Unanswered Prayers
Some people think that God is obligated to answer every prayer. God is sovereign, and He always does what is right, but He can do just as He pleases. He answers prayers because He is gracious and loving. However, there are times when He does not answer certain prayers, and because He is Lord of all, He can choose to do that. King Saul learned that truth when the Philistines amassed a large army to attack Israel. (I Samuel 28:5,6) We need to learn from this why God does not answer some prayers.
God does not answer selfish prayers that we say because we only want our own needs met. (James 4:3) The only reason Saul was praying was because He had a problem. He was afraid he was going to die, so He decided to cry out to God. If we are serious about prayer and finding God's will, we will pray without ceasing. We will not just pray when we have problems. I believe God gets tired of his children just whining and coming to Him when we want something to make us feel better. He is inclined not to answer those prayers or to say "no."
Also, Saul had rejected God's commands when the Lord had shown him clearly what to do, like the battle against Amalek. (I Samuel 28:18) Why should God be under the obligation to answer us when we fail to obey His clear directions? We show callous disregard for the Lord of glory. It hurts Him, and He shows us His displeasure by not answering our prayers, until we begin to obey Him consistently.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 29-31
God does not answer selfish prayers that we say because we only want our own needs met. (James 4:3) The only reason Saul was praying was because He had a problem. He was afraid he was going to die, so He decided to cry out to God. If we are serious about prayer and finding God's will, we will pray without ceasing. We will not just pray when we have problems. I believe God gets tired of his children just whining and coming to Him when we want something to make us feel better. He is inclined not to answer those prayers or to say "no."
Also, Saul had rejected God's commands when the Lord had shown him clearly what to do, like the battle against Amalek. (I Samuel 28:18) Why should God be under the obligation to answer us when we fail to obey His clear directions? We show callous disregard for the Lord of glory. It hurts Him, and He shows us His displeasure by not answering our prayers, until we begin to obey Him consistently.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 29-31