Are you wondering why God isn’t answering your prayers? Are you praying and praying for something you know is acceptable to God, yet the answer seems out of reach?
When seeking an answer to your prayer—know that He always answers prayer. Always. God never fails. He cannot lie and He will not fail. It may be wait. It may be no. It may be that you need to do something differently. But He will always answer.
“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent” Numbers 23:19.
When the answer seems delayed… when we feel like we’re waiting a long, long time on God… it’s usually that God is waiting on us.
Here are some things to remember and Scriptures to claim, to get the answers to the desires of your heart. Put these firmly inside your mind, deep inside your heart, and don’t let them go.
Step #1 – Make sure there is no unrepentant sin in your life. There is a possibility that sin is interfering with your prayer. Sin is literally an obstacle between us and God; a wall, which prevents us from approaching him. Yet, we can come to him with a repentant heart, and he will always help us. When sin needs to be dealt with, God is waiting to clear that stumbling block out of the way before He moves on to something else, because our fellowship with God is the most important thing to Him, and should be to us as well.
Step #2 – Get past hope, and into faith. This is important. Make sure God’s word is in your heart with the solid expectation of fulfillment. In biblical terms, when faith is directed to the future, it is called hope. But faith focuses on the present in order to change the future. Faith is in the now moment—not the past or the future.
Faith is required for prayer to be answered. Hebrews 11:1 is a verse we include in these messages often. That’s because it is a vital part of receiving anything from God. Read this verse again and again and ask the Holy Spirit to give you a revelation of what it means. Then spend time thinking about it—meditating on it. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Step #3 – Be persistent. God is true to His word. But when we remind Him, we must not accuse. Reverently remind Him why you believe His promise. The Saints of God did the same. And always listen for any correction or insight God may want to give to you.
You are in a relationship, not ordering at a fast food drive up. Sometimes we think God needs us and will certainly give us what we asked for to keep us happy. He doesn’t need us… He wants us to be in relationship with Him. You can’t just keep asking for things from someone you are in relationship with. You must communicate. And listen.
Luke 11:5-10 is a wonderful example Jesus taught about the power of persistence. “And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
In addition, there are several other parables that Jesus taught along this same subject of persistence. God is letting us know it’s okay to be persistent and that it’s even necessary at times in order to help us to establish our faith to receive our answer (Luke 18:3-8 and Galatians 6:9).
Persistent prayer is not begging God for His blessing; persistent prayer is standing in faith, unmoved from a position of expectation, knowing—that God is not only able to provide, but He also desires to answer your prayer.
You must “know that you know” God has heard you and is bringing you the answer, His promise according to His Word. That’s not easy, but for most, it’s easier than step two.
Step #4 – Be humble and contrite. Let God know that you will wait for an entire lifetime if that is His will. Of course, that isn’t His will, but He wants humility and surrender. He works best with vessels of clay. He may know of something that needs to change in you before He can answer your prayer. So, be open to His Spirit. Ask Him to search your heart, to challenge your motives, to help you establish your faith and follow His leading.
Let God know that you will press on for as long as it takes. Let God know you will do it His way, not your way, no matter what happens or doesn’t happen. Don’t tell God how to do His work. Don’t tell God when to do it. And don’t strap Him with conditions that are logical to your thinking, but which are rooted in selfishness or the flesh. Trust me, God doesn’t respond to that.
Not doing Step 4, keeps many from receiving from the Lord. Don’t be one of those who become bitter because God seemingly didn’t fulfill His promise. Instead, be grateful and don’t bicker or complain during the time of waiting. Instead…. act as if the answer has already been sent from heaven but simply isn’t visible yet. Tell others what God has already done. And have a grateful heart.
This is the most difficult step, but it is mandatory. Tell God (and mean it), that if He never answers your prayer, you will not be angry at Him and you will love Him and serve Him regardless. After all, look at what He has done for you already? Count those blessings again.
Step #5. Praise and Thanksgiving. Speaking of counting blessings… so often we neglect spending time in praise and thanksgiving before the answer is revealed. This step is mandatory in order to express our faith and faithfulness, while still remaining submitted. Staying in faith requires staying in praise and thanksgiving until the answer comes.
Don’t play games with God. Say what you believe, and always speak in agreement with the promise, not the problem. The words you are motivated to speak, let you know what is in your heart.
“…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” Matthew 12:34.
Keep your gaze on God and only glance at the problem occasionally. He will answer your prayer, if you are acting and thinking in agreement with His ways.
To help build your faith, try to memorize the following Scriptures and place them deep in your heart. Then read or recite them often (several times a day), thanking God that He has heard your prayer and is answering you.
“So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.!” (Mark 11:22- 24).
“Ask and it shall be given you: seek and you shall find: knock and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7).
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you [a]ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:12-14).
I believe if you’ll read, speak, and do, the Scriptures above often…soon your entire life and the lives of many others will be transformed. You will see and understand HOW God answers prayer. And how much He really does love you.
With God, nothing is impossible!
Dale and Paula Black
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