Reasons For Unanswered Prayer

February 2016 Reasons For Unanswered Prayer

Luke 18:1 says that “men ought always to pray and not to faint.” We are to pray always and not lose heart or give up. God wants to answer our prayers. There are reasons our prayers are not being answered. Let’s look at some reasons why our prayers do not work or produce for us.

1) Many times, we get so busy with life that we do not pray, and James says, “Ye have not because ye ask not” (James 4:2). Matthew 7:7 states, “Ask, and it shall be given you.” We have to ask for what we want and need, but if we don’t pray, our prayers can’t get answered.

2) A lack of boldness hinders our prayers. We must pray boldly, without fear or reservation. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Jesus made this possible. We can approach God with confidence, not being ashamed or afraid.

3) Praying outside of God’s will hinders your prayers. One of the best ways to pray the will of God is to pray the Word of God. His Word is His will. He has given us His Word and we can pray according to God’s will.

4) Doubt and unbelief must not be present for your prayers to work. God responds to faith – not to doubt and unbelief. Faith is a powerful spiritual dynamic and causes mountains to move.

5) Another reason people do not have their prayers answered is that they worry. Paul told the Philippians in 4:6 to “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.” We should not fret or have any anxiety about anything. We are to unload all our worries on Jesus.

6) A lack of thankfulness is another reason for unanswered prayer. In 1 Thess. 5:18, Paul writes, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” A thankful person is a powerful person. We can be thankful even if we do not feel thankful. We can stay thankful in every situation.

7) A negative confession hinders our prayers. The words we speak are powerful – actually more powerful than we realize. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” We will have what we say.

8) Pride is a hindrance to prayer. When we are prideful, we feel self-reliant and self-sufficient. But to achieve greatness in anything, we are going to have to be humble and teachable. Yielding to God’s way of doing things instead of our way is very important. True humility is submitting ourselves to God and His Word.

9) Unforgiveness is probably the number one reason our prayers are not answered. The scripture says in Ephesians 4:32, “And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” If we have anything against anyone, we are to let it drop and leave it. No matter how major or minor an issue may seem, we have to let it go. We forgive by making an intentional choice to let a matter drop. When we do, our prayers can get answered.