“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:7-11
What do we do with “unanswered” prayer?
Explanation #1: It not God’s will
- This explanation makes God the author of evil
- This explanation contradicts the God revealed in Jesus
- God doesn’t always get God’s way
Explanation #2: It is because of a lack of faith or some kind of sin
- This can heap guilt on top of those who are already hurting
There are forces, factors, and actors that make knowing why a specific prayer goes “unanswered” beyond our comprehension
10 variables that impact prayer
- God's will
Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done. - Luke 22:42 - The faith of the person praying
If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. - Mathew 21:22 - The faith of the person being prayed for
He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. - Mark 6:5-6 - Persistance
- The amount of people praying
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” - Matthew 18:19-20 - Physical proximity
- Motives
You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives - James 4:2-3 - Sin
- Spiritual warfare
- Our participation
Bottom Line
All of our prayers are definitively answered yes and amen in Jesus.
Action Steps
Prayer - Create some space with Jesus to prayerfully reflect on the following:
- How have I experienced disappointment in my prayers to God?
- How has this disappointment impacted how I relate to God?
- Where might God be inviting me deeper into relationship and trust?
Practice - The One Request Challenge
- Pick one specific request to bring to God each day this week — choose carefully
- Pray for this request consistently — thanking God for his faithfulness, expressing your needs and desires, surrendering to his will, etc.
- Pay attention — notice how God is at work in response to your prayers.
Recommended Resource: Is God to Blame? by Greg Boyd
