Aborted Prayers: Why hasn't He ANSWERED me???

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Aborted Prayers

The enemy has a strategy: 

·      To make you believe that God isn’t faithful to answer your prayers

·      He wants us to believe that God has closed His ears to our cries and left us to fend for ourselves

⁵ No one had the slightest interest in you; no one pitied you or cared for you. On the day you were born, you were unwanted, dumped in a field and left to die.⁶ “But I came by and saw you there, helplessly kicking about in your own blood. As you lay there, I said, ‘Live!’ ⁷ And I helped you to thrive like a plant in the field. You grew up and became a beautiful jewel. Your breasts became full, and your body hair grew, but you were still naked. ⁸ And when I passed by again, I saw that you were old enough for love. So I wrapped my cloak around you to cover your nakedness and declared my marriage vows. I made a covenant with you, says the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine. ~ Ezekiel 16:5-8

[When NO ONE else will listen or answer, the Lord hears us and cares for us, He pursues us and desires intimacy with us!!!]

There are instances when our prayers are hindered or God will not listen or answer.  Look here:

¹⁶ “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you. ¹⁷ Don’t you see what they are doing throughout the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? ¹⁸ No wonder I am so angry! Watch how the children gather wood and the fathers build sacrificial fires. See how the women knead dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. And they pour out liquid offerings to their other idol gods! ¹⁹ Am I the one they are hurting?” asks the Lord. “Most of all, they hurt themselves, to their own shame.” ~ Jeremiah 7:16-19

HOWEVER:  Prayerlessness is powerlessness!  Don’t stop praying! 

Let’s find out what causes aborted prayers!

SIX REASONS OUR PRAYERS ARE ABORTED:

1.   Our prayers are aborted when they are not according to God’s will ~

·      How do I know God’s will????

o  He leads us through His Word [Psalm 119:105]

o  He guides us by the Holy Spirit [Phil 2:12-13; Prov 16:9; Prov 20:24]

o  Through wise counsel of qualified, trustworthy, PROVEN people

o  Through an inner assurance of PEACE, regardless of the obstacles, odds, risk or dangers.

·      God’s will demands a decision.

o  This requires faith AND action.

¹⁴ And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. ~ 1 John 5:14

2.   Our prayers can be aborted when they are fashioned to fulfill an inner lust. ~

·      ³ And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. ~ James 4:3

·      ⁸ Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. ~ Galatians 6:8

·      Prayers founded on lust or in the flesh demand hasty answers!!!

·      ⁹ The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. ~ 2 Peter 3:9

·      A lustful heart will respond with sin by complaining or murmuring or whining when the desired request is not met quickly.  THE TEST: How do we handle delays and denials???

·      Instead of YIELDING [see P.R.A.Y acronym], we run from counselor to counselor trying to cope with emptiness, despair, and restlessness.  ALL in vain because sin has not been purged!

·      Acts 3:19-20

3.   Our prayers may be aborted when we show no diligence in assisting God in the answer ~

·      We go to the Lord as if He is a rich relative.  We lift our hands to Him in prayer and then put them in our pockets.

·      There is nothing unbiblical about adding sweat to our tears.

·      He commands us to FLEE from evil.  We cannot go about our day giving in to our lustful desires and bowing to our idols and then run to the prayer closet at night to pray for a ‘miracle’ of deliverance.

⁸ You spread out our sins before you - our secret sins—and you see them all. ~ Psalm 90:8

Not only will our secret sin find us out, but it will deny us God’s best and bring on a flood of despair and fear.

DON’T BLAME GOD FOR NOT LISTENING TO YOUR PRAYERS IF YOU ARE NOT LISTENING TO HIS CALL FOR OBEDIENCE!

4.   UNFORGIVENESS CAN BE THE REASON PRAYERS ARE NOT ANSWERED.

·       In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy. ~ 1 Timothy 2:8

5.   Our prayers may be aborted because we have low expectations ~

·     The woman who expects little in prayer will not have much power or authority in prayer!

6.   Our prayers may be aborted when we prescribe how God should answer ~

·     We only lay down terms to the person we don’t trust.  Those we trust we leave to themselves to do what is right.  IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO A LACK OF TRUST!

·     The believing soul, after she has unburdened her heart in prayer to the Lord, resigns herself to the faithfulness, goodness, and wisdom of God.

·     NO MORE OF “Is He ABLE???”

Don’t let your vision of God’s faithfulness be clouded by your current circumstances.

Reflect on what God has done in your life:

=     Healed you?

=     Delivered you?

=     Provided for you?

=     Restored you?

=     Redeemed you?