Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayers?

by

Pastor B.J. Knefley

Is that a question you’ve asked? Most of us have at one time or another. How would you answer that? What are your thoughts about unanswered prayers? Or, are all prayers answered? Many might debate that answer but I do believe that God answers all prayers. Why? Simply because I’ve learned that silence is as much of an answer as spoken words.

In James 3:1-3 we read, “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” These verses have much to say but perhaps the most important part is related to our motives and desires. James rightly points out that there are several things that get in the way of what we want. They are: “evil desires,” “wanting what we don’t have,” “jealousy,” “Not asking God,” and “Motives,” All of these play a part in prayers that seem to go unanswered. Perhaps the one thing we fail to do is to look at what we’re asking for and judge it by the passage in James. There is also one other measurement tool that we could utilize as well, it’s simply what we call the Lord’s Prayer.

How does what I’m praying for relate to His Kingdom? After all I am praying that His Kingdom would rule over my life and circumstances on earth just as it would if I were in heaven. What has it to do with my daily needs? Remember, the prayer is about needs, not wants. Is my prayer hindered by things like unforgiveness or general attitude like wanting things my way and only my way? Is what I’m asking in prayer, if answered, going to lead me into a place of temptation for other things? Even things that might not be good for me? How would you answer that? Think about it.