INTRODUCTION
Have you ever waited for so long for the answer to a prayer? How did the wait make you feel? Sometimes, a prayer can go unanswered, and you may feel sad or disappointed. God is a prayer answering God (Psalm 143:1), and some things might be responsible for the delayed answers to your requests. These are ten reasons that might cause your prayers to go unanswered:
Unconfessed Sin: (Psalm 66:18). When you regard iniquity in your heart or cherish sin, God will not answer your prayers because He is too holy to behold iniquity. (Habakkuk 1:13). Unconfessed sin can create a barrier between God and you, hindering our prayers from being answered.
Lack of Faith: Jesus said in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Lack of faith can hinder your prayers from being answered because doubt or unbelief sends a signal that you don’t believe that God can or will answer your prayers.
Selfish Motives: (James 4:3). When your requests are purely selfish, you won’t get an answer from God. If you pray for a car because you want to ‘pepper’ your friends and relatives, God is not obligated to honour such a selfish request. Selfish motives hinder your prayers from being answered. Always check your motive when you pray to ensure your requests are not lust driven.
Disobedience: John said in 1 John 3:22, “And whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” If we disobey God’s commands, our prayers may not be answered because disobedience is a blocker to answered prayers. When you turn your ears from God’s laws and disobey them, your prayers become an abomination. Proverbs 28:9 KJV.
Lack of Persistence: In Luke 18:1, Jesus tells his disciples a parable about the importance of persistence in prayer. “Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit.” (Luke 18:1 MSG). If we give up too quickly and do not persist in prayer, we may miss out on God’s blessings. If Daniel had quit on the tenth day of his prayers, he would have missed the angel that brought his answer. (Daniel 10: 11-13).
Pride: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6 NKJV). Pride can hinder your prayers from being answered, as it causes you to rely on your strength rather than seek God’s help.
Lack of Forgiveness: In Mark 11:25 TPT, Jesus says, “And whenever you stand praying, if you find that you carry something in your heart against another person, release him and forgive him so that your father in heaven will also release you and forgive you of your faults.” Holding onto unforgiveness can create a barrier between you and God, hindering your prayers from being answered.
Impatience: (Ecclesiastes 3:1). There is a time for everything, and God’s timing is not always our timing. If you are impatient and want your prayers answered on your own timetable, you may miss out on God’s blessings for you.
Lack of gratitude: (Philippians 4:6). Gratitude preserves your past blessings and fast tracks your present requests. If you are not thankful for God’s past blessings, you may not receive more in the future. The nine lepers who refused to thank Jesus didn’t experience wholeness: only the one who returned to give Jesus thanks did. (Luke 17:12-19).
Building spiritual muscles: (James 1:2-4). Sometimes, when God delays answering your prayers, He wants you to build spiritual muscles. He might take you through a waiting process because He is testing and refining you. This kind of wait may be difficult, but they make you perfect, wanting nothing. When you go through such a process, be encouraged because God is working out your spiritual stamina and making you more prepared for the glorious destiny He has prepared for you.
CONCLUSION
God loves you, and He always has your best interests at heart. Whenever your prayers are unanswered, this is an avenue to seek God and listen to Him more. When you ask why He hasn’t responded genuinely, He will reveal what has kept your answers from showing forth. He doesn’t just hear prayers; He answers them too.