If You're Prayers Aren't Answered Does That Mean You Aren't A Christian?

[autumn oddity]

Some prayers I pray are:

For Him to talk to me( not through word but me..I'd like to hear Him ,well his voice)

And for Him to change me, bc I can't do it myself. .id be up under the law like the Pharisees. .andsince only God can do it...I ask Him.

Those are my main prayers.

 

[Brother Paul]

Haven't you noticed some ways where you are now different than what you first were? Surely there has been some change. Diod you always pray? now you do...

You mean you want Him to speak to you audibly in a voice others would hear?

 

[Big Moose]

Some prayers I pray are:

For Him to talk to me( not through word but me..I'd like to hear Him ,well his voice)

And for Him to change me, bc I can't do it myself. .id be up under the law like the Pharisees. .andsince only God can do it...I ask Him.

Those are my main prayers.

One passage I think of on answered prayer is 1 Peter 3:
8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For,

“Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good;
they must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

I hope this speaks to you. Something I look for in answered prayer is interaction with others. I find He often speaks to me through the experiences of others and their stories of their joys and pains. He speaks to me through His Word and songs also. Don't box God up in something you want. Be open to how He does it.

 

[KingJ]

Some prayers I pray are:

For Him to talk to me( not through word but me..I'd like to hear Him ,well his voice)

And for Him to change me, bc I can't do it myself. .id be up under the law like the Pharisees. .andsince only God can do it...I ask Him.

Those are my main prayers.

Those are my daily prayer requests too . I think we just need to remember that we need to hear God's voice. God is Spirit. God's voice is not English or at a volume we can hear...unless He is upset with us .

 

[autumn oddity]

Ugh, now that I think abt it I have had answered prayers, one recently in fact...
Big moose you really helped me see how God can use any device, when you said not to box Him up.

I usually want to here His voice
But more often He gives me dreams..and those are kinda frequent too...

I feel so dumb now @__@
I was so concerned hearing Him speak to me personally that I overlooked the other ways He talks to me.

 

[autumn oddity]

Im gonna list em, my experiences with how God has talked to me/ answered prayers
Just incase there's someone out there who is going through the same thing.

Although God can use many devices to speak to us, I still think seeking His voice is equally important: )

Okay here we go:

This is when I was newly saved,
(This is rlly silly) When I read abt the jews and their close R-ship with God.. I wished I was one myself and felt sorta disappointed. ..at the time I was going tk my grandma's and when I walked in it was on some christian channel, and it was saying how special we are to God as we are lol, I stopped in my tracks lol.

Anotherday, I was feeling quite sad...and I heard Him say I love you more than you can imagine

Before I was in school, I was trying to get my GED, and for the writing topic instantly my aunt and her health issues popopped onto my mind.

 

[autumn oddity]

These are more recent :
I was wondering abt a friend of mine,
Bc she hasnt talked to me in a while ...and we usu keep up... that night i think, I had a dream of her working.... and days later when I was able to get back in contact with her, she told me abt her new job as a research aassistant.

Then almost back to back I had a dream of one of my church members.abt how she misses studying the bible with others .and I rarely talk to her and I haven't seen her in ages, but Im friends with her on FB... so yah lol...anywho I get on there and one of her status says how she misses studying...

When I saw that I was like : o lol

Then my recently answered prayer, happened maybe 3 weeks ago,idk im estimating, but I have horrible anxiety..and sometimes not often.I twitch lol dont laugh xD it was really bad a while ago,my head would shake and I was rlly twitchy but my aunt helped me and it hadn't happened since..well till this day. Kay, so I got all twichy headshaking ect... and I had to go to school the next day....
And I think I sobbed more than I prayed...
But I asked Him to make it stop, Im trying hard in school and at home to cover my anxiety so no one will worry and I can't go to school like this..and I just begged really lol...,anywho, it stopped. And I know it wsnt me bc, I tried in my own strength to calm down and get it to stop but it wouldn't. ..but when I prayed it was almost instant.. as the hr went by I was amazed I wasn't twitching at all..

And to this day Im not twitching

 

[autumn oddity]

Last one:

Oh well two I thought of another...

A while back I asked Him what I should read and He told me...

And aftwards I asked why He wanted me to read that and He told me.

Then when I was coming home from school one day,well riding...I felt at the end of my rope and a song came on that said Live through it..and I wss like wow :s

Also.( i kno i kno, i thought of somemore)
I was walking with my aunt,and I lost trsckof her and there were to paths I could take..and I wasnt sure...i heard something say go that way,shes that way ..but I was like ..idk..and went the other.
Of ccourse she wasng there, so once I finally made my way back..and went the other way,. There she was. .

Yah,now I feel stupid..i forget so easily
I really need a diary to jot this down ^~^

 

[Brother Paul]

These are more recent :
I was wondering abt a friend of mine,
Bc she hasnt talked to me in a while ...and we usu keep up... that night i think, I had a dream of her working.... and days later when I was able to get back in contact with her, she told me abt her new job as a research aassistant.

