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Unanswered Prayers: The Most Common Reasons Why

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Sometimes one gets weary while praying for an answer. I have been praying for some things for years and yet have not seen the results. I am not going to quit.
God has not told me He will not answer my prayers and just because God is silent that does not mean NO! If I don't get weary in well doing, ie., doing the Word, I will reap.
There is a season between sowing time and harvest time. I do believe that we need to get into the Word and stand on the Word. I am going to read more of God's promises and I plan to do this several times a day along with my prayer time. Not just once in awhile but each day several times. I believe if we saturate our days with God's Word and prayer, we get into a position to receive from him.
 
Member
We are all at different stages in the growing process! Just as We deal will our kids in there growing process , He too deals with us differently! as we grow ? He expects more from us ?

also we might need to fast once in a while , So we hear him much better!
I found three days water only praying reading the bible gets us though our three day fast! At the end of the three days we should be ab;le to hear him much better !


Isa 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

Isa 58:8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
Isa 58:9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.
 
Member
Sorry if I'm very late to comment on this, but every one of my prayers have been answered so far ( beginning from when I was saved ) and I'm guessing that maybe [HIGH-LIGHT]all[/HIGH-LIGHT] of our prayers are answered it's just that we don't notice. Pay more attention to you're surroundings and what's going on.

Don't expect you're prayers to be answered right away. Mine get answered usually around the 1st day to half a month after prayer.
 
Member
I am having problems with not knowing how much time to spend with the Lord during the day. I have these small short prayers at night and that is about it. I thank him durning the day along with the nightly prayer but I feel like I am missing someting here. I should feel a little bit differeint if I am having fellowship with the Lord i would believe.

I am having somewhat the same dilemma, not knowing how much time to give to the Lord. And feeling guilty if I, for whatever reason, gave less time to Him one day..
 
Member
I need help in my walk with Jesus, I have been failing miserably, this kinda woke me up, for lack of a better term. I need fellowship, i need to be able to talk to other Christian people, I dont get out much, i am not really "social"

I need all those things too, so you're not alone in that! I know it is sometimes hard to wait patiently on the Lord. I'm trying, and I know ultimately He has good things in mind for me, but still my faith waivers. I wish there were some really strong Christians that could pray for me. Maybe that would help.
 
Member
unanswered prayer

To Hadirfuss,

That was a good study on why God says no to our prayers.

I would comment that all prayers are answered one of the following;

yes,no,or not yet.

This will make a good Sunday school lesson.
 
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Blessing all! I hope this will help so many,as I myself sure understand what you are all talking about!! Here is how Holy Spirit spoke on this to me. When your son or daughter has a question for you,do you answer them right away??Or do you make them wait thinking on how you wish to answer?

Since our Father already knows what we are going to pray,he always has the answer even before we ask for it. It is not the problem of our Lord in answering,it is our problem in the hearing of that answer. I fought this for many years!! How can it be my fault?? I am doing the very best I know how!! Except for one thing I forgot to do!!

Thank him for the answer he gave!! Yes! Even in prayer,in asking or as I say requesting,we must use our faith. Here we find out if our measure that we already have is enough?? Or!! Do we need a further measure of this?I have found many times yes.

David was willing to wait all day at times to find out.( Psalm 25:5) teaching us can take some time.The question is how bad do we wish to have it? We are not looking for a good feeling in our prayers.What we are looking for is the assurance to our prayer. This assurance we should wait on until we have it when we pray. A wise preacher once told me,if you have prayed for the same thing 4 times,then you have prayed 3 times in unbelief. What? The Lord is hard of hearing??

No, he is not my brothers and sisters. He heard you the very first time you prayed! example.When my brother was out of work for 20 months, and I knew the bills were become due,I told the Lord, that unless you work a miracle here,my family and I will be out on the streets! I am counting on you my God! It took me 14 hours in prayer,to receive the assurance I needed from the Lord! After I received this,I just thanked the Lord for what he had already done. 2 days later that faith became a fact in the natural. But in Faith it already is the natural!That is what assurance truly is!

As you all know,God searches our hearts,and he tests the mind!( Jeremiah 17:10) Do we?? If we do,then we can receive the greater measure we need. We know what we believe by what we speak, and do. So does our Jesus! I am talking down to NO ONE!!

