Unanswered Prayer

Why Does God say “NO”  to Most of My Prayers? 

Many Christians in their franker moments will admit that praying is one of the most meaningless things that they do.  Gardening, cooking, reading or ditch digging are meaningful. Something useful is accomplished, but prayer is a problem for many of us. It is such a problem that many of us have given up on it altogether or reduced it to a 60 second exercise to get the day launched.

I want to pass over the usual instruction about praying and try to face head-on one of the major problems in our praying that causes prayer to be a 60 second event instead of a thing of beauty and a joy forever.

There are undoubtedly many reasons for the eclipse of prayer, and I cannot deal with all of them, but I do want to respond to one of the reasons prayer has declined in importance in current Christianity.  The question comes to the fore over and over again, and is expressed at times in pain and bewilderment, “Why doesn’t God answer most of my prayers?!”  The problem of unanswered prayer may be one of the major reasons some of us give up.

If you are interested in pursuing the problem you might want to check out the chapters listed below.

1. The Problem
3. Sin
5. God is God
7. God is a Father
9. “Not yet”
11. The Greater Prayer
13. The Real Prayer
15. The Gift of Freedom
17. Persistence in Prayer
19. Praying Together
21. God May hide himself
23. According to the Pattern
24. Conclusions