"Why aren't my prayers being answered?"

Every once in a while I get someone asking me why “bad things” keep happening to them – i.e., health, financial or marital problems, etc. The only thing I can tell these people is: I don’t know what’s going on in your particular situation because I don’t know how you conduct your life. The only thing I can tell you is that we are in a fallen world where often bad things happen to good people.

Just because we are Believers, it doesn't mean that nothing "bad" will ever happen to us. We are not immune from diseases or accidents or fires, floods or anything else. We don't know when our last day on earth will be, and that is why it is so important to "get and keep ourselves right" with God. He never promised any of us a "rose garden"….

Whenever things “go wrong” in our life, the first thing many of us tend to do is to blame ADONAI. "God, why aren't YOU doing this to me? I've been praying and asking and even begging for relief of ____. Where are you?"

Well, what really needs to happen FIRST, is - we need to ask ourselves, “Where are WE? What are WE doing for HIM? Do WE spend time with Him daily? Or do we just put Him on a shelf and pull Him out when something goes wrong? Do WE study His Word and do our best to be holy/set apart from the world? Are WE a good witness for Him wherever we go? Do WE LIVE a Torah lifestyle?” If the answer to any of these questions is “No”, then how could we possibly expect HIM to do anything for us? Why should He?

"If one turns away his ear from hearing the law (Torah), even his prayer is an abomination." - Proverbs 28.9.

Can He heal us? Certainly! Can He protect us from disease or natural disasters? YES! But the question is, WILL He? He doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we would like, and that is His prerogative. He is God and He has His reasons. Can He fix our financial situation? Well, sure – by leading us to the “right” job somewhere…but the key is RECOGNIZING when and where He is working to get us to that “right place at the right time.”

Perhaps He’s been trying to get you into a new career or to move to a new city, and you haven’t complied. Perhaps you haven't been seeking employment hard enough, or been willing to take whatever you can get until you're "back on your feet.". Perhaps you aren't seeking the "right" employment. Or perhaps your life is full of sin and He's trying to get your attention by forcing you to "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)

American cowboy, vaudeville performer, humorist, newspaper columnist, social commentator, and stage and motion picture actor Will Rogers once said, “"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." Well, this definitely holds true when it comes to our dealings with YHWH. He can’t use you if you just sit there and refuse to obey! Sometimes we need to MOVE in order to see change in our life.

"When we were at Mount Sinai, Master YHWH said to us, 'You have stayed at this mountain long enough.” (Deuteronomy 1:6 )

Truth is, the answer usually lies within us! What are WE doing wrong or right in His eyes? Are WE guilty of some sin in our life that is preventing us from prospering or accomplishing our goals? We cannot force our ELOHIM to do anything. He has His reasons for answering or not answering our prayers. He KNOWS those who are truly His and those who are just playing around and using Him for their own convenience. He is not with those who aren't 100 percent committed to Him....

Where are YOU?  

WHATEVER happens, we must never turn our back to Him! He made us and loves us, and He KNOWS our pain. Please read my article about bad things happening to good people: http://www.therefinersfire.org/storm.htm