Then almost back to back I had a dream of one of my church members.abt how she misses studying the bible with others .and I rarely talk to her and I haven't seen her in ages, but Im friends with her on FB... so yah lol...anywho I get on there and one of her status says how she misses studying...

When I saw that I was like : o lol

Then my recently answered prayer, happened maybe 3 weeks ago,idk im estimating, but I have horrible anxiety..and sometimes not often.I twitch lol dont laugh xD it was really bad a while ago,my head would shake and I was rlly twitchy but my aunt helped me and it hadn't happened since..well till this day. Kay, so I got all twichy headshaking ect... and I had to go to school the next day....
And I think I sobbed more than I prayed...
But I asked Him to make it stop, Im trying hard in school and at home to cover my anxiety so no one will worry and I can't go to school like this..and I just begged really lol...,anywho, it stopped. And I know it wsnt me bc, I tried in my own strength to calm down and get it to stop but it wouldn't. ..but when I prayed it was almost instant.. as the hr went by I was amazed I wasn't twitching at all..

And to this day Im not twitching

Hallelujah! Twitches are an anxiety reduction defense mechanism...but that was instantaneous, wow, it usually takes working with a person for a while...they have to practice NOT twitching even though they feel they must...after a while (I mean it takes like a month or two) they realize if they do not twitch nothing really happens...people who at the time are suffering from self consciousness and/or social anxiety usually develop these....I am so happy that God blessed you...

See? He answers your need...Amen!

 

[autumn oddity]

Lol wow, twitching os anxiety reduction xD lol...
It makes me more anxious..its amazing how the body tries to protecf ot self...in such weird ways...

And I read all the spasms are are just releasal of stress.

But I had no idea it took a month wow
I feel really blessed now
Thnk you

 

[autumn oddity]

And yup I suffer from social anxiety and anxiety in genral lol, but its endurable with God.

 

[Brother Paul]

Lol wow, twitching os anxiety reduction xD lol...
It makes me more anxious..its amazing how the body tries to protecf ot self...in such weird ways...

And I read all the spasms are are just releasal of stress.

But I had no idea it took a month wow
I feel really blessed now
Thnk you

Not always...sometimes longer and sometimes these habits do not go away...even what poker players call one's tell is a form of this. I had an OCD-like version when I was young...if I twitched the right shoulder I had to twitch the left and if it did not feel right I had to do it over again...weird right? When I was young (especially as a teen) I was so self conscious and socially awkward...I had to practice being socially interactive and became very skilled at it but it was not natural until I came to God....

 

[Big Moose]

Last one:

Oh well two I thought of another...

A while back I asked Him what I should read and He told me...

And aftwards I asked why He wanted me to read that and He told me.

Then when I was coming home from school one day,well riding...I felt at the end of my rope and a song came on that said Live through it..and I wss like wow :s

Also.( i kno i kno, i thought of somemore)
I was walking with my aunt,and I lost trsckof her and there were to paths I could take..and I wasnt sure...i heard something say go that way,shes that way ..but I was like ..idk..and went the other.
Of ccourse she wasng there, so once I finally made my way back..and went the other way,. There she was. .

Yah,now I feel stupid..i forget so easily
I really need a diary to jot this down ^~^

Wow, God Bless you!
Thank you for the kind words and the testimony of your experiences. You really made my day!
Yes, continue to listen for His voice. But sometimes, lol most of the time for me, ugh!, God finds it more effective to work in our lives. It seems to make more of an impact on our lives. I know I get caught up in asking for Him to bless my plans. That usually doesn't work out.
So stay aware and cherish those times when you know it could only be God.

 

[Xuanang]

Dear friends,

Although I came late to the discourse table, I will still put in my own little effort.

When we talk about the dynamics of prayer and faith, it goes beyond what experiences we might have had in times past, I meant how he has related with us before this time, and that is why I believe that relationship with God on a daily basis must be built effectively, so that we will not be stereotyped in our approach.
It might be difficult to explain though, and I do not have answers to everything at all, but I believe that God shows Himself as the Awesome God.in every situation we go through. It is not everytime we pray that we receive answers, not at all, and that does not mean that we have sinned or we are not Christians; it is just that the workings of the Almighty God is too great beyond our understanding.
Man works with time, but God does not; that is why we might have prayed for something for like 10 years ago but the answers did not come at all and feel disappointed; yet that same God that abandoned us would now later show Himself, with the answer(s) 10 years later. What was He doing or thinking or looking at that He had to wait till that time? I believe only He knows that, and He makes things work at their perfect time.
Sometimes, He might just delay our answers to test our faith in Him. I always use this analogy, drawn from the Scriptures when God said David was a man after His own heart; whereas He could have said a man after His own breast but He didn't. Breast secretes milk and that indicates goodies, while the heart does not secrete any goody-goody at all; that means David was just following God, whether it brought him good things or bad things. That was the case with Abraham, hearing about God's promise for about 25 years but it never came to pass; was like God was dribbling him on the field of football, but at the perfect time, God proved Himself true. What about Job? Despite the trust in God, respite did not come his way on time, but God still showed up, at the perfect time. What about Joseph, after God had given him the dream? One would have expected.the road to his White House to be a smooth one, but it was a terrible and rough one that will make one desert and forsake God, but the man, Joseph, still followed God wholeheartedly. That is how it can be sometimes.
The same God that opened the womb of Leah for conception was also the same One that delayed Rachael's womb from conceiving a child on time. How do we explain this? Obviously, we cannot do that but only know that many things are beyond are reasonings when it comes to dealing with God, and that is why the Scripture say it is impossible to please God without faith (Heb 11:6).

