Tyrone stomped into his room and heaved his backpack onto the bed. Then he flopped down beside it. He wasn’t even going to bother kneeling this time.
“Why can’t my parents get along?” he thought angrily. He could still hear the yelling downstairs. “I’ve prayed for them for weeks, and they are still fighting! Does God even hear me?”
Have you ever felt like Tyrone? You’ve been praying about something important to you, but it seems like God isn’t answering. How can you know that God hears your prayers?
The Bible assures us that “the prayer of the upright is His delight” and “He hears the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:8, 29). But it also explains that some things can get in the way. Let’s take a closer look …
Sin Can Block Our Prayers
Did you ever try to stream video on an old 3G cellular network? It was just about impossible! The connection was slow and full of interruptions.
Praying while cherishing a known sin in your life is like trying to use 3G to watch 4K videos on YouTube. Sin interrupts your connection with God: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear” (Psalm 66:18).
Regarding iniquity means treasuring sins that you know are wrong. Holding onto your favorite bad habits means that you value them more than your relationship with God. Of course, you can know that God always hears you—He hears, sees, and knows everything. Rather, because sin weakens your spiritual life, it will seem to you like He doesn’t hear you.
The good news is that sin doesn’t have to continue interrupting your connection. God is more than willing to forgive your sins and free you from every bad habit. “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:5). He is waiting for you to repent so that your heart will be open to re-establishing a solid connection with Him!
Sometimes We Ask Wrong
Your parents don’t always give you what you want, do they? They were wise enough to know that giving you a Lamborghini when you were five years old was a bad idea, no matter how much you begged for it.
Sometimes our prayers are like that. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3). Our heavenly Father always gives His faithful children the best answer to our prayers.
Sometimes, that is “yes.” Other times, it is “wait a while.” Sometimes, it is simply “no.” Even when you get a “no,” you can always trust that God is doing the best thing possible for you. Rest in that assurance.
Jesus’ Three Conditions for Answered Prayer
• Belief: We must have faith that God hears us and will answer. “Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:24).
• In Jesus’ name: “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:13, 14). To ask in Jesus’ name means to ask for things that are in harmony with His will, as revealed in the Bible.
• Abide in Christ and allow His words to abide in us: We must walk with Jesus daily and live within the guidelines of His Word so that we can safely receive God’s richest blessings. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7).
What if I’m praying for something I know God wants, but I do not see any answers?
Tyrone was praying for God to help his parents get along. So why were they still fighting?
God allows each person to make their own choices. Our prayers open the way for God to work on people’s hearts so that they will want to make the right choice, but He never forces anyone. You can’t force someone to do what you want by praying for God to cause them to change.
Don’t Give Up!
If you are praying according to God’s Word and claiming His promises, you should never give up, even when it seems like you are not getting the answers you’re seeking. You can pray confidently, knowing that God hears you and is working behind the scenes to answer your prayers, even when you can’t see immediate or visible answers to your petitions (Daniel 10:13).
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9).