Tattooed Faith

“Why aren’t you listening?” I’ll take a guess and say we’ve all said this at least once on our walk with God. When our prayers go unanswered, it can test our faith or in some cases, it may be enough to make someone walk away from their faith altogether. This is why it is so important for us to stay in the word as much as possible. Reading our Bible is a sure-fire way to strengthen our faith. Not only does it strengthen our faith, but it also allows God to speak to us, promotes a relationship with Jesus, and can also provide answers to why our prayers went unanswered. Having my own experience of unanswered prayer, I’ve always had an interest in this topic. As I dove into the word, I not only found an abundance of bible verses explaining unanswered prayers, but also the reason why my prayer went unanswered for so long. The Bible itself does not mention the words “unanswered prayer” but quite a few imply it.

Before I go into the possible reasons why your prayer went unanswered, let me ask you this simple question. Do you believe God listens to each and every one of your prayers? We are so used to being let down and ignored by others, that the thought of someone listening to our every need and desire can seem far-fetched. If we read through the scripture, there are a few verses that assure us God does listen. One of these, just as an example, is Jeremiah 29:12, which tells us if we call to Him and pray, He will listen. Still, when we aren’t seeing our prayers being answered, it’s easy to lose hope. The question then becomes this- Can this loss of hope, or the formation of doubt, affect our prayers?

Starting in Matthew chapter 21, we can learn a lot from the lesson of the fig tree. In verse 19, Jesus came upon a fig tree that bared no fruit. As he spoke to it saying, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” the tree immediately withered away. Marveled by this, his disciples questioned how it withered away so quickly. To which, Jesus responded, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to this fig tree but even if you say to this mountain ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea’ and it will happen. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” This lesson teaches us that not only can we do great things through Christ, but also, we will receive anything we ask, as long as we believe. In contrast, we can say doubt would have the opposite effect. Doubt is also discussed in the book of James. The first passage (1:2-8) tells us to “count in all joy” when we fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience. It goes on to tell us if we lack the wisdom to pray for such. In verses 6-7 it says “But he must ask in faith, without doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect anything from the Lord.” Though this is referring to the wisdom we can ask God for, it still fits in with unanswered prayers. My understanding of this verse means without faith, our prayers are not as effective. This verse, along with the previously mentioned verse can help us see that doubt can hinder prayers.

The Israelites were God’s “chosen” people, but they were not exempt from sin. To make atonement for their sins, they would bring livestock sacrifices and burnt offerings to the temple, as was law. When the Israelites demanded a king like their surrounding countries, God granted them their wish. Though a few kings saw favor in the eyes of the Lord, many did not and lead the Israelites astray. They drifted away from the teachings of Moses and began worshipping Pagan gods. This is repeated many times throughout the Old Testament. I want to focus on a specific verse in the book of Isaiah. Near the end of the book, the author tells them, the Israelites, that their inequities have made a separation between them and God. It had also made God hide his face from them so he could not hear them. (Isaiah 59:2) Fortunately for us, we no longer have to sacrifice anything for the forgiveness of our sins because Jesus paid that price for us. Though we have to seek forgiveness through Him, it’s not just us that needs forgiveness. Let me explain. Matthew 6:14 tells us if we forgive those who have sinned against us, God will forgive us too. This is almost reworded again in Mark 11:25-26. This verse says, “and when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven will forgive you your sins.” Since sin separates us from God and causes God to hide his face from us, as shown in Isaiah 59:2, he cannot hear us when we pray. From this, we can imply sin can cause prayers to go unanswered.

As I researched this next topic, I noticed the bible had a lot to say about it. A few scriptures also point to unanswered prayers because of it. Starting in Proverbs, 21:3 says, “Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be heard.” Though it doesn’t specifically say anything about prayers, context can conclude us to assume it is. Jumping ahead to 1 Peter, a couple verses also apply to this reason. In 1 Peter 3:7, Peter writes to husbands informing them to be considerate while living with their wives. respect them as the weaker partner, and as their heir to the gracious gift of life so their prayers are not hindered. While it might’ve been addressed to husbands, I believe it could also apply to wives as well. The next verses (3:8-9) tell us to be like-minded, sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate, and humble. It goes on to say we should not respond to evil with evil or insult with insult. The final verse of this passage (3:12) explains the Lord’s eyes are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to our prayers, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. This being said, how we treat others can impact our prayers. A review of these verses can conclude us to say this.

Sometimes the reason our prayers go unanswered is deeper than our actions. To start this reason, let’s begin in the book of Job. Later on in the book, a man named Elihu approached Job after Job had called himself righteous in his own eyes. Elihu spoke to Job in 35:12-13 saying “…There they cry out, but he does not answer; because of the pride of evil men. Surely, God does not hear an empty cry, nor does the Almighty regard it.” Reading this, one could imply pride can affect our prayer. One of the Psalms also discusses what’s in our hearts. Psalms 66:18 says, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear”. This verse is pretty cut and dry, I don’t feel I need to explain that one. As we head into the New Testament, we go into the book of James. In this book, pride is also referenced. James 4: 3-6 starts off by saying “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”. Being human, it’s easy for us to get swept up in our own motives and disregard who we’re requesting these things from. This passage ends with 4:6 telling us God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. Reading these few verses, it’s clear to see what we hold in our hearts can make our prayers go unanswered.

This next reason is probably the most popular. When I’ve vented to others about an unanswered prayer, they have always told me “Maybe it’s not in God’s will for you to (xyz)”. They could be right, as the scripture does talk about this. First, in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Before commenting on this, I feel like 1 John 5:14-15 compliments it well. This verse says “And this is the confidence we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” Knowing God has a plan for each of us can bring so much comfort to unanswered prayers. Elaborating on 1 John 5:14-15, this means whether we do or don’t receive what we are asking for, we know that prayer was answered because we prayed for his will to be done. Jesus, himself, has experienced this. Recall moments before His arrest, Jesus came to the garden of Gethsemane, asking Peter and the two sons of Zebedee to keep watch. Going a little further, he fell to his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:36-38). He came back to find all three of them asleep. He then went out again twice to come back to the same result. Though it seems like a simple story, it shows that even the Son of God had an unanswered prayer. He prayed to God for another way, as crucifixion was the harshest punishment anyone could go through, but God remained silent because it was His will. This shows us, by Jesus’s example, that our prayers can go unanswered because it is against His will.

In this blog, I covered just a few reasons I was able to find. There are many more if we study in depth. I want to end this blog with an encouraging note. Whether the reason behind your unanswered prayer is because of doubt, sin, how you treated others, what’s in your heart, or simply because it’s God’s will…don’t give up! I want to remind you of what Jesus told his disciples in Luke 18:1-8. Here, Jesus tells his disciples the parable of the persistent widow. Jesus told them “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with a plea ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ For some time, he refused. But finally, he said to himself ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I see that she gets justice so that she won’t eventually attack me.” Jesus continued, “Listen to what the unjust judge says, and will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? I tell you; he will see that they get justice and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the Earth?” This parable is powerful. It reminds us that persistence is key. Don’t give up just because it’s not being answered, keep praying! If you want to know why your prayer is going unanswered, don’t be afraid to ask God for the answer! He will come through with an answer…as long as you’re in His word at least!