The Problem of Unanswered Prayer

Many Christians think of the problem of unanswered prayer as asking God for something but not getting what they asked for. This happens very often, but this is not what I mean by the problem of unanswered prayer. I believe the real problem for most of us is not that we don't get what we asked for, but it is when we don't get a reply from God. This is what we want to discuss here.


There are many ways by which God may answer my prayer. I may be in a situation that I am quite convinced that I want something and I ask for it. The answer that God gives me may be, "No, you can't have it, it's no good for you". Or, His answer may be, "Wait, the time is not ready yet". But that is not the real problem because there is an answer and I know for certain that God heard my prayer. The problem is, when the heaven seems like brass and I feel God is not listening and I am not gettign through to Him! There must be a hindrance somewhere.


It is certainly no fun having a one-way conversation with God. That is the major reason why some of us give up praying. That I believe is the most discouraging thing in prayer - when you feel that you are engaging in a one-way conversation. And a one-way conversation is not a conversation at all! How long can you keep up a conversation if the other person you speak to would not open his mouth? I mean, even with people it is so difficult, and therefore with God it is very discouraging if there is no reply! It seems that life has gone out of your prayer!


Biblical examples of unanswered prayer


Paul's problem


Consider Paul's "thorn in the flesh" experience (2 Corinthians 12:7 - 10). Three times Paul prayed that the Lord might remove it from him. The Lord did not reply him at first but finally the Lord said:


"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9, NKJV).


Paul was happy because it was not an unanswered prayer. It was not the answer he hoped for, but it was an answered prayer! The Lord did hear his prayer and answered him.


Job's problem


Job went through the experience of hindrance in prayer for many months.


Job complained to the Lord, "Then call, and I will answer, or let me speak, then You respond to me, How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin. Why do You hide Your face, and regard me Your enemy" (Job 13:22 - 24)?


"I cry out to You, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You regard me" (Job 30:20).


"Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, that my prosecutor had written a book" (Job 31:35)!


The psalmist's problem


In the Book of psalms we read of the psalmists crying out to God for response to their prayers. The following passages are from the psalms of David:


"Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not be silent at my tears; ..." (Ps. 39:12).


"Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me"(Ps. 27:7).


"Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer" (Ps. 61:1).


So we see, even David, the master of Psalm, prayer and praise, had his share of this problem of silence from God.


Major causes of the problem of unanswered prayer


There are many causes of the problem, but we are only concerned with the major ones. I believe it is important for us to search the Scripture to find out what are the causes of the problem of hindrances in our prayer. Otherwise, we may even blame God for keeping silense and we may easily think like Job that God is in the wrong when we can't get through to Him.


There are five major causes of the problem of unanswered prayer and we can be certain that God is not to be blamed for any of the five. Three of these are a breakdown in communication on the human side or on the earthly side of the conversation. Two of them are a breakdown in communication on the heavenly side.

The breakdown in communication on the earthy side is due to sin:


The psalmist said, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear" (Ps. 66:18).


Isaiah said that sins and iniquities have separated God from His people:


"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear" (Isaiah 59:1, 2, NKJV).


Breakdown in communication on the earthly side


The three major causes of the breakdown in communication on the earthly side are:


I am not right with God


There are two ways in which this can happen. My feeling about God may be wrong. That means I sin against Him in attitude. On the other hand, God's feelings about me may be wrong. That means I sin against Him in action. In other words, God may not approve of what I am doing. In either ways I sin against God.


I sin against God in attitude


My feelings about God may be wrong. I may be resentful toward Him and this may be a blockage. I can build up resentment against God because of the way my circumstances has turned out. The Scripture says, "In everything give thanks" (1 Thess. 5:18). But, I become too proud to thank Him in everything. Instead, I am in the habit of complaining against God if things do not go my way!


A good example of this is found in Job, who, at one stage of his suffering, complained to God:


"I cry out to You, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You regard me. But You have become cruel to me; with the strength of your hand You oppose me. You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it; You spoil my success" (Job 30:20 - 22).


God's response to Job came later and this is found in Job 38 and Job 39. Job changed his attitude toward God when he heard God said:


"Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer" (Job 40:2).


Job did not sin in action but he certainly sinned in attitude and God dealt with that - Job repented and God restored him (Job 42).


I sin against God in action


The other way in which I may have a blockage and not be right with God is in my action. That means I am consciously and deliberately continue to do something of which He does not approve. I can act against the truth of His Word or do things in contrary to His will for me.


Peter said, "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil" (1 Peter 3:12, emphasis added).


