DOES GOD ANSWER PRAYER?
The short answer is yes. God answers every prayer. If that is the case, then why do some of our prayers seem to go unanswered? Why is it we must pray for months or years to see them come? Does God really listen at all?
These are tough questions, because all of us have the shared experience of answered and unanswered prayers. It sometimes feels that the cosmic reply is often random, like God has too much to do and occasionally will thrown some of our prayers at us while some get tossed away. But the real question is this: is the issue with unanswered prayers with God or with us?
First off, let’s be clear on this issue: God is not a genie who grants us whatever we want. This is a failed concept to many who don’t understand the idea of relationship. So we will start there, with the relationship.
RELATIONSHIP
Communication is necessary for relationship. Without it, a relationship dies. What happens to a husband and wife who choose to be busy with their careers and let the communication between them go? The relationship withers, new interests overtake them, and perhaps over years there is atrophy and finally estrangement. When communication is severed, then the authenticity of the relationship, the core of it, dies.
It is the same with our relationship with God. Prayer is the main source of communication we have with God (Jeremiah 33:3, James 4:8). In these two verses we see something important: Communication with God is not a passive thing. Draw close to God and He will draw close to you. Just like in any relationship, we have to pursue that person in order to show our interest. To prove that we are committed. To prove that we have a desire for relationship.
The very first item, when discussing prayer, is to see if we are committed to communicating with God. In other words, do we desire to have this relationship. Why is this important? Because when we pray, our motivation must be right.
MOTIVATION
Motivation is one of the key ingredients that underscores anything we do in life. For instance, when applying for a job, do we want it so we can contribute to a company we believe in and be paid for it, or do we just need a place to be to pay the bills. You see, our motivations in that scenario can be quite different. Are we there for the passion or for the end result?
This is key to our prayer life. So many of our prayers are self-serving. “Please Lord, get me out of this situation!” “Please help me make enough money so I don’t have to worry!” “Please help me find the right car!” Now, none of these prayers are inherently bad; the bible tells us to come to God with all types of requests (Ephesians 6:18).
We have to get the motivation right first. In the examples given, we could make the argument that these prayers have to do with our comfort level. What we often get into as humans is attempting to control our environment. Our prayers can often reflect this. “Lord, I need a new car.” This is probably true if you are praying it. But what is the story behind it? Do you need a new car because the one you have is having issues, do you need one because you are tired of the one you have, or are you at a point in your life that you really need to trade up to be equivalent to others? You see, the motivation can be different in every scenario. The bigger question is this: are any, or all of these scenarios, self-serving?
In Daniel 9:1-3, we see a situation develop. Daniel understands that, through his reading of the scriptures that the prophecy of Jeremiah is about to come to pass for the Israelites. In this, he want’s to urgently appeal to God to expedite the freedom of the Jews form Babylon. So what does he do? He dons the sackcloth, the ashes and fasts before he prays.
In this example, we have one of the most earnest men in all of scripture preparing himself for prayer. Although we don’t mourn this way in our culture, the point is this: Daniel gets his motivation right before he prays. He puts himself into a state of humility before he even addresses God.
Do we do this? Do we put the time and energy into preparing our heart for honest communication with God? Or do we simply list our desires and wonder why he isn’t fulfilling them immediately? When you honestly and deeply communicate with someone else, it is different than just surface talk. There is a depth to the conversation, a new level of trust reached. It is the same with God when we come honestly, with humility.
GLORY TO GOD
When we pray, do we ever acknowledge the source of all we have? Do we give glory and thanks to God before we even begin asking for what we want? In the example of Daniel, that’s the very first thing he does. He acknowledges God first, thanks him and acknowledges that he is the source of everything (Daniel 9:4). In this example we can see something very important in the way that Daniel approaches God. First, he understands that he needs to approach God with humility (motivation is correct). Second, he needs to remember that God is the source of everything. If God is the source of everything (love, mercy, provision), then shouldn’t we too acknowledge that before we ask for our desires?
When we get the first part right, it changes the second part. For instance, let’s go back to the car prayer. “I need a new car!” If we first approach God with a sense of humility and get motivation right and glorify God before we even ask what we want, could it not change the prayer? I come in thinking that I need a new car, but I humble up, realize God has always provided for me, and then realize my prayer isn’t really about a new car but I need reliable transportation. That could mean more than a new car. This is the space God operates in.
OUR DESIRES VS. GOD’S PERSPECTIVE
We come to God with a host of wants, but God knows what we need. Notice the difference? We want, but God provides the need. Here is the burning question: do we really know what we need? In the car scenario, we thought we needed a new car, but what the heart of the matter really was was transportation. The problem with we humans is that we think we know what we need and then pray for what we want. This is a base form of control. I need a new car. It will check a lot of boxes in my life. It will be reliable. It will make me feel good. It will satisfy a need in me.
