What to Do When Prayer Feels Like It’s Going Nowhere

You feel stuck in your prayers. What do you do? You go to the Lord, pray and feel like nothing happens. Thoughts begin to enter your head and heart. Why does God not answer? Where is He?

I love the Psalms of David because he is so real in his prayers. He’s not afraid to express how he feels.

Psalms 22:1-2 NIV “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.”

The wonderful thing is how through the process of prayer, his heart is uplifted with God’s answer. He ends in praising God.

Psalm 22:3-5 NIV “Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.”

We see in this verse, that he knows his family put their trust in Him and they were delivered. His heart is freed from anxiety and he puts his trust in God.

Well, yes, you say. God answered. Truth is, God always answers. Sometimes we become so anxious for the reply, we think He hasn’t answered. We’re going to discuss reasons that could be interfering.

• Do You Have Unconfessed Sin?
• Have You Told Him Everything?
• Are You Seeking His Will?
• Are You Waiting on Him?
• Are You Trusting His Answer?
• Conclusion

Do You Have Unconfessed Sin?

Psalm 66:18 NIV “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;”

1 John 1:9 NIV “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Our God is a merciful God, but He is not able to look on sin. When we have unconfessed sin it blocks fellowship with Him.

In 1 John 1:9, we can take care of any sin in our life by confessing it to Him. This shows we are sorry and want to restore fellowship.

If there is any unconfessed sin in your life, do it before you request anything. He is waiting for you.

Have You Told Him Everything?

Going to the Lord in prayer is about confiding everything. Is there something you are not telling Him? Yes, He knows, but maybe you need to talk to Him about it.

Hebrews 4:16 NIV “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

This verse tells us to come boldly to God and tell Him what’s on our mind. We can do this with confidence. Maybe you have not told Him what is really on your mind. We receive mercy when God listens to us. What a privilege we have in prayer.

When we begin to pray, we don’t always remember every sin. In 1 John 1:9, it tells us not only does He forgive our known sin, but all of our unrighteousness.

Are You Seeking His Will?

1 John 5:14-15 NIV “ This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

In this passage, we see God hears us. The condition is, are we asking according to His will? This means anything that we know is His will.

According to Expositor’s Bible Commentary, “Prayer becomes not only a time for petitioning but of yielding one’s life to the will and work of God. Prayer made in these circumstances is always heard because it is God’s will that is being done and his intention for humankind that is being met.”

Whenever you are ready to make a request to God, make sure it is in His will. If you’re not sure, tell Him that you want His will in the situation.

Are You Waiting on Him?

Psalm 27:14 NIV “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

A lot of times, when we are under stress, tired or grieved, we want an answer right away. Believe me, I understand. If we are trusting God, we know He has the best answer for us. If we rush, it may be the wrong path and we can suffer even more.

Psalm 62:5-6 NIV “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.”

There is no one better to help us. He loves us, want everything good for us. We need to trust and wait.

Are You Trusting His Answer?

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

In this passage we are reminded to try not to figure it out ourselves. This is where we get in trouble. We think we can do it alone.

Trust Him for the right answer, submit to that answer. What will happen? He will make it work.

Romans 8:28 NIV “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

When you are waiting, feeling frustrated, wondering if God heard you, quiet you heart and go to this verse.

Conclusion

The next time you feel stuck in your prayers, stop a minute and remember who God is. He is all power yet has an overflowing love for you. He’s going to answer, sometimes not at the exact moment we want.

God may be trying to tell us something by the wait. We don’t always think before making our requests. Just make sure you are asking in His will.

Reading scripture before prayer can help. If you feel God has abandoned you, read Psalm 22 and Psalm 13. See how lost David feels when he begins in prayer and how he feels at the end. His heart is changed and relieved of anxiety.

If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, this could be your problem. God at times does answer an unbeliever’s prayer, but it is not as likely.

All that is needed to trust Him is to repent of your sin (turn away from it) and accept that He died in your place so you can have fellowship now and in eternity with God. Because of His sacrifice, you are now free. If you need to talk, please comment.