IS GOD NOT ANSWERING OR ARE YOU NOT LISTENING?

Have you ever felt like God is not answering your prayers or questions? Are you praying and not receiving revelations or visions to receive God’s guidance and instructions? Is it because we are in a trial, or is it because we are simply not listening? To find the answer, we need to be conscious of how our minds work, and how our thoughts and emotions affect us.

We all face different challenges in our lives—i.e. wanting a new job or trying to get out of one; wanting a clear vision of God’s plan for us; wanting to know if we need to do this or that, and so on. Therefore, just as we want to please God in everything we do, as good Christians, our job is to pray into the circumstance, ask Him what He wants us to do, and then wait for His answer. 
But what happens when waiting for His answer turns from days to weeks, or months, or even years?

Some will say that Satan is stealing their blessings, while others will say that God’s timing is perfect. Some people simply give up, resorting to the conclusion that it wasn’t God’s will for their lives. How can we know for sure if we haven’t even heard God’s answer yet?

We can easily become fixated on how we feel, and the question of why God hasn’t answered our prayers yet. As a result, we allow our thoughts to take control of us without even realising it.

I believe this is one of the enemy’s most cunning tricks, as he makes us think that we are leaving our problems to God, while in reality our minds are running wild with questions like What should I do? Why is God not answering me? What is happening? Do I have an open door? Is it God’s time yet? Is it His will? Is something wrong with me?

In the meantime, all we are really doing is pushing God away as our thoughts and emotions consume our attention and cloud our minds. Instead of trusting in God, we become lost in the silence, where the enemy happily waits for us to give in to negative thoughts and emotions. When we give in to those thoughts and feelings, we can easily forget that we are called to praise God no matter our circumstances.

John 10:10 reminds us that “the thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” Are we not stealing God’s time by getting consumed in our own thoughts and feelings?

We are so used to getting what we want right away that when it takes a little longer than we expected, we quickly lose focus. As Christians, we need to remember that His plan is perfect, and that should be more than enough for us. As it is written in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” This is one of the most memorable verses of Scripture, and yet we often forget to apply it in our daily lives.

We don’t need to feel good to praise God. We only need to remember that our emotions and thoughts are parts of our flesh, and our job as Christians is to fight against the flesh daily. Jesus tells His disciples in Luke 9:23 that “if anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up the cross daily, and follow Me.” Jesus himself is telling us that we have to deny ourselves in order to follow Him. Isn’t that what Paul is telling us in 1 Corinthians 15:31: “I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our LORD, I die daily”? Paul knew he had to die to his flesh daily, and that is what we should also be doing.

Once we put God before our thoughts and emotions, and concentrate on simply praising Him, He will take control of everything in our lives. Only then will we start to notice our thoughts and emotions quieten down in our lives, while we begin to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice speak to us more and more. This is a promise of our LORD Jesus Christ in John 14:16, where He says “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.”

Instead of filling our heads with why’s (which inevitably develop into negative feelings), why don’t we just go back to the beginning and surrender to God, praising and believing that He is more than able to provide all that we need and more? Only then can we finally be one with Him and truly hear His voice. 

Certainly, I have been here many times myself, and because I didn’t know what was happening, I questioned myself. Unable to find a clear answer, I became frustrated and sought advice from others (Christians and non-Christians). I kept getting the feeling that I was doing something wrong, until one day, I began meditating on the Scriptures. Deep in the Psalms, the Word of God suddenly spoke to me, so clearly that the words I wasn’t praising Him! seemed to leap out at me from the page. I remembered suddenly all the times I wondered why I wasn’t getting any answers or revelations from God. In every Psalm, no matter what David was facing, he always praised God for His greatness and for all He is.

So in that moment, right there, I decided to simply praise Him. And yes, it is not easy when you’ve been waiting for a breakthrough for a long time, and it is especially hard to fight against your flesh on your own. But at the same time, we can choose to put God first, no matter our ‘self’, as it is beautifully written by Paul in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  We are reminded that it is not about us anymore; and in fact, it has never been. It is about He who lives in us.

As you start listening to His instructions, you will understand that if it is an open door that you need to give to Him, He will let you know; if it is His timing you need to wait for, He will give you peace; and, if the desire of your heart is not His will, He will give you wisdom and understanding to see His perfect plan for you.

Today, pray to our Father in heaven—no matter your circumstances or how you feel—but rather, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Even if you don’t have all the words (as your thoughts are still controlling your mind), just begin praising Him from your heart, telling Him how much you love Him. Then you will start to hear His merciful voice and receive His gracious guidance.

Prayer:

LORD, please forgive me. I didn’t realise that while I was trying to understand why I couldn’t hear Your voice, I was growing further from You.
Father, I Love you and I need you. I will give You praise no matter what my circumstances in life are. You are the only focus in my life, and You are my priority every day. I want you to take control of my life, my thoughts, and my emotions, so I can start listening to your merciful and beautiful voice.
Holy Spirit, take control of my questions and doubts, and please lead me where my Heavenly Father wants to take me. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray, 

Amen.