There are many reasons why our prayers may not have been answered immediately. Here’s a short list for us to consider: - We may have sin in our hearts (Ps 66:18). Sin, like a covering of cloud, fogs our way and hinders our prayer from getting through (Lam 3:44). How can we get rid of the fog of sin? The Bible tells us that we must have a heart pleasing before God, for our prayers should be like sweet smelling incense before God (Ps 141:2). After we have the right attitude and motivation, we should examine ourselves and repent of our sins (2 Cor 7:10–11).
- God’s time may not have come yet (Eccl 3:1). God has an appropriate time for everything. We must always wait for the fullness of God’s time. Sometimes it seems we have waited so long without an answer, but God always watches over his people (Rev 6:10–11). The Lord once ended a parable by saying, “And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?†(Lk 18:7). God’s purpose may be to test us so we’ll learn how to pray and live by faith (Rom 12:12; Lk 18:1). If we can always wait for God’s timing, we can better see the beauty of God’s purpose.
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