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God promises to answer my prayers, why don’t I see them being answered? What exactly does God promise about praying?

He does hear. He does answer. You may not have noticed the answer because you may have wanted or expected something else.

What does God promise about praying? He does answer the prayer of the believer (Matthew 21:22). Prayer will keep away temptation (Matthew 26:41). Prayer can cast out demons (Mark 9:29). Constant prayer will be rewarded (Luke 18:1-8). Sometimes we don’t know what to pray for, that’s when the Holy Spirit will pray for us (Romans 8:26). We will experience God’s peace through prayer (Philippians 4:6). The prayer of faith will heal the sick and the prayer of a righteous person has power (James 5:15, 16).

Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that He wouldn’t have to face death. Then He added, “Yet I want your will, not mine” (Luke 22:42, NLT). He once asked, “Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from what lies ahead?’ But that is the very reason why I came! Father, bring glory to your name” (John 12:27, NLT). God’s will may be different than what we want. We can trust Him to do what is best. Christ’s attitude is what we need. That allows God to use us for His glory.

Why is it that some people seem to have miraculous answers to prayers, and yet others don’t? Why does God intervene in some situations and not others?

How come Peter escapes from prison (Acts 12:6-19), but Stephen is stoned to death (Acts 7:59, 60)? How come God doesn’t always respond to the prayer in faith for the sick as it seems to be promised He will (James 5:14, 15)?

The simple answer is that we don’t know why God intervenes in some situations and not in others because we do not fully know God. What we do know is that even in the Bible miracles are not common (and would probably not be called miracles if they were) and seem to come in waves (for instance, in the time of Moses and the time of Jesus).

One of the important things about prayer is that we must always be willing to submit to God’s will. Like Paul. He prayed three times (he says “begged”) for God to take away a “thorn in the flesh” (probably a physical problem). He says the Lord told him, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” So, in typical Paul style, he boasts about his weakness (2 Corinthians 12;7-9, NLT). He accepted God’s will for His life.

Remember, God’s main interest is in your eternal destiny, so while He may not answer a prayer for, say, physical healing, He will answer some prayers in precisely the way you want, whenever you pray them. For instance: When you seek salvation through Jesus; your prayer of repentance; and your prayer asking for forgiveness is always answered in the positive!

Here’s the promise: “Pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6, 7, NLT). Notice the promise is not of miracles, but of peace--but perhaps that is a greater miracle.