Photo courtesy of Freepik.
Does God Really Answer All Prayers?
The short answer is this: No, God does not necessarily answer all prayers. Prayer is a popular spiritual discipline among Christian believers. Every Christian wishes that God would answer their prayer because we all enjoy answered prayers. Sadly, some prayers do not get answered according to one’s expectations. So, why does God fail to answer some prayers? For us to answer this question, we’d have to distinguish what prayer is and what it is not.
Prayer is NOT:
- Coercing or cajoling an unwilling God to do what we want- God wants to answer our prayers more than we wish He would!
- Demanding the fulfillment of our selfish desires- Our new nature in Christ compels us to make prayers that align with God’s will.
Prayer is;
- Presenting a plea to our Father asking Him to fulfill His promise to us. So, prayer is actually less about us and more about God Himself. Therefore, prayer should be made IN LIGHT OF what God has said, not WHAT I WANT. In short, I must ask myself: What does God say about this matter? Then I pray according to what He has said. I should declare what He has said! That is prayer!
When should I not pray?
- When you already know God’s will over a matter. For example, there is no need to ask God to protect you while you go out to steal! He has already opposed this habit.
- When you have no intention of obeying– If you know that you will disobey God even after He reveals His will, then it’s better if you do not waste time praying.
Why does God not answer all prayers?
Some prayers do not fit in God’s purpose–
A prayer can meet all the principles of faith, but still go unanswered if it falls outside God’s plan. For example, in Luke 22:43, Jesus asks the Father to remove the cup, but the request is not granted. In this case, it is not unbelief or unrighteousness that caused the Father to deny Jesus’ request. Instead, the Father wanted the Son to go through the painful process for our sake. Likewise, we sometimes make well-intentioned prayers, which God refuses to answer because He has a better plan.
God exercises sovereignty over our lives and the world-
Due to the freedom we enjoy as civilized societies, we always forget that God retains sovereignty over our lives. In Romans 7:4, Paul makes it clear that we died to the Law that we might belong to Christ. In Genesis 1:1, God created us. Typically, he who creates something owns it! For example, no one can use Apple’s logo or any other intellectual property without the company’s permission. Likewise, God owns us, and He has the right to do with us whatever He deems fit, even if it is uncomfortable. This is one reality that we should never forget when praying. We should, therefore, approach prayer as something that God has the final say over.
Sometimes we pray when we should be playing our part.
Believers often see prayer as the solution to every problem they face in their lives. Every believer should learn this: Prayer does not replace responsibility. Some challenges require more man-based solutions than spiritual interventions. In other cases, our prayers should be followed by actions. It is irresponsible to pray for business success while insulting or mishandling your clients. No amount of praying will save you!
What if I do not pray? The pitfalls of prayerlessness.
It can be discouraging to hear that God will not always answer some of our prayers. This frustration may lead to a prayerless life, but wait! You’d rather make a prayer that does not receive an immediate answer than resort to prayerlessness. There are many dangers of a prayerless life, as expounded below.
Prayerlessness makes you prone to temptations and sin–
In Luke 22:46, Jesus asked the disciples to pray to avoid falling into temptations. However, they did not heed the warning. Subsequently, they all fell into the temptation of abandoning and denying Jesus. One may ask: Does prayer keep me away from temptations? No, but it strengthens you to overcome. Jesus did not say, “pray that you may not encounter temptations” but “that you may not FALL.” If we refuse to pray, we’ll make ourselves an easy target for the enemy.
A prayerless life interferes with your ability to hear God’s voice-
Although God does not require us to meet any conditions for Him to speak, prayer creates an atmosphere that makes it easier for us to discern His voice. How are we to hear the Spirit who “searches the deep things of God and makes them known to us that we know what’s freely given to us” (1 Corinthians 2:10) if we’re distracted by worldly things?
Weak fellowship with the Holy Spirit–
In the absence of prayer, flesh dominates, making it hard for us to interact productively with the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5:17-21, Paul says that the flesh and Spirit wage war against each other. It, therefore, means that when the Holy Spirit does not lead our lives, we become prone to fleshly desires.
