Unanswered Prayer?

If God is not answering our prayers, we should probably check for these four things.

• Examine our prayer list
• Examine our prayer
• Examine our heart
• Examine our faith

Let's start with that last one first - our faith. If we are not a 100% bonified child of God, God will not even HEAR our prayers. That could be part of the problem.

"We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does His will." - John 9:31

Are we seeking God's will our prayers? That's where we need to examine our hearts. Do our hearts belong to us or to God?

Examine our prayers. Are we just asking God for things or are we telling Him how much we love Him? We should not be offering lists of things for God to do. And that's point number four - our prayer list.

If we are praying for God's help in coping with a certain situation that's one thing. But if we are praying to pass a math test or for a particular candidate to win the race, that's wrong. Those are things that WE want. They may not be things that God wants.

Examine this prayer from David. How does it compare to OUR prayers?

“Praise be to you, Lord,

    the God of our father Israel,

    from everlasting to everlasting.

11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power

    and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,

    for everything in heaven and earth is yours.

Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;

    you are exalted as head over all.

12 Wealth and honor come from you;

    you are the ruler of all things.

In your hands are strength and power

    to exalt and give strength to all.

13 Now, our God, we give you thanks,

    and praise your glorious name." - 1 Chronicles 29:10-13

Now that's a prayer. No list of things for God to do. Just praise and honor for God. Perhaps after hearing something like that from us God would be more attentive to our needs. What do YOU think?