Unanswered Prayers

Unanswered prayer

Here are five scriptural reasons why a Christian's prayers may not be answered:
1. Praying outside of God's will
Our prayers may not be answered because we are praying for something which our Lord, in his wisdom, would not grant us even if we persisted in asking.
1 John 5:14:
14And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.
The emphasis here is on God’s will, not our will.
When we communicate with God, we don’t demand what we want: rather we discuss with him what He wants for us.
If we align our prayers to his will, he will listen: and we can be certain that he listens; he will give us a definite answer. Start praying with confidence.

2. Praying without faith
Our prayers may not be answered because we are praying without faith or we are praying with doubts in our mind.
Jesus' disciples asked him why they couldn't drive a demon out of a boy and he told them it was because they had so little faith. He said, 'If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, "Move from here to there" and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you (Matthew 17:19–21).'
There is great potential in even a little faith when we trust in Gods power to act.
If we feel weak or powerless as Christians, we should examine our faith, making sure we are trusting God’s power, not our own ability to produce results.
James tells us that the man who asks God for something, but doubts that he'll receive it, will not receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does (James 1:5–8.
We must believe not only in the existence of God but also in his loving care. This includes relying on God and expecting that he will hear and answer when we pray.
We must put away our critical attitude when we come to him. God does not grant every thoughtless or selfish request. We must have confidence that God will align our desires with his purposes.
When we pray we should not doubt: we should pray with faith, believing that we'll receive what we're asking for.

3. Delayed answers
Our prayers may not be answered yet because God is testing our faith to develop our perseverance. If every prayer we prayed was answered immediately, how much faith would we need? The answer is very little. But if we have to pray for weeks, months, years or even decades before receiving the answer, then our faith in God will be truly tested.
Perseverance is continuing in a course of action despite difficulty, or with little or no sign of success. Put into spiritual terms, it means continuing in the faith when things don't go well for us , or continuing to pray for something when we have no indication that our prayers are being answered.
The Bible says that we cannot be mature and complete as Christians without perseverance (James 1:4).
That is why we're to count it pure joy whenever we face trials and difficulties in life, because it's an opportunity for us to grow in this area (James 1:2–3).
There was a time for Job to be healed, but not before his perseverance had been tested (James 5:11).
The Book of Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1), and that includes a time for our prayers to be answered.
Remember, God answers prayer not too soon, or too late: his timing is perfect. When God sees in us what he wants to see, the answer will come. God's delays are not his denials.

4. Sin in our lives
Our prayers may not be answered because there is sin in our lives. Referring to prayer, the psalmist wrote: 'If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened (Psalm 66:18).'
When we refuse to repent or when we harbor and cherish certain sins, we place a wall between us and God.
James tells us that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective (James 5:16).
The Christian’s most powerful resource is communion with God through prayer.
The results are often greater than we thought were possible.
Some people see prayer as a last resort to be tried when all else fails. This approach is backwards. Prayer should come first.
If we want power in prayer we need to live righteous lives. What is righteousness? Righteousness is doing what is right in the sight of God.

5. Satanic opposition
Our prayers may not be answered yet because there is satanic opposition to overcome. This can be true with respect to personal prayer and I believe it's the main reason for unanswered prayer in matters pertaining to the Church. Satan does not want God's will to be done on earth and he will do everything he can to try to prevent it from being done.
Please read Daniel 10:1–14.
• Daniel was praying in God's will.
• There was no sin in his life.
• He was praying with faith.
• There was no need for God to delay the answer to his prayers, in fact the angel was sent to him as soon as he started to pray (v12).
• 12 Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. 13 But for twenty-one days the spirit prince] of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. 14 Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”
Daniel fasted and prayed for twenty-one days before he received the understanding of the vision. The satanic power that resisted God's angel didn't want Daniel to receive the revelation. There was opposition to his prayers in the heavenly realms.
Daniel faithfully continued praying and fasting, and Gods messenger eventually arrived.
Answers to our prayers may be hindered by unseen obstacles. Don’t expect Gods answers to come too easily or too quickly. Prayer may be challenged by evil forces, so pray fervently and pray earnestly. Then expect God to answer at the right time.
Paul tells us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). What would have happened if Daniel had stopped fasting and praying? It is quite possible that he would not have received the understanding.
I believe this passage has been included in Scripture to teach us a lesson about spiritual warfare. If we could see what was going on in the spirit world, I'm sure we would pray more earnestly and more persistently.
It's not that God doesn't want his Church to grow, or that it's not time for it to grow. Satanic forces need to be overcome before it can grow, and that is accomplished by prayer and, if necessary, by fasting. Fasting intensifies prayer.
What are you praying and believing god for today? Have your prayers been answered already? If not we need to Matthew 6:33:
33 Seek(]aim at and strive after) the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Only when we do this alone will 2 Chronicles 7:14:
14 if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.