The bible says "Ask and you shall receive." Well I have been asking, where is it?

Question

My faith in God is what has sustained me thus far in life and now I feel like ti is starting to falter a little because I don't feel like he is answering my prayers. I know I suffer from a lack of patience, but this is something that I have desired and been asking for for a long time. When I think my prayer has been answered it has been taken away (which mostlyh at the time is a good thing), but why all the inbetweens? I know God knows the desires of my heart better than I do so why does he not just bless me with what I've been seeking him out for? I don't feel like I'm asking for much. I just want a sincere form of reciprocative love from a God fearing man! Am I doing something wrong? Do I need to do more?

Answer 1

"Cease striving and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10)

He may well be answering your prayers, just not in the manner you expect. There are a few options here...

1. Maybe He is saying no. Whatever you are asking for may not be in His will and could possibly cause you harm.
2. Maybe He is saying "wait". "The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,To the person who seeks Him." (Lamentations 3:25)
3. Maybe it is your move. Sometimes God is waiting for you to take the first step of faith. For example, I pray for wisdom when speaking with my Jewish parents about Jesus, but God will not answer my prayer until I actually get up enough courage to talk to them in the first place.

In any case, I'd say don't give up until you are sure you have an answer, pray for God's will to be done, and to read your Bible and pray for Him to show you. He will answer your prayer in time, but it may not be exactly as you wanted it, but trust that His ways are the best.

"'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,' declares the LORD." (Isaiah 55:8)

Much love.

Answer 2

If you feel your prayer is not being answered, perhaps it is a selfish prayer. God usually does not like prayers like "let me get this" or "let me win that."

Or perhaps by answering your prayer, God's big plan for you won't be possible. For example, if you are praying for good health, God may not answer that prayer if he plans on giving your a disease that may bring you or others closer to Him.

OR, more likely, perhaps God already answered your prayer, but it is not the answer you were looking for.For example, if you prayed for a soul mate that will love you and always care for you, you're probably expecting some great guy to appear from out of the blue and the two of you live happily ever after. But perhaps God already gave you a person who could be your soul mate. Some geeky kid from grade school that you still hang around with? A best friend?

Perhaps instead of praying, you should listen to God speak to you. What is he saying? Has he already answered your prayer?

Perhaps this man already loves you...or maybe it was never meant to be.

Open your heart to the Lord!!! God bless!

Answer 3

You must read the whole passage. The "ask and you shall receive" is talking about receiving the Holy Spirit not the desire of your heart. You said" don't feel like I'm asking for much. I just want a sincere form of reciprocative love from a God fearing man! Am I doing something wrong? Do I need to do more?"

You are doing something wrong. You are putting something above God. Seek God with all your heart and follow him. What if God's plan for your life is to be alone? Then you better learn to be happy and accept what God has given you. If you are a Christian, then you already have salvation. What more will you ask from God who has already given you his son's life? Look at all God has given you and give him thanks. Look at Job's life, he lost everything, family, wealth, friends, health, and he still praised God. How much less do you have to suffer? Repent for your impatience and wait for the bridgegroom who is perfect in all his ways. Praise be to God the father, and to Jesus his son. He alone is Holy.

Answer 4

Been a Christian for a very long time. Prayed occasionally for a mate through the years. God brought my wife and I together three years ago. I am very happy to be married but my happiness is not conditioned upon my marital status. If you give up belief in God over the fact that He does not plop some man into your life I would question the validity of your faith in the first place. Are you a Christian because of whats in it for you? That's not a ground for true Christianity. God answered my prayers for a companion and I was married at 50 years of age. Took a long time sure but I wouldn't trade my wife for anything but she knows that Christ is number one and I would not be the husband that she needs if it was any other way. Pray for a mate? that's OK but don't leave it all up to God. He may appreciate the fact that you want Him to participate and have a hand in it but what are you yourself doing to create relationships that could possibly lead to marriage?

Answer 5

Just because you are not getting the answer from your that you are seeking does not mean he is not answering the prayer. He will answer your prayers but the answer won't always be "yes." God created us the way we are for a reason, so this could in some way be a blessing in disguise or somehow be used by God. So don't lose your faith over something like this because God isn't a genie, he is our creator. We are here to serve him, not to be served by him.

