WHY PRAYERS ARE NOT GRANTED

By David J. Riggs

Intro.
   A. At times, our prayers are not granted.
      1. We need to realize that when God says "No," He has
         answered our prayer.
         a. Moses prayed to enter the promised land, but was not
            allowed.
         b. Paul prayed that his thorn in the flesh might be removed,
            but it wasn't.
      2. God answered their prayers, but He said, "No."
   B. God has imposed conditions on prayer, and they can be summed
      up under these three questions.
      1. Do our prayers pass the test of God's superior wisdom?
      2. Are we guilty of sins and attitudes that cause our prayers  
         to be rejected?
      3. Have our prayers met God's positive requirements?

I. THE TEST OF GOD'S SUPERIOR WISDOM.
   A. God's wisdom and knowledge are beyond man's comprehension.
      Rom. 11:33-36
      1. His understanding is infinite. Psalm 147:5
      2. He has perfect knowledge. Job 37:16
      3. He knows all things. 1 John 3:20
      4. His thoughts and ways are far above man's thoughts and
         ways. Isa. 55:8-9
      5. The foolishness of God is wiser than all of man's wisdom. 1
         Cor. 1:25
   B. God's superior wisdom will cause Him to reject some prayers. 2
      Cor. 12:7-10
      1. The mythical king Midas wished that all He touched would
         turn into gold.
         a. He was granted his wish, and later, when he tried to eat,
            his food turned into gold. He was starving amidst riches.
         b. He got what he wished and later regretted it.
      2. Probably, nearly all of us have prayed for something and    
         later were pleased it was not granted.
         a. A man admitted that, as a child, he prayed to have his
            uncle's gift. When he grew up, he was glad God didn't
            grant his wish.
         b. It was to be able to remove his teeth and put them in a
            glass of water at night.
      3. As someone said, "We need to thank God for all the prayers
         He has not granted!"
   C. God's wisdom impartially takes the needs of all into
      consideration. Matt. 5:43-45
      1. Some may be praying that it might not rain so that they can
         go on their long planned outing; however, at the same time
         farmers might be praying for rain so that their crops might
         not fail.
         a. Which prayers do we think God, in His superior
            wisdom, would grant?

II. SINS AND ATTITUDES THAT CAUSE REJECTION.
   A. Failure to ask. James 4:2
      1. Notice what was said of king Asia who otherwise was a
         fairly good king. 2 Chron. 16:12
   B. Selfishness. James 4:3
      1. Too many people cannot see or think beyond themselves.
      2. Like Aladdin's magical lamp, they expect God to be at their
         every beckoning call. They expect God to give them
         everything from new shoes to a million dollars.
   C. Refusal to hear God's word. Prov. 28:9
      1. Notice how God's word and prayer are linked together in
         John 15:7.
      2. Too many leave God's word out of the picture.
   D. Sinful living. 1 Pet. 3:12
      1. God will not listen to those who are in sin. Isa. 1:15;     
         Micah 3:4; Psalm 66:18
         a. Many worldly and evil people, when trouble or disaster
            strikes, begin to furiously pray; however, God will not
            listen to such people. Prov. 1:24-33
      2. We need to repent and remove sin from our lives and then
         God will hear us.
      3. A man said that he once worked in a saw mill cutting the
         logs into lumber. Occasionally, they would cut redwood.
         When he handled the boards, the redwood would stain his
         hands. These stains would turn hands black, and were just
         about impossible to remove. He said he tried using regular
         soap and water to remove the stains. He tried using Heavy
         duty detergent. In desperation, he even tried using         
         gasoline. Nothing seemed to removed the stains.
         a. One day, he mentioned his dilemma to an old timer who
            had cut lumber for many years. He advised me, "Try
            lemon juice."
         b. Lemon juice? He doubted that Lemon Juice could do
            what gasoline wouldn't, but he decided it was worth a
            try. He was absolutely amazed at how effectively the
            Lemon Juice removed the stain. Apparently, there is
            something in lemon juice that changes the chemical
            composition of redwood stain.
         c. Because we are all sinners, we have the stain of sin on
            our lives. The only thing in all the universe capable of
            removing it is the blood of Christ. Rev. 1:5; 1 Pet.     
            1:18-19
         d. We need to remove our stain and our prayers will be
            granted.
   E. Neglecting our part. Prov. 21:13
      1. There is a prayer on a plaque which says: "Lord, grant me
         the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the      
         courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know  
         the difference."
      2. Prayer, plus action, is taught often in the Scriptures.
         a. Pray for all men (1 Tim. 2:1-3), but do good to all men
            (Gal. 6:10).
         b. Pray for enemies (Matt. 5:44), but if our enemy hungers,
            feed him (Rom. 12:20).
         c. Pray for forgiveness (Matt. 6:12), but continue to walk
            in the light to receive forgiveness (1 John 1:7).
         d. Pray for daily bread (Matt. 6:11), we must work or not
            eat (2 Thess. 3:10).
         e. Desire the Lord to save us (Mark 10:17); but do the
            Lord's will (Matt. 7:21-23).
      3. Prayer is not a substitute for obedience.

