Weekly Devotional 3-7-22 Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayers?
If you have been a Christian for long you have been asked by someone, “Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?” Perhaps you have asked that question yourself. This question may come after prolonged periods of distress of one kind or another. It may come after seeking God’s direction in some matter, or asking for someone’s salvation, especially a loved one, a spouse, a son, or a daughter, but nothing seems to happen. It is hard to answer such a question, but we should understand God has heard our prayer. He has answered it either by acting upon the request, saying no to it, or has determined to answer it later. Many times we pray with a wrong motive and this clouds our view of His will. We should always pray with His will and glory in mind. This is why, in last week’s devotional, we suggested that it is best to pray about something and then pause for a time, thinking about the prayer we just prayed before moving on with another praise or request. This gives His Spirit time to speak with our spirit. Not that His Spirit is restricted by our continual praying (talking), but it restricts us. It is hard to hear (sense) His voice if we continue praying (talking).
God is the personification of love and He demonstrated that love by sacrificing His only begotten son (Jesus) for the benefit of man. Why would He not answer the prayers of those He died for? God does answer prayer and Jesus assured His disciples of this truth in His sermon on the mount. Consider His words recorded by Matthew: “7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:7-11). God wants to answer our prayers and give us those things that are good for us. Good for us, according to His infinite wisdom.
But what about Butch (A randomly selected name) someone might ask, I have been praying for him for years and he seems further away from God than ever? Such a question is hard to, if impossible to answer. But remember, God is at work. He has motivated you to pray for Butch for years, hasn’t He? We do not know what the interaction between God and Butch is. We do know that God has sent His Spirit to Butch to convict him of sin (See John 16:8) and we also know that God will not drag Butch into heaven kicking and screaming. God will not force Butch to turn from sin, to Him, it must be Butch’s decision. A notable example of this is the apostle, Paul. Paul, formally known as Saul of Tarsus was a persecutor of the church. He went about arresting and committing Christians to prison, some even do death. But God was using those very Christians to convict Saul of sin and one day on the way to Damascus that conviction hit him hard, and he turned to Jesus for forgiveness and salvation (See Acts, chapter 9). In our finite minds we do not know what the interaction between God and Butch is. But we do know that God so loved Butch that He gave His only begotten Son that if Butch would turn to Him for forgiveness and salvation, He would save him (See John 3:16). Further He sent His Spirit to convict him of his sin and his need of a Savior.
As to the prayers of a non-Christian who may be reading this, I am not sure that God is obligated to answer your prayers, other than a prayer of confession and seeking forgiveness of your sin. God has obligated Himself to such a prayer because of the sacrifice of Jesus and because, believe it or not, He loves you.
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