When God Does Not Answer an Honest Prayer

For Christians who don't care much about a church life, a prayer life, or even reading the Bible, when they encounter life's crises, turn to prayer, and find no answers, they can always find a ton of reasons to explain away why their prayers were not answered.

 

Maybe I waited for a crisis in order to pray.

Maybe God wants me to always depend on Him.

Maybe I did not pray long enough.

Maybe I started to pray too late.

Maybe I prayed and then still worried about it.

Maybe I prayed but really didn't believe my prayer would be answered.

Maybe...Maybe...Maybe...

The casual Christian can easily justify why a prayer may not be answered. .

For Christians who have a very strong prayer, when such individuals face those life-and-death situations and pray to God from the depths of their hearts and their prayers go unanswered, unanswered prayers can lead to crises of faith, forcing  these believers to ask questions they may have taken for granted, questions such as:

 

1. Is there really God?

2. Does God really answer prayers or do I just pray to make myself feel good?

3. Why did God not answer my honest prayer?

4. Why should I continue to pray when I've cried out to God from the depths of my heart and God did not answer my prayer?

These can be very difficult questions about God, especially when they arise out of a situation in which your faith seems to have apparently not been affirmed. God did not turn out to be what you expected God to be. The spiritual doubt that follows is the most difficult kind of doubt to overcome. Frankly, there is not a greater challenge to faith than when, contrary to James 5:16, the fervent prayer seems to be of no avail. How does a Christian deal with God, faith, and prayer when, in the midst of a life-crushing situation, an honest prayer goes unanswered? When prayer fails, why still believe in God? Why continue to pray? If you want honest answers, this book is for you.