Why doesn't god answer my prayers?

Question

I had always believed in god until the age of 13. Why did I stop? Well, as much as I loved god, he just didn't seem to love me. i'd ask for things I really need and (in my opinion) deserve. I'd try my hardest to accomplish my goals to get what I need and not just put it all on god but still nothing happened. So why does god ignore my prayers? Why should I even believe in him? I don't want to hear some nonsense like he is testing me because if he is I don't want to be his lab rat.

Answer 1

There is no god, that's it. It's up to you to get what yo want and need out of life.

Answer 2

God did answer your prayers...
the answer may have been "No" or "Later" or "You need this instead"...
Just because you think you need something doesn't mean that it is the best thing for you.
God isn't testing you, and like someone else said, God isn't a vending machine,(that was great, BTW!) or a big babysitter in the sky to watch over you either.

God listens, watches & guides us I think, but he/she does not just grant us every wish or life on earth here would be pretty screwed up, dont you think--- imagine if every human had every wish he/she ever asked God for.... how crazy would that be?

Maybe God has answered a few of your prayers with an answer you didn't want to hear...but you were too busy whining about not getting what you wanted to actually notice that you got an answer at all.

Go back & reflect on a few events in your life that you didnt get what you wanted, and think about why maybe it turned out ok anyway...
maybe you learned a lesson, or what you wanted wasnt really the best thing after all.

Everything ends up working out well in the end & your prayers are answered if you just listen or reflect.

Answer 3

He is not testing you, so ignore whoever said that. The Bible says that for whoever "doubts not" they will have whatever they ask. We all have out doubts sometimes, but ask God to remove them. The opposite of doubt is faith and faith comes by hearing the Word of God. So pray and ask God to prove Himself to you (the Bible says that you can ask him that.) The Bible says that God is love, so he has always loved you and still does! He never ignored your prayers, He needs your faith to work with though. Sometimes He will intervene, though and you'll get a prayer answered without much faith on your behalf. Go back to Him and tell Him exactly how you feel. He cares for you and wants the best for you. The devil on the other hand is trying to drag you down. If you don't receive an answer right away, ignore the devil when he starts hissing, "See, He hates you," or "See, there is no God." Keep pressing on. The Bible says that the race doesn't go to the swift, but to those that finish. Get back up and finish! I'll be praying for you (I mean it)
much love!

Answer 4

There is an excellent article on this very subject at www.watchtower.org type the word prayers in the search engine and find the article "Does God answer prayers?" They will show you using the Bible that He does care for you very much. He may not always give us exactly what we really wish we had, but I assure you He does listen to prayers. We also need to make sure we are praying in the proper way, because contrary to popular belief God does not listen to just any prayer. The article will explain better, and as I said it will take you to the Bible to answer your question. Most people on this website will just make you feel demeaned for even asking a question.

Answer 5

Prayers are an interesting thing. The Bible teaches that we have not because we ask not. But it also teaches us how to pray. Seek ye First the Kingdom of God and then all these things shall be added unto you. Not my will be done but God's will be done. God is not Santa Clause - he is not our personal bank that hands out money whenever you need it. He is not someone you can negotiate with or bargain with. You can't play mind games with God. He is God and everything on Earth and in the Universe belongs to Him. He deserves your ultimate respect. He owns it all - he is not short handed in giving you things. But if you ask for things that are outside of his will then he will not be giving them to you. I don't know what you really need only God does. But do you really seek his face? Do you even know what God's will is for you and for this world? Do you really need things or are you just being materialistic? What are your motives? Do you only believe in God because he can give you things, or do you believe in God because you know that he exists and wants to be part of your life. Where is that unconditional belief regardless of what happens to you in life? Are you a fair weathered friend? Do you bail out when life gets tough or when you don't get your own way? You are not his lab rat - you are created in the image of God. He loves you so much and he wants the best for you. Unfortunately, our definition of what we need doesn't always match up to what God believes what we need. The Bible says a humble and contrite is a heart that he will not deny. God will answer you when your motives are pure and within his will.

Answer 6

Join the club. A lot of people never have their prayers answered. So I stopped too. I do good, because it is the RIGHT thing to do. Not because I long for a Heaven, or I fear a Hell. Maybe there is. Maybe there isn't. Help your fellow man, to make the world a better place. If god exists, fine. If not, you've still left your mark on this world, in a good way. Be remembered for the good that you doo for others. In that way at least, people can attain some form of immortality. Peace.