But this isn’t God’s perspective. The whole idea behind getting our motivation right first, then approaching God knowing that He is God and we must glorify Him, is to get our head out of our selfish desires, out of our deep-set need to satisfy ourselves. To shift our thinking so that we aren’t praying for our wants but connecting with God in such a way that we are understanding our needs. God answers prayers based on our needs, not our wants.
And this forms the basis of our feeling that God doesn’t answer prayers or, at the very least, He is selective in what He grants. The bible tells us that God answers prayers (1 John 5:14-15). But let’s counter that with James 4:3. He says you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. Guess what, that is motivation!
God answers all prayers. Sometimes he answers them directly and quickly. Other times it may take years. Sometimes it is answered in an indirect way. Other times, the answer is no. But those are all answers. And here comes the next inherent problem. What if the answer is no or we don’t agree with the result?
SUBMISSION
We have to understand something very clearly: we don’t always agree with God’s decision. We pray diligently for the healing of a loved one and it doesn’t come. We pray for a job and the job doesn’t work out. We look for understanding and don’t find it. It can lead us to the conclusion that God doesn’t listen or prayer is useless.
Let me ask you this: do you agree with everything your government does? What about your parents, did you agree with every decision they made for you? Does your boss always fall into alignment with exactly how you would conduct things at work?
God doesn’t ask for input on decisions. He makes the decisions and we deal with it. Authority is one of the hardest things for humans to submit to. In our American culture, we’re taught to question and oppose authority. There is nothing wrong with questioning and understanding authority, but the bible is very clear on the question of authority. It tells us that human authority is set there by God, and to go up against it is questioning God’s motives.
That is hard enough to swallow just on a human level. We’re supposed to just take it? As long as it isn’t in contradiction to God, the bible says yes. We’re supposed to submit to human authority. Why? because if we have trouble submitting to human authority, how indeed are we going to learn to submit fully to God? When you look at your prayer life and wonder why God isn’t answering your prayers, you look at the futility of life and how there is injustice everywhere, you may come to the conclusion that you aren’t in agreement with God’s decisions.
So let’s look at that on a prayer level. When you pray and God doesn’t give you what you want, or serves it up a little different, or says no, what is the response? God doesn’t listen to my prayers. God doesn’t want me to be happy. God may not even be there.
If we look at it a little deeper, our problems with authority directly relate to our prayer life. What God demands is that we put Him first (Exodus 20) and everything else, even family, career, interests, all be put behind this relationship. You see, when we can’t submit to God, when can’t get the motivation right, when can’t come to glorify him despite our situation, then our prayers, our direct line of communication with God, will be compromised. If we get the foundational part right, then we will see clearer the answers to our prayers.
The short answer is yes. God answers every prayer. If that is the case, then why do some of our prayers seem to go unanswered? Why is it we must pray for months or years to see them come? Does God really listen at all?
These are tough questions, because all of us have the shared experience of answered and unanswered prayers. It sometimes feels that the cosmic reply is often random, like God has too much to do and occasionally will thrown some of our prayers at us while some get tossed away. But the real question is this: is the issue with unanswered prayers with God or with us?
First off, let’s be clear on this issue: God is not a genie who grants us whatever we want. This is a failed concept to many who don’t understand the idea of relationship. So we will start there, with the relationship.
RELATIONSHIP
Communication is necessary for relationship. Without it, a relationship dies. What happens to a husband and wife who choose to be busy with their careers and let the communication between them go? The relationship withers, new interests overtake them, and perhaps over years there is atrophy and finally estrangement. When communication is severed, then the authenticity of the relationship, the core of it, dies.
It is the same with our relationship with God. Prayer is the main source of communication we have with God (Jeremiah 33:3, James 4:8). In these two verses we see something important: Communication with God is not a passive thing. Draw close to God and He will draw close to you. Just like in any relationship, we have to pursue that person in order to show our interest. To prove that we are committed. To prove that we have a desire for relationship.
The very first item, when discussing prayer, is to see if we are committed to communicating with God. In other words, do we desire to have this relationship. Why is this important? Because when we pray, our motivation must be right.
MOTIVATION
Motivation is one of the key ingredients that underscores anything we do in life. For instance, when applying for a job, do we want it so we can contribute to a company we believe in and be paid for it, or do we just need a place to be to pay the bills. You see, our motivations in that scenario can be quite different. Are we there for the passion or for the end result?
This is key to our prayer life. So many of our prayers are self-serving. “Please Lord, get me out of this situation!” “Please help me make enough money so I don’t have to worry!” “Please help me find the right car!” Now, none of these prayers are inherently bad; the bible tells us to come to God with all types of requests (Ephesians 6:18).
We have to get the motivation right first. In the examples given, we could make the argument that these prayers have to do with our comfort level. What we often get into as humans is attempting to control our environment. Our prayers can often reflect this. “Lord, I need a new car.” This is probably true if you are praying it. But what is the story behind it? Do you need a new car because the one you have is having issues, do you need one because you are tired of the one you have, or are you at a point in your life that you really need to trade up to be equivalent to others? You see, the motivation can be different in every scenario. The bigger question is this: are any, or all of these scenarios, self-serving?