III. NOT MEETING GOD'S POSITIVE REQUIREMENTS.
   A. Must pray in faith. James 1:5-7
      1. Some resort to prayer in desperation. They reason: "Nothing
         else has worked, I might as well try God. What harm could it
         do?"
      2. Prayer is not a gadget we use when nothing else works.
   B. Must be according to God's will. 1 John 5:14
      1. We are not at liberty to make just any kind of request and
         expect God to answer it.
         a. "According to His will" limits our prayers to what is
            best for us.
   C. Must be in the name of Christ. John 16:23-24
      1. "Name" is from Greek "Onoma," and with "epi" (in the name
         of) means, "...Representing the authority of, on the ground
         of the authority of." (Vine).
         a. Christ is the only mediator between God and man. 1
            Tim. 2:5
         b. He is our Advocate with the Father. 1 John 2:1-2
         c. He is our High Priest who intercedes for us. Heb. 4:14-
            16
   D. Must be persistent. Luke 18:1-8
      1. If an ungodly judge was moved by the woman's persistence,
         how much more will God be moved?
      2. "Prayer is not a stratagem for occasional use, a refuge to
         resort to now and then. It is rather like an established
         residence for the innermost self. All things have a home;   
         the bird has a nest, the fox has a hole, the bee has a hive.
         A soul without prayer is a soul without a home. Weary,      
         sobbing, the soul, after roaming through a world festered   
         with aimlessness, falsehoods, and absurdities, seeks a      
         moment in which to gather up its scattered life, in which to
         divest itself of enforced pretensions and camouflage, in    
         which to simplify complexities, in which to call for help   
         without being a coward. Such a home is prayer." (By Abraham 
         Joshua Heschel in Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity in
         Christianity Today, Vol. 42, No. 5)
      3. Through prayer we can continually resort to a place of
         strong refuge. Ps. 71:3
   E. Let our prayers be rich, full, and brief. Matt. 6:9-13
      1. Please consider how long the model prayer given by Jesus is.
      2. An older lady reported: "My three-year-old granddaughter,
         Rebecca, had been well-behaved throughout the morning
         services until the preacher began his long closing prayer.
         With no end of the prayer in sight, Rebecca stood up on the
         pew and said loudly, 'Amen, Preacher, Amen!' The
         congregation erupted in laughter as the preacher stopped.
         Then in a somber voice, he continued, 'And a little child   
         shall lead them. In Jesus name. Amen.'"

Concl.
   A. In this lesson we have seen three reasons why prayers may not  
      be granted.
      1. God's superior wisdom may act as a filter to cause our
         prayers to not be granted.
      2. Sin and wrong attitudes in our lives cause our requests to  
         not be bestowed.
      3. Not meeting God's positive requirements also results in our
         prayers not being granted.
   B. Our God is not like the Canaanite god "Baal" who paid no
      attention. 1 Kings 18:26-29
   C. This was written by a seventeenth century Frenchman by the
      name of Francios Fenelon: "Tell God all that is in your       
      heart, as one unloads one's heart, its pleasures and its pains,
      to a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles, that He may comfort  
      you; tell Him your joys, that He may sober them; tell Him your 
      longings, that He may purify them; tell Him your dislikes, that
      He may help you to conquer them; talk to Him of your           
      temptations, that He may shield you from them; show Him the    
      wounds of your heart, that He may heal them; lay bare your     
      indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil, your      
      instability.  Tell Him how self-love makes you unjust to       
      others, how vanity tempts you to be insincere, how pride       
      disguises you to yourself and to others. If you thus pour out  
      all your weaknesses, needs, troubles, there will never be any  
      lack of what to say." (From Strengthening Your Grip, by Charles
      Swindoll).
   D. Our God is a God who hears us. Let us pray to Him continually.

Chart #1
I. THE TEST OF GOD'S SUPERIOR WISDOM.

A. God's wisdom and knowledge are beyond man's comprehension. Rom.
11:33-36

B. God's superior wisdom will cause Him to reject some prayers. 2
Cor. 12:7-10

C. God's wisdom impartially takes the needs of all into
consideration. Matt. 5:43-45

Chart #2
II. SINS AND ATTITUDES THAT CAUSE REJECTION.

A. Failure to ask. James 4:2

B. Selfishness. James 4:3

C. Refusal to hear God's word. Prov. 28:9

D. Sinful living. 1 Pet. 3:12

E. Neglecting our part. Prov. 21:13

Chart #3
III. NOT MEETING GOD'S POSITIVE REQUIREMENTS.

A. Must pray in faith. James 1:5-7

B. Must be according to God's will. 1 John 5:14

C. Must be in the name of Christ. John 16:23-24

D. Must be persistent. Luke 18:1-8

E. Let our prayers be rich, full, and brief. Matt. 6:9-13