Answer 7

The love of God for you is eternal so must be yours too. When you ask for something you must say at the end"but not be my will,be The God Will in my life". Because we don't know very well what is good or bed for we,but God Knows better( in this way prayed Jesus in the New Testament). God helps you by the mens who are around you,not by a butterfly,you must be attention what happens around you,to get the opportunity.Mens whant something,ask for the Help of God and mens begin to do something to get what he wants and on this way, God will give His Help, through the mens.Be friend with God for ever.

Answer 8

Prayer works by certain rules. If you are not following the rules of prayer do expect them to be answered.
You can't play tennis according to American football rules.
There are laws that govern prayer and having your needs met.
If you let go of a book in mid air you could expect it to hit the ground. Prayer has laws that are just as concrete.
If you want to see if I am correct then find someone who says that I am wrong and find out how many of their prayers have actually been answered.
With that being said God is not a vending machine but he is a loving father who wants you to have more then you can contain so that you can have enough to give to EVERY GOOD WORK.

Answer 9

God does answer your prayers. The problem is, you've either been unwilling to wait for His timing, or unable to take "no" for an answer.

In the same way that parents know best what's good for their children, God knows what's best for you and me. He knows your REAL needs before you do. He DOES have a specific plan for you, and it is impossible for us to foresee the results of us getting what we want. It could be that what you told God you needed would have been bad for you.

You can't give up on God because you didn't get your way! He is omnipotent, after all. Don't assume he ignored you. He probably has something even better for you!

Answer 10

Wow, I really understand your frustration. I am 33 years old and have dealt with this issue many times.

I am not going to try and convince you to believe anything you are not ready to believe. All I can do is tell you what I think.

First of all, I believe that God loves us and NEVER ignores us. He is always listening to your heart. As annoying as it can be sometimes, though, he is like a parent and he is not going to let us have the things we want if they will cause us harm in the long run. Try to look at the things you DO have.

Make sure, when you pray, you are asking for things that will be to your non-material benefit, too. I have prayed to God for material things, but I try to stick to things I need, like the money to get my car fixed. Praying to God to send a Playstation or a million dollars is a bit unreasonable. Sometimes the best things to ask for are help with a problem, along with the strength and courage to live, learn, and understand your disappointments in life.

A spiritual crisis is never an easy thing. Don't give up though. I don't want to sound preachy, but one thing that really helped me was when I prayed to God and asked him to help me understand his plan for me, and remember that sometimes, you don't always get what you want right away. Patience is not one of my strong points, and I pray for patience a LOT! *grin*

Try to have faith in yourself, believe that you are worth happiness and a lot of time, the things you DO get are even better than the things you thought you wanted. Be sure to also take the time to reach out and use your talents and gifts to help others. Doing this helps put things in perspective and helps you to feel better about yourself.

Feel free to email me if you have any more questions, or if you want to talk about this. I've been where you are and I understand.

Answer 11

Well sounds to me like you are the one with the communication breakdown with God. God will always hear the prayers of those who ask, and He will help and answer those who seek Him. But He does everything on His time, and He decides what you get and what happens because only He knows best. We may pray for a new Corvette or a million dollars. But He's not going to just drop this out of the air. He sends us what we need, when we need it. Sometimes we ask for things that we don't need or don't need right this second. But when we need it, He'll send it. If you ain't got the patience to wait for God to do what He needs to do, then take a step back and review your standing with Him. If you keep accusing God of being cold or heartless, then stop and think. Who gave up their only son just so we could spend eternity in paradise with Him? Who created everything we need to survive? Who gave us life, breath, eyes, ears, taste, everything we have now? Who has made the blind, or the deaf, or the dumb? Has not God? Hasn't God provided for His people everything they needed to survive? Hasn't God given His people everything they could possibly want? It's us that are ungrateful, that are cold, that are heartless. But still God gives us what we need, when we need it, and it's regardless of our own shortcomings. Why do you need to believe Him? Because unless you want to spend the rest of eternity, for all time that is, burning and suffering in eternal darkness knowing that you threw away paradise because you thought God was a just a big meanine, that is why. I commend you on working towards your goals and all, but do not take God's kindness lightly. Did you ever stop to think that maybe He answered your prayers but in a way that you didn't recognize? Maybe the reasons you were able to do the things you did were because He made it possible? Stop and think before you go accusing the One who made all things possible of not being able to perform one little task.