Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayers?Prøve

No.5 - We need to persevere in prayer

Jesus taught us that we should always continue to pray without being discouraged. Persevere until the answer comes (Luke 18:1-8). Jesus and Paul teach us to persevere in prayer. How long? Until the answer comes. In Luke 18:1-7, Jesus told a parable to tell people to keep praying until the answer came. We pray and wait for five minutes and don't get an answer, and then we think God doesn't answer prayer.

Sometimes, it may take days, weeks, months or years. George Müller prayed for five of his friends. After six years, the first one converted. After 11 years, the second and after 26 years, the third one. The 4th one got converted after 51 years at Müller‘s funeral, and the last one about a year after his death.

No.6 - Carnal prayers

Sometimes we pray carnal prayers (James 4:2-3). We pray for our benefit and gain. So often, for example, people pray for success; too often, it is about their own honour. Someone can pray that they will stand first in class or be elected for the A team so that it will bring "glory to the Lord."

Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Regardless of what we ask, it should always be to the glory of God, lead to greater sanctification, and bring us into a deeper relationship with Jesus. Nothing should be more important to us than God Himself. God is first and foremost interested in a personal relationship with Him. We may be very serious about what we ask, but we don't always notice the corruptness of our hearts. We sometimes think we're still busy with God, but it is about ourselves.