“How should a Christian respond to unanswered prayer?”…

1 Peter 3:12“The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil."

There are many wonderful promises of answered prayer in the Bible, some of which seem both unlimited and unconditional. On the other hand, there are also many warnings of unanswered prayer. This seeming anomaly merely cautions us again that every Scripture must be interpreted in context–both the immediate context and the broader context of all the Scriptures.

For example, Jesus said:

John 14:14“Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!.”

But in the same upper-room discourse, He also said:

John 15:7“But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!“.

This is a very significant condition, attached to what–out of context–might have seemed an unconditional promise.

1 Peter 3:12 Indicates that overt sin in one’s life will certainly hinder God in answering our prayers. So will selfish praying:

James 4:3 “And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong-you want only what will give you pleasure.“

And so will unbelief:

Mark 11:24“I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours.“.

Poor home relations also could be a factor.

1 Peter 3:7“In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered"

Even when we are confident that we are fully right with God, the desired answer must still be in His will.

1 John 5:14-15“And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.“.

Then there is the question of timing.

Luke 18:1“One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up“.

Therefore, the believing prayer of a man righteous before God surely will be answered in God’s time and way.

…How many Christians have prayed for someone, only to see their prayers go unanswered? How many have prayed and perhaps have "given up" because either they have become discouraged through a weakness of faith or have come to the sometimes presumptive conclusion that whatever they have been praying for isn't God's will? Nevertheless, how we deal with unanswered prayer is not just for our own benefit but for the benefit of others as well. When we pray we are engaging in the most precious and God-given act of communication with the One to whom we are accountable in all our affairs. We have been truly bought at a steep price-the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ-and therefore we are God's. ……Our privilege of prayer is from God, and it is as much ours now as when it was given to Israel.

Deuteronomy 4:7For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him?

Yet, when we pray or speak to the One in Heaven, there are times when He seems not to answer. There can be many reasons for this and while it is not the intention here to list them all, the Scriptures themselves suggest why and how our prayers are being dealt with by the One who is so tender and loving, who Himself loves our communing with God the Father, for He, Himself, is our representative

Hebrews 4:15This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.…A primary reason why prayer is unanswered is sin.

1 Peter 3:12“The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil."

God cannot be mocked or deceived and He who sits enthroned above knows us intimately, down to our every thought

Psalm 139:1-4.O Lord, you have examined my heartand know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I'm far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.You know everything I do.You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.

If we are not walking in the Way, or we harbour enmity in our hearts toward our brother, or we ask for things with the wrong motives (such as from selfish desires), then we can expect God not to answer our prayer because He does not hear

2 Chronicles 7:14Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

Deuteronomy 28:23The skies above will be as unyielding as bronze, and the earth beneath will be as hard as iron.If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,… the Lord would not have listened.

Psalm 66:18If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

James 4:3 And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong-you want only what will give you pleasure.

Sin is the 'stopper' to all the potential blessings that we would receive from the infinite 'bottle' of God's mercy! If only we would be more careful to avoid sin, we would be more worthy recipients of all the blessings and foretastes of the glory that is ours in Christ Jesus (Job 11:13-18)

Job 11:13-18 "If only you would prepare your heartand lift up your hands to him in prayer! Get rid of your sins,and leave all iniquity behind you.Then your face will brighten with innocence. You will be strong and free of fear. You will forget your miseryit will be like water flowing away.Your life will be brighter than the noonday. Even darkness will be as bright as morning. Having hope will give you courage.You will be protected and will rest in safety.

Indeed, there are times when our prayers are heinous in the Lord's sight, most notably when we clearly do not belong to the Lord either because of unbelief

Proverbs 15:8The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright.

or because we are practising hypocrisy

Mark 12:40Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be more severely punished."……Another reason why prayer seems to go unanswered is that the Lord is drawing out of our faith a deeper reliance and trust in Him, which should bring out of us a deeper sense of gratitude, love and humility. In turn, this causes us to benefit spiritually for He gives grace to the humble

James 4:6 But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say,"God opposes the proudbut favors the humble."

Proverbs 3:34The Lord mocks the mockers but is gracious to the humble.

Jas 4:6; 1 Pet 5:5

Oh, how one feels for that poor Canaanite woman, who cried out incessantly to our Lord for mercy when he was visiting the region of Tyre and Sidon

Matthew 15:21-28Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely." But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. "Tell her to go away," they said. "She is bothering us with all her begging."Then Jesus said to the woman, "I was sent only to help God's lost sheep-the people of Israel." But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, "Lord, help me!"Jesus responded, "It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs." She replied, "That's true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters' table." "Dear woman," Jesus said to her, "your faith is great. Your request is granted." And her daughter was instantly healed.

She was hardly the person a Jewish rabbi would take note of! She was not a Jew and she was a woman, two legitimate (in their minds) reasons for Jews to ignore her. The Lord doesn't seem to answer her petitions, but He knew all about her situation. He may not have answered her stated needs immediately, but still He heard and granted her request.……God may often seem silent to us, but He never sends us away empty-handed. Even if prayer has not been answered, we must rely upon God to do so in His own time. Even the exercise of prayer is a blessing to us; it is because of our faith that we are stirred to persist in prayer, and isn't that a rebuke to all of us? It is faith that pleases God

Hebrews 11:6And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

But if our prayer life is wanting, does that not reflect our spiritual standing also? God hears our impoverished cries for mercy, and His silence inflames us with a sense of persistence in prayer.

And when things don't always work out as we expect they should,it's because:

His pace is faster than we thought

His expectations are more rigorous than we imagined

His direction leads to more trouble than we bargained for

His rewards don't always compensate for the bumps and bruises collected along the way.

In times of disappointments we should be:

learning to look at the blessings along the way that speak of grace

looking backward to a cross

looking forward to a throne

keeping in mind the suffering Jesus who died for us

looking upward to the glory and seeing Jesus praying for us

remembering that the Holy Spirit lives in us

There will be mountaintop and valley experiences

There is a connection between the two. It is in the power of the One we worship on the mountain that we are equipped to function in the valley.

He loves us to reason with Him. For example, we do not see many souls saved in this day of 'small things,' but only that we would cry out, like Rachel

Genesis 30:1When Rachel saw that she wasn't having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die!"

Let us hunger for the things that are after God's heart and let us walk in His ways and not our own. If we are faithful to pray without ceasing, then we are living in the will of God and that can never be wrong

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.