We all are on a different level of our faith,but the point I only wish to make,is that to have something we must begin to strive as best we can in this. There are 3 realms in prayer.( Matt 7:7) ask,seek,knock Asking is never our problem,seeking can be!! In this realm the devil is also with us,saying things like,hey!! you might have an email,or your phone my ring shortly,or the kids or husband is coming home soon, you better get ready for dinner or whatever!

Our mind puts pressure on our flesh,and usually our flesh yields to it. OOPS! BUT!! If we do not yield!! we get to the knocking realm!! The devil is not here in this realm!! But few ever get to this,because few wish to wait long enough to get to this area. I sure know I have failed many times in this my own self!! Ah!! but that is what being taught is all about!! IF!!! we learn!

And we only can learn,as long as we are willing to follow our teacher!Jesus! A help to me, is to question the prayer we are making. Is this prayer a need? Could this need also help others beside me? How? Will I speak this to others as a testimony of my Lord's grace, and mercy, and power, and love? Just some tips.

What I have found is that our Jesus really wants us to use the brain he has given us.If we were him would we grant this request? If yes,then no problem! ask!! seek, and Knock!! But if there is doubt,we understand we will do without. That is up to each one of us to decide for themselves. I hope this has helped you all!! Blessing!
 
Member
Since our Father already knows what we are going to pray,he always has the answer even before we ask for it. It is not the problem of our Lord in answering,it is our problem in the hearing of that answer.
Yes, I admit that sometimes my problem is the hearing the answer part. I hope to get better at it every day, and I know the Lord is not sitting idly by leaving me to work it out all by myself. He is the author and finisher of our faith and He knows all our needs.

I fought this for many years!! How can it be my fault?? I am doing the very best I know how!! Except for one thing I forgot to do!!

Thank him for the answer he gave!!
That's a big one, being thankful! We have so much to be thankful for. Just waking up and hearing the birds that God made singing away, is reason enough to be thankful. Because if suddenly there were no more birds in the world, we would wish we could have them back and would then be thankful that we did. That's just a small example, never mind being thankful that while we were lost sinners Jesus came to save us and loved us when we didn't love Him! So hopefully your message resonates with all of us, that we must always be thankful, as we get nowhere with God when we have a thankless heart.

David was willing to wait all day at times to find out.( Psalm 25:5) teaching us can take some time. What we are looking for is the assurance to our prayer. This assurance we should wait on until we have it when we pray. A wise preacher once told me,if you have prayed for the same thing 4 times,then you have prayed 3 times in unbelief. What? The Lord is hard of hearing??
Sometimes my prayers at night can be kind of long, because I lose track of time as I am enjoying having a chat with my friend the Lord. But at the same time I recall the verse about not thinking that our long-winded prayers will make us all the more heard by God. So hopefully I am not hurting my prayers by improperly praying!

Matthew 6:7
"And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him."

I am definitely going to remember your point about : "if you have prayed for the same thing 4 times,then you have prayed 3 times in unbelief." Wow! that really hit the nail on the head!!

Yes, so true He is not heard of hearing, and thank God we have the Holy Spirit helping us when we pray!

ROMANS 8:26-27 Likewise the Holy Spirit also helps our infirmities: For we know not what we should pray for as we ought: But the Holy Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And God that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
As you all know,God searches our hearts,and he tests the mind!( Jeremiah 17:10) Do we?? If we do,then we can receive the greater measure we need. We know what we believe by what we speak, and do. So does our Jesus! I am talking down to NO ONE!!
No, you never do talk down, your posts have blessed me!

There are 3 realms in prayer.( Matt 7:7) ask,seek,knock Asking is never our problem,seeking can be!! In this realm the devil is also with us,saying things like,hey!! you might have an email,or your phone my ring shortly,or the kids or husband is coming home soon, you better get ready for dinner or whatever!

Our mind puts pressure on our flesh,and usually our flesh yields to it. OOPS! BUT!! If we do not yield!! we get to the knocking realm!! The devil is not here in this realm!! But few ever get to this,because few wish to wait long enough to get to this area. I sure know I have failed many times in this my own self!! Ah!! but that is what being taught is all about!! IF!!! we learn!
Are you saying that the devil is not in the knocking realm because at that point one is praying in the Spirit? I want to learn more about this idea!

