Unanswered Prayers?

Question

I'm preparing a bible study on Unanswered prayers. My question to everyone is, when you go to the Lord in prayer do you expect to get exactly what you ask for? How do you feel when it seems as if your prayers have gone unanswered? Do you really believe the Garth Brooks song that sometimes God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers? No jokers please.

Answer 1

One reason prayers may go unanswered are found in these verses:

Psalm 66:18
Matthew 6:5-15
James 4:3
I Peter 3:7

Another thing to consider is the length of time it takes for God's time to be right in the answer to prayer. Compare Genesis 25:20-21 and then Genesis 25:26. How long was Isaac faithful in believing prayer for Rebekah? Twenty years!

The prophet Daniel experienced a delay in the answer to his prayer. How long was the delay, and what caused it? It took three weeks to get the answer. The delay was caused by Spiritual warfare. (Daniel 10:12-14)

The prayers that He seems to answer the most and quickest in my experience are those about others. Further, the prayers must be asked according to His will, and in believing prayer. (Cf. Matthew 21:22, 26:39) He does grant "selfish" prayers also, but not nearly as often as those that aren't.

Of course, Jesus doesn't expect our prayer and spiritual life to be much when He returns. He asks, "But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8)

Hope that gives you some ideas!

Answer 2

My friend, if you want to know about unanswered prayers, read the book of Job in the Bible. Job had everything he ever loved and cared about taken from him and when he prayed to God about it the Bible says the heavens were silent. God would not answer him. Sometimes God doesn't answer because He's testing us, our faithfulness, and sometimes it's because we do not come with the right heart, and then sometimes it's just his way of saying no or not now. The thing is even when God does not answer your prayers you have to stay faithful and wait on God. The Bible says in Isaiah 40:31 "But those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not grow weary; and they shall walk and not faint." God bless you in your studies.

Answer 3

It is true that sometimes an unanswered prayer may be a gift.

It goes with the old saying, "Be careful what you ask for, you might just get it."

Remember, a very young child may be quite enticed by the pretty burning log on a fireplace and wants to get it and play with it. The protective father stops the child from crawling into the fireplace but the child cries and screams because it did not get what it wanted. But the bigger issue looms....did the child need it?

Remember the Rolling Stones even said you don't always get what you want but we always get what we need.

Answer 4

I believe that God knows what's best for me and sometimes I don't. Sometimes they things I pray for are not supposed to happen...and not just for me...for those involved. I continue to pray...maybe it just makes me feel better, but I do continue to pray. This is a stupid example but I thought I was in love with this boy once and I kept praying we would be together and my prayers were unanswered. A vain prayer I know, but it was important to me at the time. He turned out to be a stalker and almost killed one of my friends. I believe God sees things we don't. A lot of times I pray for all the loved ones I have that are sick right now and I try to keep my prayers realistic. I have a friend who is 16 and dying of cancer. She is going to die, so I see no point in praying that she lives. Instead I pray that she will not suffer or be in pain and that she has as many days left in that condition as possible. I think God shows his love in other ways than we expect him to sometimes. I wandered off, but I hope I've helped some.

Answer 5

When I go to God in prayer, no I do not expect to get EXACTLY what I asked for all the time. I do not always know what I need in my life -some of the things I want, God knows better than to give them all to me. I wanted my car to be fixed last weekend, but it wasn't. God knew I had things to do and places I had to be-so why didn't He answer that prayer? Maybe I was going to be involved in a deadly accident while I was driving.... I still managed to get where I needed to go- someone offered me a ride.
I sometimes get anxious waiting, but it is always worth it. You might not know for years if ever why God did or did not answer your prayers. His ways are not mine- therefore I try not to question- try to accept his will with grace and meekness.

Answer 6

First, yes I do believe that unanswered prayers are sometimes best. I believe God looks out for all of us in some way--that his will, wisdom and love are greater than mine.

I also believe that at the highest levels of spiritual attainment, that we should not pray for ourselves beyond our daily bread.

But, when my mouth is about to go below water, boy is it hard to continue to have faith. Even Christ quoted psalm 22 as he was dying. How much more understanding should God be with blind humans who only have faith to go on? All we can do is have faith that God's way is better than ours.

As I once read in a book...regarding even a lack of belief, why would you not pray? What do you have to lose? time?

Answer 7

No I do not expect to get everything that I ask for no more than my kids expect me to give them everything they want. No parent would do that.There have been many answers of no and wait in my life and although they hurt me in the long run I have seen the wisdom in God's answers. Even some major painful answers. I believe fully in unanswered prayers the fact of them being a gift. Beautiful song too.

Answer 8

All my prayers are answered, just not always in the way that I was envisioning them answered.

I know that God knows best what is right for me and for my family, and I can be as impatient as anyone, but I am learning to rely and wait on Gods timing more than my own.

I know that healing can be physical flesh and it can be fleshly death for heavenly healing. I still want my loved ones to be healed fleshly, but am well aware that their healing may come in the form of death.

When I pray for traveling safety for myself and others, I have to admit that I am asking for a specific outcome.

Once I prayed exactly as a self willed child and asked God to let me catch fish ( I had gone skunked for a long time) and lo and behold I caught more fish that day that I ever had all the times I had gone fishing before. Just because this one thing was granted did not make me think that all my prayers would be answered in this manner, I still remember to tell God I am aware that not my will, but his be done.

Answer 9

he answers my prayers the way he wants to answer them and it is ALWAYS a better solution than what I thought of. I do believe in unanswered prayers ---but I don't like to call them that because they are answered ---just not the way I expected them to. When he does that, it makes me appreciate his awesomeness all the more!! GO GOD !!!!

Answer 10

I think God answers all our prayers. But it may not be the answer that we want. As such we unconsciously reject his answer and say that he has not answered our prayers.

The other thing I noted is that if God ask you to do something and you don't, then you may enter into a period of waiting. You may be asking God for new directions but no nothing. But if you have completed what he ask you to do then fresh directions will come.

Sometimes I wish that God can make it more clear what he wants to do in my life. Rather than second guessing, is that from God? Or should I be doing that. How to listen to God is another journey that we must go through.