First of all God ALWAYS answers prayer. It's just that sometimes the answer is "no" and sometimes the answer is "wait."
Second, what are you praying for? If we want to have our prayers answered, we need to adjust our prayer requests so they are more likely to get a "yes." For example, praying for money is not going to get a positive return on your prayer. Why? Because The Bible says that "the love of money is the root of all evil." However, if you were running an orphanage and there was no more money to feed all of the babies, and you prayed for financial help so the children wouldn't starve, it is far more likely that God will respond in a positive way. HIS way.
We have to remember that God is God. WE ARE NOT!
After King David committed adultery and murder, he massively repented after he got busted for it. He prayed for days in tears, humbly seeking God's forgiveness. He asked God for a clean heart and he was given one. This is David's prayer.
"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. 14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise." - Psalm 51:1-17
Now that's a prayer! And God granted David's prayer.
Another reason God doesn't answer our prayers could be because of some unrepentant sin our lives. Having sex outside of marriage is a big one. If you are in an adulterous relationship, if you are having sex before, or outside of marriage, think about it. Why would God answer your prayers? Seriously? Read this.
"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness." - Isaiah 59:1-3
That's pretty clear.
But the Bible says that we are ALL sinners. How can we even hope to have our prayers answered? That's simple. Repent. Seek forgiveness first for any and all of your sins. Repent means a change of direction. Jesus told the woman caught in adultery to "go and sin no more." The same words apply to us.
"So, why should we pray if all we are praying for is what God wants anyway?"
Do you call yourself a Christian? What does that mean? It means that you are a follower of Christ. It means you want to be like Him. It means that you have given up your old way of life for His. Basically, if we are not living like Christ, why should God hear our prayers? Why should He answer them?
Let's face it. We ALL sin. So why does God even answer our prayers at all. If we are sincere, come before Him in humble prayer, seek His forgiveness and THEN ask, God wouold be more likely to answer in our favor.
God is not like a genie in a bottle that we rub to make him appear and grant us three wishes, God is God! We're lucky to even be alive considering all the things we have done that are against Hus will.
God WILL answer our prayers but only if doing so lines up with His plan for our lives. Only if HE gets the glory and the reward and not us. Does that make sense?
God hears our prayers. And God will always answer them. It's just that sometimes, God does not always the answer WE want, but God ALWAYS answers the way HE wants. We need to learn to pray that way. IN HIS NAME.
Pray - Sanctus Real
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