And we only can learn,as long as we are willing to follow our teacher!Jesus! A help to me, is to question the prayer we are making. Is this prayer a need? Could this need also help others beside me? How? Will I speak this to others as a testimony of my Lord's grace, and mercy, and power, and love? Just some tips.
Great tips, brother! God bless!

What I have found is that our Jesus really wants us to use the brain he has given us.If we were him would we grant this request? If yes,then no problem! ask!! seek, and Knock!! But if there is doubt,we understand we will do without. I hope this has helped you all!! Blessing!
 
Active
The knocking Realm!! First thanks so much Peace SEEKER!! I was a bit concerned writing this,that some may be upset a little by its boldness! It was sure not meant to be taken in that light! I will explain about this Realm of prayer. In the asking and seeking realm,as we first come into the courts of God with praise and thanksgiving, in the asking realm,this takes time,because in this the first of 3 realms we are dealing also with our shortcoming for the day,those things we have done, that we know the Lord is not pleased with,an unkind word to another,or some other short coming we all have.

Here we are preparing our mind for the seeking Realm,a time to after we have washed ourselfs by and through our Jesus through his Blood! We are now ready to seek! Now in this realm,the devil is reminding us,to perhaps go back to asking!!LOL But are you sure you are forgiven?? You know you have done this much more then once today!! Ah perhaps you are not worthy to even be heard!! LOL

After we get to have the assurance of things even hoped for!!( heb 11:1) After we rest our minds in the fact that Jesus is always are only hope!!!( rom 15:13) now at least!!! we can get to the seeking realm!! Here we are letting Holy Spirit remove our doubt!! The devil is fighting us here as well! He does not want us to ever get to the knocking realm!!!!

Now let us say you are ready!! You have pushed the devil aside,by speaking even out loud scripture!! Jesus did it!! look at Matt 4! NOW!!! You are knocking!! Meaning you have the very assurance that Jesus not only hears you,but!! will open the door to answer you!! The door opens!! The devil flees!!

Now here you have stepped in the Holy of Holy The presence of our Living God surrounds you,as well as Holy Spirit in you! You mind has been cleared,your tongue has spoken what is true, from His Word,you are ready to hear! And lo and behold!! God has must more to speak unto you, then you ever thought he would!

Mostly inside, but audible is not out of the question here!! It just depends on the person at the time,God deals with each one of us, as we need him to! I place no limits on how he will speak,just that he sure will speak!! Now the mind is not even thinking of the doubt fought so hard for in the asking and seeking realm! Here doubt does no even come to mind!

Hope fought for in the seeking realm, is here now! And now!! finally!! After we have worked so very hard,our time to God has paid off in such a big way! You see God Knows!! But he waits to see if we do!! And we know we do,by what we do!! confidence in the day of judgment!! same! ( 1 John 3:19-24!!)

We now stand before our Almighty everlasting God,bow our head and even our body down,and completely rest in him!! God answers!!! You would really be surprised to know that our Lord has much to say!! But we have to take the time needed, to get to that point in our prayer life!

SEE!! WE are always!!!! having to DO something!! Faith without works is dead! When we ask,we speak,that is doing something,when we seek,we are in battle to receive the assuance of our very faith in our Jesus! doing something!! And finally when we knock,we are doing something!! We are now not hoping Jesus will answer,we are waiting for him to answer!!ASSURANCE!!! Not a wish!! But real life completion of our very Faith in our Jesus!!

For Jesus Christ completes us!!Body, Spirit!!,and Soul! When you have done this just once in your life,you understand the true meaning of what prayers purpose is,and its rewards for praying! You find as I have that NOT praying!! is really a sin to you!! personal!!( 1 Sam 12:23) And you find you make more time for the Lord,because of it!

Asking and seeking, take a smaller part of your time,because you just cannot wait to get to the knocking realm again!! LOL This of course does not happen overnight!! We have spent so much time in the asking and seeking realm,few even knew there even was a knocking realm! BUT!!! there is!! And when you find this realm!! WELL!! My words cannot even describe what completeness feels like, until one has entered it!

