Apologetics 101: Five Things to Do When God Doesn’t Answer Our Prayers

Instead of getting frustrated and angry, try these tips when it seems God is not answering your prayers. Remember, Jesus’ prayer was denied three times by the Father while He suffered during the Agony in the Garden. If it happened to Jesus, it will happen to us.

1. Reassess What You Are Praying For

Examine your heart and look at the motivation behind the prayer. Why do you want it? Is it good for you? Is it in accord with the teachings of the Church? Good fathers know they cannot give their children everything they ask for at the moment they ask for them. God will always answer our prayers in the way that is best for us and brings Him the most glory.

2. Surrender What the Answer Must Look Like

The way God answers our prayers will often look different from the way we envisioned it. That’s because God sees the entire picture and we only see a limited slice of it. When we let go of getting the answer we expect, we usually find that we have already gotten the answer we need.

Remember, prayer is not about changing God’s mind. It’s about changing ours.

3. Take a Look at Your Timetable

We are impatient. God knows what we need and when we need it. God often does not answer our prayers right away, because it is more beneficial to us that we keep persevering in prayer. Don’t give up!

4. Thank Him!

Thanking God for not answering your prayer is so hard to do. This shows incredible faith and trust in God’s plan – which are exactly the two things we need to dispose ourselves to receive blessings.

5. “THY WILL BE DONE”

Not, “my will be done.”

God doesn’t exist to serve us. We exist to serve Him. He loves us as a Father, not a vending machine. We are happy only to the extent that we are living in God’s will and to the extent that we bring our will in line with God’s will for us. If you seek only God’s will in your prayer, you will never be unhappy.