WHY ARE MY PRAYERS NOT BEING ANSWERED?
“But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, ‘If You can!’ All things are possible to him who believes.”
Mark 9:22-23
Have you ever felt like God was just not answering your prayers? I mean, you pray for peace, you pray for wisdom, you pray for a mate, you pray for a job, you pray for your marriage to get better, you pray for your financial condition to improve and there is no answer from the Lord. UGH! In times of heavenly silence, we think to ourselves, “What gives, God? What is the point of prayer if You don’t answer?”
Is there any power in prayer? YES!!! But, often times we miss the key ingredient to prayer – FAITH. I believe that one of the biggest reasons we do not see God do miraculous things in response to our prayers is simply because we do not believe that He will really answer us. The maxim is surely true: “Pray and believe, and you’ll receive; pray and doubt, and you’ll do without.” Be honest … are you really believing that God is going to answer you?
BELIEVING PRAYERS
In the powerful little book, The Power of Positive Praying, my dear friend, Dr. John Bisagno, tells the story of his five-year-old daughter, Melodye Jan. She asked her daddy if he would build a doll house for her in the back yard. John was busy studying, and he lovingly brushed her off by saying, “Sure, darling.” While engrossed in his books, Dr. John saw his little girl carrying her toys and dolls out to a corner of the backyard. When he asked his wife what Melodye was doing, his wife said, “You promised you would build a doll house, and she believes you. She is just getting ready for it.”
WILL YOU START TO BELIEVE GOD?
God wants to answer your prayers. He wants to do great and mighty things in your life. He is a good Father who longs to do “exceeding abundantly beyond all we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20). But He will not do, if we will not believe Him. James, the Lord’s half-brother, warns us concerning prayer, “But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8).
What is that issue that is heavy on your heart? What is that BIG dream? Bring it to God in prayer. Know that He cares and is able. He is the One who promises to give us the desires of our heart as we delight in Him (Ps. 37:4). If you know you are praying according to His will (1 Jn. 5:14-15), by faith, start moving your “dolls and toys” to the backyard. When you do, you will see God arise and build that “doll house.” How do I know? Because He promised!
Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries
