Why Prayer Gets No ReplySample

Likewise, God never answers prayers in the exact same way. Sometimes He will answer with a merciful grace in a way we can understand. Similar to when you are taking a family road trip on vacation and the kids keep asking, “How long? How long? How long?” You try to answer in a way they will understand.

When my kids were younger and this would happen, I would always try to put it in a way they could grasp. Because to say, “We’ll be there in 130 miles,” wouldn’t mean anything to them. Or even, “We have to go through Nairobi traffic and then it should be another two hours.” None of that would mean a thing. So I would put our trips in Barney shows. “We’ll be there in 2 Barney shows,” I would say, if we had another hour to go—changing the number based on how far was left.

At times, God will be gracious to do that with us. He’ll let us get a glimpse of the end of our trial, struggle or wait. But other times, like Jesus delaying His trip to raise Lazarus, He chooses to answer with an ongoing wait. 

He’ll leave us hanging. 

And then there are even those times He may even rebuke us like He often did His disciples. And when He does, we need to listen and accept it. He is God. It is His choice. He knows what is best at that very moment in our lives. So when we ask, we must be prepared for His answer. God does not often mince His words, and ultimately the problem with our prayers is never about Him, the problem is always within us. Yet what makes that problem all the more a problem is that it is usually ever-changing too. 

Thus, productive prayer often requires an abiding and variable communion with the very heart of God. Prayer becomes more about understanding ourselves honestly while also connecting with God authentically. Rather than simply speaking to Him ritually.

Prayer must be a conversation. With Someone you know very, very well. 

Jesus gave us the greatest insight into effective prayer when He spoke with the woman at the well. He wasn’t speaking about prayer but the reality He touched on applied nonetheless. 

He told her, 

“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth,” (John 4:24). 

When you and I come to God in prayer, we must come in spirit and in truth. What’s more, it must be God’s truth and not the truth we so often set up as worldviews or cultural persuasions for ourselves. God’s truth is the only real truth just like two plus two will always and only equal four. No matter what we say. No matter what we want our truth to be. God’s truth is truth, period. It is only when we are true with ourselves (what do we really want and why do we want it) and then align that truth with Who God is that we will discover our breakthrough in prayer. When those two things merge, you'll have your answered prayer. He promises (John 15:7). 

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