When does God say yes to our prayers?

Did you know that Kanye West apparently walked away from Christianity because God didn’t answer his prayers the way he wanted? He described feeling let down during major personal hardships when he prayed but didn’t experience the intervention or relief he expected.

Is God obligated to give us what we pray for? Some of Jesus’ words appear to give that impression: “Ask & it will be given to you” (Matt. 7:7-10). He is a loving Father who enjoys responding to the requests of His children. God wants us to ask because that’s how we receive. “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2). Or to put it in the positive: “You have because you ask.”  

But assuming that promise is a blank check puts the one praying in the power position. God is obligated to no one, & has every right to say no. He’s not a therapist or a life coach who comes alongside to help us achieve whatever our goals are. A good father does what’s best for his children regardless of the child’s demands.

My message last Sunday on Romans 8 included the verse that points out when we don’t know what to pray for as we ought, the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Rom. 8:26). There is an “ought” way to pray. We ought to pray in alignment with God’s will. The Spirit can help us do that as He speaks to us through His Word. He always requests according to the will of God & can put in our hearts what He wants us to pray for.

He will never lead us to pray for something that contradicts God’s Word. The Christian who asks for something sinful shouldn’t expect a yes (James 4:3, Ps. 66:8, Prov. 15:29). We can’t be living in sinful disobedience & expect God to hear us. He doesn’t want to give us anything that would encourage sin or dishonor Him. We receive because we obey & do what pleases Him (1 John 3:22).

God knows all along what we need, & what He’s going to do, but He has linked his plans with our prayers! So if you’re not receiving a “yes” to your requests, it’s good to investigate the possibilities of why. Sometimes we can know why, sometimes we can’t. Somebody jokingly said that God answers prayers one of 4 ways:  ‘Yes,’ ‘No,’ ‘Wait,’ and ‘You gotta be kidding!’ If we always got what we asked for, it could be detrimental to us or to others, or perhaps interfere with God’s plans. We never know how God saying yes to us may mean His saying no to someone else or to something better down the road.

This is where trust or confidence comes in: ”if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14-15). So we need to fully surrender to His will. Jesus, praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, didn’t receive what He asked for in the first part of His prayer–that He could forego the cup of suffering–but He did receive the second part: “Not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39). Are you studying the Word of God to find out what God wishes you to do? Jesus said: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John 15:7). “IF” is a big little word. It depends upon His Word filling our lives.

We also ought to pray in the name of Jesus because He gives us access to God’s throne (John 14:13-14, 16:23-24). He gives us access to God’s throne. Ending prayers “in Jesus’ name” isn’t a magical formula or ritualistic phrase. It means we’re asking by His authority. It’s like the police saying: “Stop, in the name of the law.” That’s their authority for requesting you to stop.

I was invited to pray at a local city’s gathering for the National Day of Prayer next Thursday. I’ve done that before in another city where various Christian denominational pastors & priests pray. I don’t completely agree with their theologies, but we’re at least praying to the same God in the name of Jesus. But in this other city, it turns out that non-Christian religious leaders would be praying as well. So I respectfully had to decline because we will not be praying to the same God in the name of Jesus. These other religions demonstrate the spirit of antichrist because they deny who Jesus is (1 John 2:22, 4:3). So, I cannot share any unity with them or lend any credence that I’m endorsing their Christ-less prayers. Only Christians have the promise that God listens to & answers our prayers.

We’re ought also to pray with faith, not doubting (Mark 11:24, James 1:6-7, 5:15). Faith is the first requirement for pleasing God. This is not “believe it & receive it, name it & claim it.” But when God says we have a right to ask for something, then we can pray for more faith. The man who called to Jesus, “Lord, help my unbelief,” struggled with faith, but still got his prayer answered (Mark 9:14-29). Yes, sometimes God says,  “Not now, wait.” So we pray with persistence because our timing is not His perfect timing (Luke 18:1-8). So don’t give up till you get a yes.