Question: God rarely seems to answer my prayers. Is He really listening?

Answer: Throughout Scripture, God promises to answer the prayers of His people. Sometimes things don’t turn out the way we’d hope. God won’t miraculously do evil or fulfill selfish intentions. If we’re praying for something immoral, God isn’t going to answer that prayer for us! Of course, we still have the freedom to make choices, but it isn’t God’s movement. Sometimes we’re not praying for something evil, but our intentions are less than honorable. For example, “Please convert my mother-in-law so she goes to church more and visits us less!” While God is no doubt at work in the woman’s life, He likely won’t answer that prayer in the way you’d expect!

After all, God knows what He is about. He has plans in mind for us, but they might not be what we think. For most of us, winning the lottery would bring about a material benefit. That said, funds used in continually purchasing tickets to provide the means for God to “work” could likely go towards better avenues of financial stability. God is concerned with our ultimate good. When we pray, we’re invited to surrender our lives to Him. One of the first petitions in the Our Father is “Thy will be done.” Sometimes the lack of an answer is an answer! Are we prepared to receive it?