Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. (Luke 18:1)

God Does Not Hear My Prayers

An unknown author wrote, “Prayer is the effort of man to reach God, to commune with an invisible being, the author and the creator of all things, supreme wisdom, truth, beauty, and strength, Father and Redeemer of every man.” The great challenge of prayer is the vehicle of faith that is required to allow a man to petition an invisible being, allowing the prayer to be received and acted upon without a visible reaction. This makes prayer problematic in the minds of many who believe in the power of prayer and seek the blessings of God through prayer and yet feel as if God does not hear the petitions of a heartfelt plea. One of the most common complaints of prayer is the inability to visibly recognize an answer, which leads to a fear of not being heard.

The scriptures bear out that God hears the prayers of His children – all of them. No prayers are offered in the sacrificial manner of faith the Lord does not listen and acknowledge. The feeling of disparity of unanswered prayer comes from a misunderstanding of the design of prayer. It must be clearly seen that God never sleeps, He never slumbers, and He is never too busy to acknowledge the prayers of the faithful. Jesus taught the power of prayer by His life. In His teaching, the Christ tells the disciples there must be an urgency about prayer. Men should always pray and never lose heart.

It is the second part of the admonition that Jesus reminds the disciples that one should never lose heart in prayer because God is always listening. God is always faithful, unlike the nature of man. It is not uncharacteristic for a man to not hear a request, ignore a need, or become so busy he cannot help his fellow man. Men fail one another constantly. This is not the character of God. There is never a time when He cannot hear and answer prayer. Men should be constant in prayer because the Lord God is a constant presence who will never leave or forsake His children.

Prayer is pleading the promises of God with the expectation that God always hears and answers prayer. Every prayer that comes before the throne of God is received by a merciful God who knows better what His children need than His children. God is not a vending machine where demands can be given. The first rule of prayer is acknowledging the inability of the petitioner to come before the Creator and Maker of the universe. Humility is the posture of prayer. The greatness of God is found in His allowing His creation to speak to Him in prayer. Whatever manner or time God answers prayer is to the glory of how the Lord God decides to respond.

Faith is believing that God always hears the prayer of the faithful. Jesus does not want His disciples to lose heart because there is no reason to lose heart. If a man feels God has not heard his prayer, the answer is probably something he was not expecting. Faith allows the heart to accept the answer of God as the best outcome. The principle of prayer is that God always answers with “Yes” because whatever the answer (yes, no, wait), the conclusion is a “Yes” with God. He knows best. His wisdom far outweighs the thoughts of men. When God answers prayer, it is incredible. Do not lose heart. Pray without ceasing. Above all things, pray.