Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?

When we pray as Christians requesting something from God, we must remember that He always answers our prayers. He can say:

1. Yes! – then he grants our request because we prayed according to His will.

2. No! – then he refuses to grant our request because he knows that it may bring harm to us. The African proverb says “A mother will always, when she gives her child a knife, grasp the sharp cutting blade.”

3. Wait! The time to grant your request is not ripe. Most people then stop praying. It is wrong. The Bible teaches that we should wait on the Lord and trust him (Psalm 37:5). It is important to wait. It shows that you trust the Lord. Read also: Psalm 25:5; Psalm 27:14; Habakuk 2:3; Matthew 7:7-11; Luke 18:1-8.

But heed the following points:

God refuses to answer our prayers if:

1. We pray with wrong motives, as James 4:3-8 tells us. Read it.

2. If we do not forgive others who trespass against us – Matthew 20:15.

3. If we harbour sin in our hearts – Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:1-2.

4. If we have too little faith. But we can ask God to help us to increase our faith – Mark 9:23-24; Hebrews 11:6.

5. Remember, God will not do for us what we can do for ourselves. A student who does not study faithfully cannot ask God to help him to pass his examinations.

6. If God for some reason known to him does not answer our prayer, he will give us power to persevere. Remember Jesus in Gethsemane.

FELLOW CHRISTIAN, PRAY FAITHFULLY!