Will come back later when I have the luxury of time.

Stay blessed, friends!

 

[AnAtheist]

I know this sounds stupid but a relationship , esp with God is a 2_ way street... meaning when we pray He answers( not all the time or when we want..but if you have an relationship with Him he won't ignore you.)


I feel I pray to God, He listens but.rarely answers despite my attempts to get closer to Him.. and I feel burned, not only bc He doesn't answer but pll who represent Jim burned me too and I just wanna put God behind me sometime s .

It also makes me wonder abt atheists who gave Christianity a try for 10 yrs and gave up bc God didn't answer their diligent prayers... I wonder why would God be so silent for so long, long enough to crumble my faith?

He wasn't silent with Abraham, David, Elijah or peter( when he needed Him most God answered, building His faith and trust)

I[/QUOTE

You sound very confused. If I were you I'd take a step back and just think for yourself. Many people jump into religion because its the "norm" but religion is a personal choice. Both of my parents were Catholic. I'm a very intuitive person so i would often think about religion and for me personally it just didnt make sense. I made a personal choice to be atheist until a supposed god really loves me enough to make me believe in him/her/it.

So in a nutshell. God doesn't hve to be real. You don't have to feel hurt. Just take a step back and find where you stand on what you believe.

 

[ixoye_8]

God does not answer prayer for two reasons ..
1 .. it is not in his will .. so always ask "if it is within your will" ..
2 .. we are not obeying Him ..

Psa 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.

1Pe 3:12 “FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS,
AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER,
BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL.”

 

[LanceA]

God does not answer prayer for two reasons ..
1 .. it is not in his will .. so always ask "if it is within your will" ..
2 .. we are not obeying Him ..

Psa 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.

1Pe 3:12 “FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS,
AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER,
BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL.”

I would really like you to show the bible verse that says to always say "if it is in your will".

Of course it is in His will. God has already said He wants us to be healed in all aspects of life. Just ask and you will receive. We need to have faith that what God has already done for us will manifest itself in our lives. I do agree it has a lot to do with our walk with God.

Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.

It says his will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Heaven there is no sickness no sin only perfect. God has already spoken his will for us. There is nothing scriptural about saying if it is in your will. By his stripes we are healed, not by his stripes we are healed if it is your will. It is already His will.

 

[ixoye_8]

I would really like you to show the bible verse that says to always say "if it is in your will".

10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,

you gave one of the verses for me ..

Jesus said WHEN YOU PRAY PRAY LIKE THIS ...
"your (God's) will be done" ..
Jesus did not say ..
ask (insert your name) will be done ..

now show me where he ever said ..
"He wants us to be healed in all aspects of life" ..
or we would not be sick, persecuted or even martyred ..
he said you are BLESSED .. and you will also be because of Him ..

 

[Ravindran]

I would really like you to show the bible verse that says to always say "if it is in your will".

Of course it is in His will. God has already said He wants us to be healed in all aspects of life. Just ask and you will receive. We need to have faith that what God has already done for us will manifest itself in our lives. I do agree it has a lot to do with our walk with God.

Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.

It says his will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Heaven there is no sickness no sin only perfect. God has already spoken his will for us. There is nothing scriptural about saying if it is in your will. By his stripes we are healed, not by his stripes we are healed if it is your will. It is already His will.

1 John 5:14 - This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

I don't think it is Biblical to say ask anything and it will be given.. I think everyone would agree we have to ask according to His will.. The bigger question is, what is His will? That is where we take different roads! Some say, it is always His will for a person to be healed.. Some say, His will is not about temporal things, but His will is always about the soul and eternity..

I look at it like this.. If a person is falling sick and through that difficulty he is coming closer to God.. Was it God's will for the person to fall sick? No, God is never the author of evil.. The sickness is simply because of fall of man.. God did not push sickness into the person.. But God allowed it to happen.. Because He is going to use it for good.. So can the person now claim that sickness is not from God and hence he can pray and remove the sickness? Then what about the development of character through perseverance? Which was supposed to have shaped the person's character, which is more of an eternal aspect..

 

[ANotherAtheist]

He answers some, I can prob count on one hand. I dont have frequent prayers answered.

Think about this for a moment. If god loves us all then why doesn't he try harder to save all of humanity from hell? He COULD come down to earth and tell us all which religion was right. He COULD answer ours prayers directly by speaking to us. He COULD. And HAS te power to do anything he wants but he doesn't. What kind of loving god would do that to his children? That's why I don't believe in god. If he's so "almighty" then why doesn't he help us in our time of need? Just think.....