In Daniel 9:1-3, we see a situation develop. Daniel understands that, through his reading of the scriptures that the prophecy of Jeremiah is about to come to pass for the Israelites. In this, he want’s to urgently appeal to God to expedite the freedom of the Jews form Babylon. So what does he do? He dons the sackcloth, the ashes and fasts before he prays.
In this example, we have one of the most earnest men in all of scripture preparing himself for prayer. Although we don’t mourn this way in our culture, the point is this: Daniel gets his motivation right before he prays. He puts himself into a state of humility before he even addresses God.
Do we do this? Do we put the time and energy into preparing our heart for honest communication with God? Or do we simply list our desires and wonder why he isn’t fulfilling them immediately? When you honestly and deeply communicate with someone else, it is different than just surface talk. There is a depth to the conversation, a new level of trust reached. It is the same with God when we come honestly, with humility.
GLORY TO GOD
When we pray, do we ever acknowledge the source of all we have? Do we give glory and thanks to God before we even begin asking for what we want? In the example of Daniel, that’s the very first thing he does. He acknowledges God first, thanks him and acknowledges that he is the source of everything (Daniel 9:4). In this example we can see something very important in the way that Daniel approaches God. First, he understands that he needs to approach God with humility (motivation is correct). Second, he needs to remember that God is the source of everything. If God is the source of everything (love, mercy, provision), then shouldn’t we too acknowledge that before we ask for our desires?
When we get the first part right, it changes the second part. For instance, let’s go back to the car prayer. “I need a new car!” If we first approach God with a sense of humility and get motivation right and glorify God before we even ask what we want, could it not change the prayer? I come in thinking that I need a new car, but I humble up, realize God has always provided for me, and then realize my prayer isn’t really about a new car but I need reliable transportation. That could mean more than a new car. This is the space God operates in.
OUR DESIRES VS. GOD’S PERSPECTIVE
We come to God with a host of wants, but God knows what we need. Notice the difference? We want, but God provides the need. Here is the burning question: do we really know what we need? In the car scenario, we thought we needed a new car, but what the heart of the matter really was was transportation. The problem with we humans is that we think we know what we need and then pray for what we want. This is a base form of control. I need a new car. It will check a lot of boxes in my life. It will be reliable. It will make me feel good. It will satisfy a need in me.
But this isn’t God’s perspective. The whole idea behind getting our motivation right first, then approaching God knowing that He is God and we must glorify Him, is to get our head out of our selfish desires, out of our deep-set need to satisfy ourselves. To shift our thinking so that we aren’t praying for our wants but connecting with God in such a way that we are understanding our needs. God answers prayers based on our needs, not our wants.
And this forms the basis of our feeling that God doesn’t answer prayers or, at the very least, He is selective in what He grants. The bible tells us that God answers prayers (1 John 5:14-15). But let’s counter that with James 4:3. He says you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. Guess what, that is motivation!
God answers all prayers. Sometimes he answers them directly and quickly. Other times it may take years. Sometimes it is answered in an indirect way. Other times, the answer is no. But those are all answers. And here comes the next inherent problem. What if the answer is no or we don’t agree with the result?
SUBMISSION
We have to understand something very clearly: we don’t always agree with God’s decision. We pray diligently for the healing of a loved one and it doesn’t come. We pray for a job and the job doesn’t work out. We look for understanding and don’t find it. It can lead us to the conclusion that God doesn’t listen or prayer is useless.
Let me ask you this: do you agree with everything your government does? What about your parents, did you agree with every decision they made for you? Does your boss always fall into alignment with exactly how you would conduct things at work?
God doesn’t ask for input on decisions. He makes the decisions and we deal with it. Authority is one of the hardest things for humans to submit to. In our American culture, we’re taught to question and oppose authority. There is nothing wrong with questioning and understanding authority, but the bible is very clear on the question of authority. It tells us that human authority is set there by God, and to go up against it is questioning God’s motives.
That is hard enough to swallow just on a human level. We’re supposed to just take it? As long as it isn’t in contradiction to God, the bible says yes. We’re supposed to submit to human authority. Why? because if we have trouble submitting to human authority, how indeed are we going to learn to submit fully to God? When you look at your prayer life and wonder why God isn’t answering your prayers, you look at the futility of life and how there is injustice everywhere, you may come to the conclusion that you aren’t in agreement with God’s decisions.
So let’s look at that on a prayer level. When you pray and God doesn’t give you what you want, or serves it up a little different, or says no, what is the response? God doesn’t listen to my prayers. God doesn’t want me to be happy. God may not even be there.
If we look at it a little deeper, our problems with authority directly relate to our prayer life. What God demands is that we put Him first (Exodus 20) and everything else, even family, career, interests, all be put behind this relationship. You see, when we can’t submit to God, when can’t get the motivation right, when can’t come to glorify him despite our situation, then our prayers, our direct line of communication with God, will be compromised. If we get the foundational part right, then we will see clearer the answers to our prayers.