Reasons Prayers Are Not Answered (Final)

Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines…
– Song of Solomon 2:15

8. Sins

The final reason for unanswered prayers is sin. Oftentimes we rob ourselves of divine privileges by our sinful indulgence in thoughts, in words and deeds. The Bible informs us that ‘God is angry with the wicked every day’ (Psalm 7:11), how then can we hope to get anything from Him if we are always rubbing Him on the wrong side? Little disobediences here and there: an evil or lustful thought you allowed to roam in your heart, a wrong word you said to or about someone, a harmful scheme you planned or did to someone, or your disregard for the injunctions of the Bible; these are ‘the little foxes that spoil our vine’. But we often do not know.

Another way that sin robs us of our miracles is through little compromises we allow from time to time. You see, God tests us now and then to see the disposition of our hearts in relation to Him. He tests our faithfulness, our commitment, our loyalty, our maturity, our patience, and our preparation before committing certain things to us. How we fare during and after the trial determines whether or not we are ready for the blessing.

God does not use or commit resources to an untested hand. Examples of this truth abound in the Bible. Just as we have to write exams to pass from one class to a higher one, so does God test us from time to time with circumstances and real life situations. If you fail, the blessing is delayed; but if you overcome, it is delivered to you. However, because of God’s infinite mercy, we are usually presented with multiple opportunities to prove ourselves worthy. Therefore, with God, once failed is not forever failed.

At this point, it is essential to examine ourselves and ascertain that we are not falling short in any of these reasons, so that we can be able to say that we have indeed ‘done all to stand’ toward obtaining our blessing.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Reasons Prayers Are Not Answered And Sacrifices Not Honoured (7)

Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines…
– Song of Solomon 2:15

7. THE LAW OF SEED AND HARVEST

Another way we unwittingly delay or even truncate our miracle is by violating the ageless law of seed and harvest. God Himself decrees in Genesis 8:22 that “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest not cease.”

That means the law of seed and harvest is as immutable as God Himself; it does not change. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). Oftentimes we tend to despise the effect (result) of something whilst nurturing its cause.

Have you denied someone in the past when you shouldn’t have? You can be rest assured that you will also be denied too, if you are not being denied already. Have you wronged, robbed, cheated, condemned, judged, short-changed, or done something untoward to someone in the past? You will reap the harvest of your (in)actions in due time, if you are not reaping it already. And we all know that the harvest is usually bigger than the seed!

Violating the principle of seed and harvest is one major area we usually fall short and thus shoot ourselves in the leg. Granted, God is merciful, but He is a just God. He is not fair; He is only just. Now that may sound unreasonable, but it is the truth. Most times, God does not interfere with the course of justice. Therefore, we suffer the natural consequences of our shortcomings, even after we have sought forgiveness and have indeed been forgiven their eternal consequences.

We get to reap the harvest of the seeds we have sown in the past or are sowing presently, good or bad. That is why it always pays to be good. Even when you are the one that is wronged, you are not expected to wrong your offender in return because by so doing you would have planted a negative seed which will produce its own harvest in time. Little wonder God repeatedly admonishes us not to repay evil with evil.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Reasons Prayers Are Not Answered And Sacrifices Not Honoured (6)

Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines…
– Song of Solomon 2:15

6. NOT TAKING A STEP OF FAITH

Even after we have done all we possibly could, some of us still short-change ourselves by not taking the necessary steps required to get our desire. Rather than take sustained action, we procrastinate by crying, whining, and bemoaning our lot to whoever cares to listen, lamenting all we had done in the past without any result.

God is not impressed by tears and complaints. He doesn’t dig pity party either. He is only moved by faith. The Bible says ‘without faith, it is impossible to please God’. Because we are yet to grasp the import of Bible’s definition of faith as “the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen” (Heb 11:1 NLT), we wait (you call it tarry?) for the time when it is going to look like it before we take a step, and by so doing languish in abjection for as long as that may be.

Listen brethren, the best time to do anything is NOW. Don’t wait until it looks like it before you act, otherwise it may be too late by then. The Bible says “He who observes the wind will not sow. And he who regards the clouds will not reap” (Ecclesiastes 11:4). The New Living Translation (NLT) puts it simpler, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done!”

So take a step of faith now; cast your net into the deep right away; do that thing you have been putting off for so long TODAY! You will be amazed to see that YOU are the one who has been delaying God from releasing His blessing to you all along, not that He doesn’t care nor is slow in hearing, as you probably thought.

When you do the possible, God will do the impossible. Nothing moves until you move. A tortoise cannot make progress unless it puts out its head and legs out of its shell. So get out of your own shell and break through into your blessing.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Reasons Prayers Are Not Answered And Sacrifices Not Honoured (5)

Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines…
– Song of Solomon 2:15

5. MOTIVE

Another reason we often do not get our heart’s desire – regardless of our fervent prayers or sacrificial service – is because of our motive for seeking such things. In James 4:3, God says, “You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” That tells us God does not honour prayers asked amiss or those that are meant to satisfy selfish whims. And though we may present our requests to Him as if we are striving for the benefit of others, we should also reckon with the fact that He is all-knowing and sees into the inner recesses of our hearts.

One of the most liberating scriptures I came across in the few years I have been studying the Bible is 1 Samuel 16:7b. It says, “For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” That means humans consider the action, the appearance, the outlook, the tangible, and the ‘what’; but God only examines the motive and the whys.

