Persevering Prayer: How to Pray When God Doesn’t Answer

Is there something you have been praying about that you are still waiting for God to answer? If so, you aren’t alone.

Prayer has never been easy for me, and for years, I hid from people I thought would ask me to pray for them. Not only did I not have confidence that I would pray the right words, but I struggled even more when God didn’t answer my prayers. Ouch!

It wasn’t until I cut through the bells and whistles of prayer and stripped my prayer time down to the very foundation that I finally began to grow confident.

So, what is prayer? It is simply a conversation with God.

God created us to be in relationship with Him and with one another. So when you make space for prayer, all you have to do is think of it as having a conversation with a dear friend.

The Power of Our Prayers

We are living in the last days.

Yes, I know the apostle Paul said it, and we have even heard the same from our great-grandmothers, but I truly believe the birth pains of Jesus’ second coming are closer together and are more intense with each passing day.

This is why it is so necessary that we have women of God who know how to pray in a way that moves Heaven so that it can be manifested on earth. We need prayer warriors who exhibit humility and reflect the power and goodness of God – especially in the way they pray.

Jesus says in Mark 11:24, NKJV, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

Do you believe that whatever you ask God will be given unto you because of the faith you hold?

Stand Firm and Be Aware When You Pray

Prayer is a gift from God to His children. But it is also a means by which the devil tries to cause us to stumble.

Have you ever continually prayed for something, only to lose heart because it isn’t being answered fast enough? Friend, that is when the enemy’s discouragement slips in. The devil is relentless in his schemes for our prayer lives because he knows God will answer us!

I was talking with a woman from church, and she shared that she had recently undergone three different eye surgeries. Well, in her times of petition for healing in this process, she endured every kind of complication that comes with recovery not once but after all three procedures. The enemy used her constant prayers to discourage and wear her down!

You see, the devil will try his hardest to change our perspective of God’s character and His love for us. But what if we were living examples of prayer lived out? Could we be people who kept moving forward and continued believing that God is who He says He is, no matter our circumstances?

How to Pray When God Doesn’t Answer

When my six children were younger, they would ask me for things and continue asking until I responded. They were persevering in their ask! As children of God, we can partner with that same perseverance until God answers. But how do we do that?

Remember That Jesus is Our Teacher

The first thing we must realize is that Jesus is our teacher.

I fondly think of Luke 11, when Jesus prayed in a secluded place, and his disciples were so blown away by his power and authority that they asked him to teach them to do the same. So, in his love for them, what does he do? He gives them a model for prayer! And like the disciples, we, too, must learn it.

When you are a student in a class, you still learn at your own level. For instance, in math class, I was always learning at the lowest level—the slow one! But I had a friend and classmate (who is now a mathematician) who helped me when I needed it. She was a great teacher when I needed extra support.

When you have a good teacher, they will always meet you right where you are, and that is just what Jesus does for us. He comes close, guides us, and even prays for us when we don’t have the words!

Don’t Give Up Praying

It can be hard to continue praying when we feel as if the gates of heaven (and the ears of God) have been closed.

We ask, “God, don’t you see how my boss is treating me?”

We plead, “God, why didn’t you stop my husband from having an affair?”

We cry out, “God, heal me from this disease!”

We become concerned when God doesn’t answer as quickly as we expected because, after all, He is God; He sees the pain we are enduring, right? So, we give up and stop praying when there is silence and give in to the perspective of the reality we see.

But what if we remained persistent instead of giving up?

The Persistent Widow

“There was a certain city judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’

-Luke 18:2-5, NKJV

May we be like this widow who doesn’t shut up about what is important to her! If an unrighteous judge gives into the woman’s pleading, how much more would a perfect God, who loves you, give you what you believed and prayed for?

So why does God make us wait? It is not because He is spiteful or we are getting on His nerves; it is because he has not accomplished His purpose in the delay.

Persistence Leads To a New Perspective

What would happen if every delayed prayer was an opportunity for a changed perspective?

For most of my life, I was always late for everything. I was late for meetings, lunch dates, and even church! (Yes, the First Lady was never on time on Sundays.) This not only frustrated my husband, but also those around me. It wasn’t that I didn’t try; things always seemed to happen anytime I was getting ready to go somewhere.

I remember feeling like I hit a wall, and the only thing I could do was pray. I said, “Lord, I know I have to work on this, and I am going to try my best, but please give me grace and help me be on time. In the precious blood of Jesus, Amen!” Well, would you believe that the more I prayed, the worse my tardiness got?

One day, during my quiet time in my garden, I humbly said, “Lord, I just want to be like you. I have seen you show up late, but you were still on time. You even showed up late to your friend Lazurus’s death, and you brought life! Help me to be like you.”

Soon after that holy moment, God began to shift my focus. Instead of worrying about what people thought, I kept my eyes on Jesus and how I could reflect more of him, and it was then that God helped me to be on time.

What if God’s delay was the open door to pray more?

What if His pause is the shift we need to ask Him to share His will?

What if our unmet expectation is an opportunity for Him to show us what He is trying to work out in our hearts?

When you are going through something hard and steadfastly petitioning God in prayer only to receive a delay, chances are, He is waiting to work something out in you.

I encourage you to be active in your prayers. Don’t quit. Instead, invite Him to share His perspective and watch Him work it out.