The Bible helps us to appreciate that not all prayers are answered.
Many persons pray for wrong reasons—to win a prize at a raffle or in a contest, to get a big business order, or to win a bet or a sports contest. Is it any wonder that such prayers are not answered?
The disciple James reminded: “You do ask, and yet you do not receive, because you are asking for a wrong purpose, that you may expend it upon your cravings for sensual pleasure.”—Jas. 4:3.
Practicers of non-Biblical religions often consider their worship to be a sort of “magic” that gets their god to do whatever the worshiper wants. But the Creator is not like the fabled jinn of Aladdin’s lamp, waiting to do man’s bidding.
It is true, of course, that Jesus told his followers: “If you ask the Father for anything he will give it to you in my name.” (John 16:23) However, Jesus was speaking to his followers. The things for which they would ask were limited by what they had learned from him, and by their knowledge of God’s purposes.
“Anything” clearly did not include things they knew, or had reason to believe, were not pleasing to God, or things that were not in harmony with his will. If our requests are to be granted, they must please God. We must not request unrighteous things, or those contrary to God’s revealed will. The apostle John stated: “This is the confidence that we have toward him, that, no matter what it is that we ask according to his will, he hears us.”—1 John 5:14.
But, on occasion, even prayers by God’s servants are not answered. Moses’ prayer to enter the land of Canaan was not. King David’s prayer in behalf of Bath-sheba’s child went unheeded. The apostle Paul’s prayer to be delivered from his “thorn in the flesh” went unanswered. To be heard, prayers must be in harmony with God’s purposes! So, then, even failure to understand God’s purpose in a matter can result in an unanswered prayer.—Deut. 3:23-27; 2 Sam. 12:16, 22; 2 Cor. 12:7-9.
To be acceptable to God, prayers must be through the channel he recognizes. Jesus said: “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus also said prayers should be presented ‘in his name.’ (John 14:6; 16:23) Thus, our prayers should acknowledge that the value of the sacrifice of Jesus’ own human life makes it possible for us to approach God in prayer, and that there is just “one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus.”—1 Tim. 2:5.
Also, for our prayers to be answered, we must be obedient to God. The book of Proverbs reminds: “He that is turning his ear away from hearing the law—even his prayer is something detestable.” When the people had been disobedient to God, the prophet Jeremiah wrote: “When I call for aid and cry for help, he actually hampers my prayer.”—Prov. 28:9; Lam. 3:8.
One reason for Jehovah to withdraw his favor was stated to ancient Israel. It also applies to Christendom today. God said: “For the reason that this people have come near with their mouth, and they have glorified me merely with their lips, and they have removed their heart itself far away from me, and their fear toward me becomes men’s commandment that is being taught.”—Isa. 29:13.
Today Christendom’s churches come near God with their mouths, and glorify him with their lips, but their hearts do not motivate them really to conform to his ways. For example, they push aside the Bible’s high moral standards, and accept with approval persons who practice fornication, adultery and homosexual acts—all forbidden in the Scriptures. (See Leviticus 18:22; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.) Further, they teach ‘men’s commandments’ as doctrines. Among these are their teachings about the immortality of the soul, and torment in hellfire, as well as other pagan doctrines they have adopted from non-Biblical human sources.*
In view of Jehovah’s words through Isaiah, only persons who return to Jehovah’s ways and his teachings, thus drawing their hearts toward him, can expect their prayers to be heard favorably. The apostle John wrote: “Whatever we ask we receive from him, because we are observing his commandments and are doing the things that are pleasing in his eyes.”—1 John 3:22.