. Jimmy Carter said, \u201cGod answers every prayer. Sometimes God says \u2018yes,\u2019 sometimes God says \u2018no,\u2019 and sometimes He says, \u2018you\u2019ve got to be kidding me.\u2019\u201d Some prayers are so far outside of God\u2019s will they are absurd. \u201cNow this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will<\/strong>, He hears us\u201d<\/em> (1 Jn. 5:14). As the song says, \u201cSome of life\u2019s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.\u201d How many times have we prayed for things that we later thanked God for not granting? God gives us what we need instead of what we think we want.

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  3. Lack of Faith: <\/strong>A man brought his suicidal son to the disciples for help. They tried to cast demons out in vain. Finally, Jesus set him free. The disciples asked why they couldn\u2019t deliver him. Jesus answered, \u201cBecause of your unbelief<\/strong>; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, \u2018Move from here to there,\u2019 and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you\u201d<\/em> (Mt. 17:20). Someone said, \u201cFaith sees the invisible, believes the incredible, and receives the impossible. \u201dFaith is an essential ingredient in prayer. Bold faith pleases God and is a catalyst for miracles. Unbelief limits God and short-circuits our prayers. An engine can have maximum power but, without a sparkplug, it\u2019s useless. Faith is the sparkplug that releases the supernatural power of prayer.

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  4. Lack of Persistence:<\/strong> Jesus told the Parable of the Unjust Judge so \u201cmen ought always to pray, and not to lose heart\u201d<\/em> (Lk. 18:1). The desperate widow repeatedly appealed to a corrupt judge for justice. Reluctantly, he ruled in her favor just to get rid of her. Then Jesus added, \u201cShall God not avenge His own elect <\/em>who cry out day and night to Him<\/em><\/strong>?\u201d<\/em> (Lu. 18:7) If persistence pays when dealing with a crooked judge who has no interest in your case, how much more so when dealing with the just Judge of all the earth who has a supreme interest in your case? We should adopt Jacob\u2019s tenacity who said as he wrestled with the angel, \u201cI will not let You go unless You bless me!\u201d<\/em> (Gen. 32:26) Persistence pays and will eventually be rewarded (Heb. 11:6).

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  5. Wrong Motives:<\/strong> \u201cYou ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures<\/strong>\u201d<\/em> (Jam. 4:3). We should petition God for personal needs (Mt. 6:11) but we can easily stray into pure selfishness. The Lord\u2019s Prayer guards against it by using the pronouns \u201cour,\u201d \u201cus,\u201d and \u201cwe\u201d (Mt. 6:9-13). When we focus on other\u2019s needs, God will move for us too. Spiritual blessings are like boomerangs\u2014if we send them out, they will return to us (Pr. 11:25, Ec. 11:1). Remember, \u201cThe Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends<\/strong>\u201d<\/em> (Jb. 42:10). Motives matter to God. Doing good works for the wrong motive cancels their value (Mt. 6:1-18). Jesus chided the Pharisees who prayed, fasted, and gave alms publicly as a religious show to impress people (Mt. 6:5; 23:14). If we do them privately to please God, He will reward us openly.

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  6. Wrong Methods:<\/strong> Jesus told another parable to illustrate the right and wrong way to pray (Luke 18:9-14). A proud Pharisee bragged to God about how he was better than sinners. One author noted, \u201cHe asked for nothing, confessed nothing, and received nothing.\u201d In contrast, a publican uttered a simple, sincere prayer as he stood \u201cafar off\u201d feeling unworthy. Publicans weren\u2019t allowed in the Temple and were treated as vile sinners. In humility, he wouldn\u2019t even \u201craise his eyes to heaven.\u201d Beating his chest in repentance, he cried, \u201cGod, be merciful to me a sinner!\u201d<\/em> Jesus said he went home \u201cjustified\u201d (acquitted of guilt and reckoned righteous by God). Like Cain\u2019s and Abel\u2019s offerings, one prayer was accepted, the other was rejected. It all hinged on their method and motive.

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  7. Wrong Timing:<\/strong> My mom had a saying, \u201cGod passes up a lot of opportunities to be early.\u201d He\u2019s never late either, He\u2019s always right on time! When Jesus heard Lazarus was sick, He deliberately delayed until he died so He could perform a bigger miracle (Jn. 11:6). Mary and Martha couldn\u2019t understand why Jesus didn\u2019t come sooner (Jn. 11:21, 32). Have you felt like God was delaying an answer to your prayers? Remember, a delay does not mean a denial! Paul, you recall, prayed three times for God to remove a thorn in his flesh. God didn\u2019t respond immediately, but He gave Paul grace to endure it (2 Cor. 12:7-10). If God delays answering your prayers, there\u2019s a reason. Trust Him and His timing.

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  8. Satanic Hindrances:<\/strong> Daniel experienced a three-week blockade to his prayers. Gabriel explained, \u201cFrom the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard . . . but the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me\u201d<\/em> (Dan. 10:12-13). The prince of Persia was a demonic being who controlled that evil empire. Michael, the archangel, has fought Satan through the ages (Ju. 9, Rev. 12:7). Delays to prayer answers can be caused by satanic hindrances. If so, they can be removed by spiritual warfare (Mt. 18:18-19, 2 Cor. 10:4-5, Eph. 6:11-13, Rev. 12:7-11).

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  9. Unforgiveness:<\/strong> Unforgiveness is poison to our soul. Grudges usually hurt the person holding them more than the ones they are held against. Jesus instructed, \u201cIf you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother<\/strong>, and then come and offer your gift\u201d<\/em> (Mt. 5:23-24). Unforgiveness blocks the flow of God\u2019s blessing in our lives and hinders our prayers (Mt. 6:12, 14-15).

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  10. Mistreating People:<\/strong> If we mistreat others, it will adversely affect our walk with God. To love God is to love people (1 Jn. 4:20-21). How we treat people is indirectly how we treat Christ (Mt. 25:40). Peter wrote, \u201cHusbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, <\/em>that your prayers may not be hindered<\/em><\/strong>\u201d<\/em> (1 Pt. 3:7). Here we see a direct link between honoring our spouse and our prayers being unhindered. If we truly love God, we won\u2019t abuse people who are made in His image. If people have mistreated you, don\u2019t retaliate, \u201cOvercome evil with good\u201d<\/em> (Rom. 12:21). Keep your prayer channels open by treating people with love and respect.
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    If your prayers have hit the ceiling lately, take inventory. God promised to answer our prayers, but we must approach Him on His terms. \u201cThe effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much\u201d<\/em> (Jam. 5:16). In the words of William Carrey, let\u2019s \u201cExpect great things from God and attempt great things for God!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    We all face dry spells when prayer feels like a waste of time. Every Christian experiences times when God seems a million miles away. Then we must walk by faith and not by our feelings. When we can\u2019t trace God\u2019s hand, we must trust His heart. Excluding Psalms, the Bible records over 650 prayers, of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":372,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=370"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":375,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370\/revisions\/375"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodspringsfgc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}