Answer 6

roflmao

#1: God isn't your personal D.J. and doesn't take requests. PERIOD. Especially things "for ME." If you were praying for "others," possibly, but never for selfish matters. Also read Lamentations 3:44, most likely He doesn't hear your prayers at all simply because they are unacceptable to him. After all, HE has strict guidelines set out in the Bible ON HOW TO PRAY AND WHAT AN ACCEPTABLE PRAYER IS. First you have to go to him in humility and with an open heart and confess all your sins, and be in Christs favor. Second, you have to have forgiven everyone (everyone) who has sinned against you before he will foregive you your sins. Third, he will answer your prayers if it is upholding His will for his congregation and His Kingdom, but that about covers it. In other words, to protect you and your family only makes sense, since your his follower. However, that new dress down at the Mall will have to wait for your new job. Sorry.

I mean, here you are blaming God for not ANSWERING YOUR PRAYERS, not showing RECIPROCATIVE LOVE. Maybe you should find a new God.

Answer 7

I am also a very impatient women who went through a period in my life where my faith went down to almost nothing and I questioned His existance....Satan almost had me....but God once again saved me and brought me back to consciousness....Patiance is a huge virtue in God's eyes..."if you are not willing to wait then don't even ask"...we as very small minded human beings cannot even fathom the logic and workings of God...things come unexpectedly and we don't always understand them....but He is mysterious and they what he answer and doesn't answer is all for a reason because He does not makes mistakes....If He is not answering a prayer then maybe it is not the right thing to ask of Him...think about what your motives are...is it for yourself or God...All I know is that I was put to big test and I passed....I held on to my mustard seed of faith and He came back to me....I just figure he's gone helping others for a while that need Him more than me and I don't have to be afraid of walking on my own...
and I also know that without patience it will be very hard to have a relationship with God....

Answer 8

Take this with a grain of salt, I'm Agnostic. You say you are a true believer in God, right? Well, just because God doesn't grant your "wishes" you start to doubt. Hummm, the way I see it, you are no different from the millions of folks each day who pray for stuff, serious and important stuff and it never gets solved. So keep on praying the same prayer over and over and over again or simply do what YOU can do about it and move on.

Answer 9

Unfortunately, it is patience. God works in ways that are strange to us. I've had really big things answered right away, and really small things answered like years later. It usually doesn't work that way, though. Usually the stuff I feel I need answered doesn't come quick enough.

I say unfortunately to patience because you said it is something you lack. Keep waiting, and don't give up. Believe me, prayers are usually answered when you least expect it.

Answer 10

Sometimes you dont realise you prayers have been answers until years after, for example
I used to play a sport called hurling, when I started out I was way way behind everyone else. I prayed that id be able to get the sliothar in my hand one day in a real match, my skills gradually improved and I finally managed it.
Then I prayed that I would be able to score points from my hand - the only scores id had previously were 2 goals from hitting it on the ground, and that day came as well.
And then I prayed that one day I would play for Limerick, my county (above club level). Over the next two years my skills gradually improved, (another of my prayers was answered which was to be a regular in the first team of my club). I won an award for most improved player in the club and I was chosen to go to Limericks school of excellence. And at the end of the two weeks there I got to play for the limerick school of excellence against kilkennys school of excellence. And that was it, sure I didnt get to play for the real county team, but in a way my prayer was answered, I just didnt realise it at the time.
Two years ago I moved to Singapore, had to give up the sport because theres no where im allowed practice (in ireland you can just walk out yer front door and play) and iv lost all the skills that i worked four hard years on. But instead of being pissed off I feel free, the sport had been taking over my life, if I let the team down by playing bad I became so depressed that if you'de given me a gun I would have killed myself. I was so dedicated to my club that I just couldnt pull myself away until we were forced to move to singapore for work. In a way that was God freeing me of my addiction of succeeding at hurling so that I can enjoy life without the pressure of the next game.
The lord works in mysterious ways.

Answer 11

I wish i could bring better help but the Lord isnt going to force His will on somone, even to do somthing theyre supposed to. I know you are doing all your supposed to do physically but is it the same way with your spirit? All you can do is pray and be patient, and let the Lord deal with this person. If you communicate then this person will be more open minded about what the Lord wants done. Stay close and clean, communicate, and be patient. When u let this person know, dont rub it in the ground let it be known how you feel, but dont nag.