Prayerlessness is a source of confusion–
When we are not praying, we become susceptible to too many voices. The enemy can easily capitalize and sow confusion. In contrast, when we pray, we have clarity because we have only one voice- the Holy Spirit.
Why must I pray? Why can’t God just act since He’s omniscient?
Many people ask a very genuine question. Why should we pray yet God, in His omniscience, knows what I want? In fact, Mathew 6:8 confirms that the Father knows what we need even before pray. Why then would He require us to pray instead of just supplying what we need?
We permit God through prayer–
God is sovereign and omniscient but hardly intervenes in humans’ affairs uninvited. Prayer authorizes God to operate in our lives. That is why it is important to pray when you feel tempted. By praying, you’re invoking and receiving the power of God to overcome temptations. In Mathew 13:58, Jesus was unable to do many miracles because the people in His hometown did not have faith in Him. This is a perfect illustration of why God requires us to pray. It seems like God avoids offering unsolicited assistance.
Prayer bolsters fellowship–
God’s sole reason for creating man was to fellowship with him. Ephesians 1:5 confirms that God decided in advance that He’d adopt us into His family and that this decision “gave Him great pleasure” (NLT). Prayer gives us this wonderful time to interact with our Father.
Prayer suppresses the flesh–
It is during prayer that the fleshly desires get crushed or suppressed. When our prayer is based on the realities we have in Christ, it works wonders against the flesh. As we make biblical declarations, our minds shift and align with the Word. As a result, it becomes almost impossible for the flesh to continue asserting its power over us.
More spiritual insights or revelation
Sometimes, we receive new revelations through prayer. Remember that prayer is simply interacting with a Father who is already willing to engage you. The apostles were prayerful people (Acts 3:1-12; Acts 12:5-14). No wonder they were used by the Lord in such a mighty way. Even today, some of the most effective ministers are prayerful.
Discovering God’s will–
In prayer, we discover what God wants to achieve with our lives. From my experience, I have noted that it is extremely easy to discern God’s will when prayer becomes a lifestyle. I am not saying that God reveals everything, but He guides in the things that matter.
Prayer is a time to exercise our (limited) sovereignty/free will–
We should never forget that while God is sovereign, He grants us some autonomy. God would have to be a dictator and manipulator if He controlled everything. Instead, He has allowed us to be in charge of some aspects of our lives. What we allow with our prayerfulness or prayerlessness is what He respects- whether good or bad! In Esther 4:1-17, some Jews had been killed by Haman, yet the same killings stopped when Esther and other Israelites prayed! God has delegated many duties, such as casting out demons, to us. Prayer time allows us to exercise this power.
We grow spiritually through prayer
Spiritual maturity takes various disciplines, one of which is prayer. As we trust God and see His interventions, our faith and wisdom grow. As we pray and hear the Father whispering to us, we learn how to discern and apply His voice to our lives. Failing to pray is, therefore, choosing spiritual stagnation.
Is there a right way to pray?
Why is it that some prayers do not get answered despite a believer’s fervency? Well, that is because there is a proper way to pray.
Pray in the knowledge of God’s character–
Even before praying, we should ask ourselves whether we grasp the heart, mind, and character of the Father. This understanding will shape how we pray, thus guaranteeing results. So, what’s the character of God? 1. He is eager to answer His children. This knowledge should cause us to pray more and with enthusiasm. If you look at Jesus, He never displayed desperation or doubt in prayer time. He knew the Father too well. 2. God knows better than we do. This understanding should motivate us even when our prayer is not answered immediately. 3. God loves everyone. This should caution us against making selfish prayers. Asking God to bless you at the expense of others, praying for someone who wronged you to die, or anything else that elevates your pride will not be answered. Jesus said that the Father would answer every prayer made in His name so the Son can be glorified. There is no formula for effective prayer; everything starts and ends with knowing’s God character. This understanding changes everything related to our attitude and faith during prayer.
Pray in light of God’s plans– Ephesians 1:4 and 2:10 show that God had a plan for us from the onset. Our prayer, therefore, should be based on the things that God wants to achieve in and through us. Our prayer lives will be very frustrating when based on the things we want rather than the plans God has for us.
