Why Hasn't God Answered My Prayer?

There are times when we may find ourselves Praying for the same thing over and over again and feeling like our Prayers are falling on deaf ears.
We beg.
We plead.
We cry.

Is God really ignoring us? Is He way too occupied or busy with other 'more important' or bigger things?

In my opinion, the answer to the above is simply NO.

Yes, our feelings are explainable in what seems like Gods silence but rest assured you are not forgotten.

The following are reasons why it may seem like God has not answered your Prayer.

God is our heavenly father which makes him a parent - our parent.

• God provides for us
• God loves and cares for us
• God created us
  
  There are many similarities when it comes to Gods parenting and ordinary human parenting - the kind we do with our children.
  
  Read "Christian Parenting: What I've Learnt about God as a parent" for more on this.

In knowing and understanding that God is Our Parent, it becomes easier to understand why it may seem like God doesn't "hear us" or isn't answering our Prayers.

Think about a rebellious teenager who has just asked a parent if he / she could stay out all night at a party and is met with the disapproval of her parents. The teenager is likely to be extremely frustrated and shout something along the lines of "You never listen to me!"

This example is really not far off from what we may be experiencing. Our Prayers are requests to God just as a child requests numerous things from their parents on a daily basis. The same way we may not always give our children the answers they want, is the same way we may not always get the exact answers we want or in the same way we want them, from God.

God always answers our Prayers and that is just a fact.

It may not always be the answer you want but it is an answer none the less.

The same way we as parents answer our children or the way our earthly parents have answered us, the answer will either be Yes or No.

Sometimes it seems like God isn't answering us but he has already said yes! The only reason why we do not see a materialization of our request or what we've asked for is because it is not time yet.

God's timing is EVERYTHING. God's timing is PERFECT. Everything needs to happen in God's timing. The same way a parent is able to tell a child who may be nagging for a high energy snack or sweets at 7pm in the evening - "Not Now", is the same way we ought to understand God's similar answer.

Sometimes God says "not now" because we are not ready.
Maybe we are too immature, not in the right space in our lives yet or our circumstances are not where God feels that they need to be first. Until God feels that everything is right and perfect, we will need to wait.

As a parent, God also knows each of our capabilities and what we can or cannot handle. Sometimes we need to wait until we are able to do "Step 1" before we are given something advanced or on a "Step 2" level.

Just find comfort in the thought that everything works according to Gods plans. You can be sure that when God feels that we are ready, if His answer was yes, then you will begin to see your request be fulfilled.
This may take a few weeks, a few months, a few years or a lifetime. God alone knows and is to be trusted.

Sometimes God's answer is NO.

As our parent, God has our best interests at heart. He knows what is good for us and what isn't.

Think about this as a toddler asking his mother if it would be okay if played with a hot iron. She'll be firm in saying No because she knows how dangerous that would be but he would see it as his mom being mean or nasty and is likely to throw a tantrum and sulk.

Likewise, God knows the impact of everything in our lives. He knows the outcome of every decision, choice and action before it even happens.

I feel the best way to describe it as this:

When we look at life we look at it in the same view we look at everything everyday - We see what is in front of us as we go along.
God looks at life through an Arial view. He can see not only what lies right ahead of us but what lies around every corner, at the end of every street and miles beyond where we are currently. He sees not only our pasts but our futures and every possible outcome to every possible decision, choice and action.

Sometimes Gods answer is the answer that you want and sometimes it isn’t.

Sometimes it’s a NO and sometimes it’s a NOT YET.

Sometimes we see the answer manifest straight away and sometimes we have to wait a bit longer.

Yes, it is sometimes discouraging that we are unable to discern between “No” and “Not Yet” due to the fact that it is rarely obvious but the important thing to remember is that God is in control.

If we can live our lives in the mentality and fact that God knows what is best for us and that He knows ‘better’ than we do, whether it is a “no” or a “not yet” shouldn’t matter because we know that it’s in our best interest either way.

God hears EVERY Prayer and he answers EACH ONE. Trust in Him and never stop Praying.