I dare you to go for it!!!LOL You know when we wish to see a loved one in a distant place,we find in most cases the ride to get there is not always so pleasant,many things can happen along the way to get you to stop, turn around and go back home! But when you get to where you have wished to go,the door opens and you are greeted by warm friends and you are so glad you took the time to come to see them!! Same with Jesus in prayer! Jesus is so glad!!! You knocked!! When he opens that door, that you have fought so hard to get to in the first place!!( Matt 11:12!!!!!!!) To feel welcome is an under statement You are whole!! You are complete,you are FREE!! And best of all!!! YOU UNDERSTAND!!! Praise God for HIS Wisdom!! May you indeed by truly blessed! I sure was,and am because I Understand through our Jesus,what he meant when he told us to pray!! OUR Father!!! who Art in Heaven!! ( matt 6:6-15)!! And Praise God for Barkley as well!!
 
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Member
Has nothing to do with our righteous we might appear outwardly!
It all about faith and his will!
God sees all flesh as evil!There are No perfect beings in the flesh !

Rom_1:5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:

Rom_1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.


Rom_3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Sounds good to the mind of people! If i am nice to you? Then He is nice me to me! Not true!

Act_10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:


None of Us are Perfect outwardly.All sinners in our flesh mind and body!

We are All Born into sin and this flesh mind and body die because of SIN!

every one of our spirit dwells in a sin filled body!
He does not see any of our flesh minds and bodies as better than others!

Gal_5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.


It just cannot be self serving and selfish reasons!
We are to be a blessing to our Lord and others and take care oof our families for His Glory and Honor !


We must understand? He loves Us more than we love ourselves and He not going to give us things that are going to hurt us or cause us to be evil!
He sees the future , we do not!


Listen He has given me things that were not the best for me? but i learned it from to always want His perfect Will in all things1 I now fully know ? HE knows best, i do not!


Rom 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
 
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My brother in Christ,If God saw all flesh as evil he would not have come in the flesh as a man. We do know this! We ourselves cannot be perfect! Only Jesus in us is.So if you thought for one second I was saying we are perfect before him in our flesh, then I am sorry! That was never intended. Thanks
 
Member
Rom_8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
 
Member
Thanks for your post, Mark, it is very informative and helpful! This whole thread has been a blessing to me!

Here's what I've taken from (and been reminded of) your posts :

I must ask according to God's will, and I must have praise and thankfulness for God's blessings and provisions for all my needs. God loves a thankful heart. I need to be cleansed of my sins (and forgive others so that I can pray without hindrance).

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Phil. 4:6

Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

I do this by asking God to do something (the faith part), then acting out my faith by seeking out the outcome I expect.
Seeking out the possibilities with which God may answer my prayer.

I know by faith that He will answer, and now I want to seek out how He will. And I don't know how He will unless I explore the possibilities! :wink:

If (to make an example) I have a poor relationship with an estranged sibling, I can ask God to repair it, and that's all good and fine to do so. But If I am asking and seeking, maybe I will pick up the phone and call him, believing that this may be the possible means by which God wants to set in motion the answer to my prayer.

God could be saying, "what do you want me to do, drag your brother over to you and force him to make up with you"? And He could be saying to me, "How about you show me that you believe I will answer your prayer, by calling him? Faith with works! Seek and ye shall find!
And if I am afraid to call him, then I am showing God that I am not trusting Him to take my act of faith (the phone call) and turn it into something good.

What if I never call my brother, and that's all I needed to do to have my prayer answered??? So it is a real blessing to me to realize that faith with works doesn't just apply to doing good works to others, it is also applicable to our prayer life!! That is so awesome!

So we have to ask (faith), to seek (do), and now the knocking part, which is perseverance. When we knock on a friend's door we don't just knock once, we knock several times. When we phone someone, how many times do we let it ring before we hang up? So Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer in Luke shows us how to knock - keep persevering.

Luke 11:5-10
Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

So in summary, I shouldn't always just ask God for things. I need to step out and seek ways that He might answer them, and then knock on the doors of opportunity that are presented. In this way, praying is more than just asking God for things and then sitting around, waiting for Him to respond.

Blessings to you!
 
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Member
When we pray for any thing to use for our own pleasures, we do not receive it. (James 4: 3-4)

On the other hand, when our prayers are "concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and what he requires", e.g., personal knowledge of God, honouring his holy name, etc. (Matt. 6: 9-12), the answer will be either inclusive "all the other things" we need or in surprising reverse, "What do you want me to do for you?" as asked of blind Bartimaeus. (Ibid, v.33; Mark 10: 46-52)
 
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Thank you so much hadirfuss am a new member here and this is the first i have read am really encouraged and i pray that the lord continues to use you in building our spiritual lives.
 
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