Some of us pray to God to bless us so that we can spite or “show” someone who has offended or denied us in the past. God does not answer that kind of prayer. Whatever He blesses you with, He wants it used for your benefit and the benefit of those around you, not to oppress them.

So if you want a speedy answer to your prayers, or a quick reward for your service, check your motive to ascertain WHY you desire that thing. If your motive is genuine enough, God will be more than willing to grant it to you. But, if your intention is not pure, then the answer may yet be long in coming.

You really need to settle this issue of motive first before making your plea, because God cannot be deceived; He is fully aware of those things you are not saying with your mouth. Our innermost thoughts are laid bare before Him. I once read a book in which the author claims an angel told him that they hear our thoughts louder in heaven than what we say with our mouths on earth. Can you beat that?

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

REASONS PRAYERS ARE NOT ANSWERED AND SACRIFICES NOT HONOURED (4)

Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines…
– Song of Solomon 2:15

4. NOT QUALIFIED/MATURE YET TO HAVE IT

Sometimes, we behave like little children and ask God for something we are neither mature nor equipped to handle. Imagine a ten-year-old boy asking for a car? That is the picture we present at times in our pursuits and prayer requests. We ask for and aspire after what we are not mentally, spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, financially, or socially equipped to manage. And when God, Who knows better, decides not to release them to us, we whine and complain and doubt if He really cares about us as we are made to believe.

There is a world of difference between a gift and ability to manage it; the possession of the first does not necessarily connote the ownership of the second. A popular saying says, “Anointing (a gift) can launch one to a height where character (ability to manage it) is not able to sustain him.” Such is the case when we ignorantly seek certain things at a time that it may result in our humiliation or public disgrace to the point that we will not have the courage to ever venture out again.

God is omniscient. He knows the appropriate time to give us everything we need. But due to our limited knowledge, we often strive, scheme, and struggle for what we cannot hold on to at a particular time.

Wisdom is required to know the when of everything we desire in life. Imagine if Daniel had prayed for the liberation of the captives in Babylon in their 20th or 40th year in captivity, he would have only been praying into the future because God had already decreed that the captivity would last for 70 years.

It takes Wisdom to know the appointed time you are due for something, while then pursuing and praying for it at the appropriate time, not way before or after then, “Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise in heart will know the proper time and procedure. For THERE IS A PROPER TIME AND PROCEDURE FOR EVERY MATTER, though a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him” (Ecclesiastes 8: 5-6 NIV).

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

REASONS PRAYERS ARE NOT ANSWERED AND SACRIFICES NOT HONOURED (3)

Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines…
– Song of Solomon 2:15

2. NOT DOING ENOUGH (praying, giving, sacrificing etc)

Another reason we do not receive what we seek from God is because we do not do enough of what it takes to receive them. The Bible says, “If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree falls to the south or the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie” (Ecclesiastes 11:3).

Oftentimes we settle for the average or even below average performance in our pursuits. We do not pray enough; fast enough, give enough, serve enough, or do enough of what is required to get our miracle. We do not fill our clouds with enough water so that they might burst out and rain upon us in return, nor do we push our tree with enough force that it might fall and create an impact that will speak for us.

3. ASKING FOR THE WRONG THINGS

“You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3). Some of us seek after or ask for the wrong things in prayer.

God is good. And it is because of this His goodness that He does not give us some of those things we frantically seek or pray for. He knows that if we should get them, they might harm us or ultimately deprive us of getting to heaven. And knowing that no earthly pleasure – which is at best for a lifetime – can compare with the everlasting glory He has prepared for us in heaven, He will stop at nothing to ensure that we partake of this glory, even if it means denying or disciplining us at times.

It is therefore important we know that God is not under any obligation to satisfy all our whims, irrespective of how long or earnestly we badger Him in prayer about them; rather, He is only obliged to supply our needs, as a caring Father that He is.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

REASONS PRAYERS ARE NOT ANSWERED AND SACRIFICES NOT HONOURED (2)

Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines…
– Song of Solomon 2:15

b) Not Knowing the Required Principles:

The second way ignorance robs us of our breakthroughs is by not knowing the appropriate thing to do to get what we want. We have often heard  that God operates by principles. And, truly, the Bible is replete with passages that hinge the attainment of certain blessing on the fulfilment of one condition or another. These are indicators of what it takes to get such blessings.

For instance, someone who desires financial prosperity may not attain it by constant prayer and fasting alone. That is like taking soporifics to cure stomach ache. The Bible is very clear on what it takes to be financially prosperous; it is by giving and adhering to the counsel of God. Another example is someone who desires power (the ability to control or influence happenings both in the spiritual and the physical), but who is not given to constant fasting and praying, such person is only deluding himself. She may not have it; no matter how great she can sing, give or how committed she may be in the church. The list of “what to do” to get specific “what” is endless.

That is why it is good for us to be devoted to studying our Bible; for, apart from the primary benefit of availing us the knowledge of God, it also contains all the instructions we need for life and godliness as well as the relevant principles needed to obtain various good things we desire in life. But most people don’t seem to know this, which is why they use the wrong approach to achieve the right end, and thereby end up not getting the desired result.

The Bible says in Hosea 4:14c “people who do not understand will be trampled.” Ignorance is the major cause of most of our sufferings.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!