Unanswered Prayers?

kally

New Member
There are times when I wonder why my prayers do not get answered and it seems like alot. I was first starting to wonder if I had been praying the wrong way or maybe the answer was just no and I should give up, but when does one give know when to stop praying for something when it does not happen?

I have always been told to keep the faith, but I get confused if I should keep praying or if that answer is no. Then i did some research online about it and came acoss this site:


http://www.victorious.org/unprayer.htm

Does God really work this way? I did not think this to be so. Thanks.
 
There are times when I wonder why my prayers do not get answered and it seems like alot. I was first starting to wonder if I had been praying the wrong way or maybe the answer was just no and I should give up, but when does one give know when to stop praying for something when it does not happen?

I have always been told to keep the faith, but I get confused if I should keep praying or if that answer is no. Then i did some research online about it and came acoss this site:


http://www.victorious.org/unprayer.htm

Does God really work this way? I did not think this to be so. Thanks.

IF YOU ARE A BELIEVER:

Hmmm. A lot of people think and answered prayer is God answering a prayer in THEIR favor soon after the time it is offered to Him. If a prayer request is not granted, people start to think that it is not answered.

However, I don't think that's a good understanding of prayer. What we have to remember is that sometimes God answers "no" or "wait." God only promises to grant our prayers when we ask according to His will. 1 John 5:14-15 tells us, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of Him.”

Praying according to God’s will is praying for things that honor and glorify God and/or praying for things the Bible clearly reveals it is God’s will for us to have. If we pray for something that is not honoring to God or not God’s will for our lives, God will not give what we ask for. We can know what God's will is because God promises to give us wisdom when we ask for it.

James 1:5 proclaims, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

Familiarize yourself with what the Bible says about God’s will for your life. The better we understand God’s Word, the better we will know what to pray for. The better we know what to pray for, the more effective our prayer lives will be.
 
IF YOU ARE A NON-BELIEVER (someone who maybe "believes" but continues knowingly and purposely in their sinful ways, hasn't repented, etc.) -

John 9:31 declares, “We know that God does not hear sinners, but those who worship Him and do His will, those He hears.” It has also been said that "the only prayer that God hears from a sinner is the prayer for salvation." As a result of this Scripture, some believe that God does not hear and/or will never answer the prayers of an unbeliever. In context, though, the Scripture is saying that God does not perform miracles through an unbeliever. The following Scriptures describe God hearing and answering the prayers of an unbeliever. 1 John 5:14-15 tells us that God answers prayers based on whether they are asked according to His will. This principle, perhaps, applies to unbelievers. If an unbeliever asks a prayer of God that is according to His will, nothing prevents God from answering such a prayer – according to His will.

In examining the following passages, in most of these cases prayer was involved. In one or two, God responded to the cry of the heart (it is not stated whether that cry was directed toward God). In some of these cases, the prayer seems to be combined with repentance. But in other cases, the prayer was simply for an earthly need or blessing, and God responded either out of compassion or in response to the genuine seeking or faith of the person. Here are some passages dealing with prayer by an unbeliever:

The people of Ninevah; Jonah 3:5-10; that Ninevah might be spared.

Hagar and Ishmael; Genesis 21:14-19; not so much a prayer as a cry of the heart concerning her son who was close to death.

Ahab; 1 Kings 21:17-29; esp. v. 27-29; Ahab fasts and mourns over Elijah's prophecy concerning his posterity. God responds by not bringing about the calamity in Ahab's time.

The woman from the Tyre and Sidon area; Mark 7:24-30; that Jesus would deliver her daughter from a demon.

Cornelius, the Roman centurion; Acts 10; the prayer request is not stated (Acts 10:30), but he is shown the way of salvation.

God does make promises that are applicable for all (saved and unsaved alike) such as Jeremiah 29:13: "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." This was the case for Cornelius in Acts 10:1-6. But there are many promises that, according to the context of the passages, are for Christians alone. Because Christians have received Christ, we are encouraged to come boldly unto the throne of grace to find help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16). We are told that when we ask for anything according to God's will, He hears and gives us what we ask for (1 John 5:14-15). There are many other promises for Christians concerning prayer as well (Matthew 21:22; John 14:13; John 15:7). So, yes, there are instances in which God does not answer the prayers of an unbeliever. At the same time, in His grace and mercy, God can intervene in the lives of unbelievers in response to their prayers.

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1011693&item_no=52182X
 
Thanks Guys. I think I have been praying the wrong way. I think its my whole approach when I pray. For instance I was always told to have to be very detailed in what you want, so what I was doing was giving God a time limit as well and how and why and that is why I think I am thinking my prayers was going un answered.

If God's Answer is no, can he take away the desire for what it is you wanted, so you don't gets your hopes up about it?
 
Thanks Guys. I think I have been praying the wrong way. I think its my whole approach when I pray. For instance I was always told to have to be very detailed in what you want, so what I was doing was giving God a time limit as well and how and why and that is why I think I am thinking my prayers was going un answered.

If God's Answer is no, can he take away the desire for what it is you wanted, so you don't gets your hopes up about it?

He certainly can if you ask him to.

When I had to end a relationship with someone who was no good for me, I'd ask God to remove my feelings for that person and he did.
 
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