If I am in the habit of doing things that are evil in His sight and not pleasing to Him, He will not hear my prayer. The word "evil" here indicates something that God disapproved. Those who hold on to things that are disapproved by God sin against God in action.


I am not right with others


This is a very common hindrance to our prayer.


Peter said, "Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayer may not be hindered" (1 Peter 3:7).


If a husband does not treat his wife right, his prayer may be hindered. In other words, the husband cannot pray effectively.


There are two ways by which I can be wrong with people:


I cannot forgive someone


It may happen that I cannot forgive someone for what he has done to me. But Jesus said I must forgive him, otherwise He would not forgive me:


"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses" (Mark 11:25, 26, emphasis added).


The only condition in the Lord's Prayer is:


"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matt. 6:12).


Notice that Jesus considered this so important that He repeated saying it immediately after He had finished teaching His disciples how to pray (Matt. 6:14, 15)!


My brother cannot forgive me


This is not so easy to understand and it surprises me, at first glance, to discover this in the scripture and that Jesus did say this:


"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. Fisrt be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matt. 5:23, 24, emphasis added).


We need to take note of the difference between the above two passages of Scripture (Mark and Matthew). In Matthew 5 Jesus was speaking about a "brother" who has something against you. But in Mark 11 Jesus was referring to "anyone" (a believer or an unbeliever) who might be offended by you. Jesus used the word "brother" to refer to His covenant people who do His will (Matt. 12:49, 50). In other words, a brother is a true Christian.


The word "therefore" indicates the conclusion of something Jesus said a verse earlier (Verse 22). This brother was insulted because of two things - being called "Raca" which means "worthless one" in Aramaic, and being called a "fool".


Therefore, if I have insulted my brother in Christ and because of my wrong doing he cannot forgive me, then I must take the initiative to reconcile with him. Failing which there is a breakdown of communication with the Lord.


I am not right with myself


This I think is the most extraordinary problem. Many of us are too busy to pray or read the Bible daily. As believers we are expected to spend quality time with the Lord daily. We are not right with ourselves if we fail to do that. We are always too busy for the Lord if we fail to put our priorities right.


Martin Luther was a very busy man. When someone asked him his plan for tomorrow, he answered, "Work, work, and more work from early until late. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer".


Luther knew that prayer paves the highway of accomplishment. To this end he prayed, often and persistent. Through prayer and Bible study Luther learned that Satan's goal in fighting the people of God is to make them think they pray too much and work too little! Martin Luther, examining his Church, noted a frightful emphasis on works, but little on prayer and faith. From this burning conviction sprang the Reformation - a movement shifting balance from the physical to the spiritual and from works to faith.


In my opinion, it is good to let our prayer life be integrated with the rest of the daily demand of our life if we wish to see our prayer getting through to God without hindrance.


Breakdown in communication on the heavenly side


There are two hindrances that can come from the heavenly side and break down the communication from that end.


Satan is fighting me


It is far too easy to blame Satan for the first three hindrances. This could happen, but not necessarily so. It is more likely, becuse of our flesh (the "old man" or the carnal nature in us), that we are not right with God, not right with others, or not right with ourselves. After having exhausted those three causes we can be quite certain that Satan is trying to discourage us.


The Bible clearly tells us Satan has, in his command, legions of evil angels or demons. They are intelligent spirit beings without bodies and they get in the way of our prayer. We have seen this in Chapter 10, the Book of Daniel. When Daniel was praying he had God's angel and Satan's angel fighting over his prayer. The answer to Daniel's prayer came only after Michael, the Archangel of God had overcome Satan's angel.


As we have seen in many of my recent messages, Spiritual Warfare is going on all the time. My prayer is not getting through because warfare tends to break lines of communication. If I feel that Satan is hindering the communication I must against Satan in the Name of Jesus and use every weapon I can from the armory of God.


God deliberately not replying me


It is difficult to understand why would God deliberatly not reply when I am right with Him, right with others, right with myself and resisting Satan. To me there is only one possible answer - He wants me to move up in "The School of Prayer"; He wants me to increase my prayer effort; He wants me to pray a little harder; He wants me to exercise more of my faith in Him and He wants me to grow spiritually.


Andrew Murray, a great man of prayer once said, "When the Lord wants to lead someone to great faith, He leaves his prayer unheard".


Finally, I believe when you know God and when you have God, you have the answers to all your prayers, irrespective whether He acknowledges you immediately or He wants you to go through a season of waiting. That is the reason I believe the goal of all prayers is to know God!