Joyce Meyer - Why Prayer Isn't Answered? - Part 1
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Well, thank you for joining me today on «Enjoying Everyday Life,» where we teach the word of God. It’s the truth, the only truth that we really have, and it’s the only way that we can truly enjoy our lives. You might have fun doing some other things, but then the fun leaves when the thing leaves. However, if you have joy, then that comes from deep within you, and you can have that. The Bible says joy is unspeakable and full of glory, so you can be happy when it makes no sense at all to be that way. God hears our prayers, Amen. And if they’re according to His will, He answers them. When you think about it, that’s just truly amazing.
So today, I want to start talking about reasons why prayers are not answered because sometimes they' re not. There are some pretty simple reasons why not. Some are a little more complicated, but some are just simple. So we’re going to start with prayer not being answered when people don’t pray. It’s pretty amazing how many times we try to do things ourselves, on our own. The Bible calls it works of the flesh; it’s our energy trying to do what only God can do, and we wear ourselves out.
There’s an answer in James 4:2 that was truly life-changing for me because I was one of those people who wasn’t trying to ignore God; I was just trying to get the job done. I would hear maybe in a sermon at church what I was supposed to be doing, and then I would go home and try to do it, you know, but I was leaving God out of the equation. I wasn’t saying to Him, «Yes, I do make a lot of mistakes with my mouth, and I need to be quieter. I need to be wiser about what I say, and I’m asking You to help me.» I would just go home and decide, «Well, I’m going to be quiet.»
And that’s really what the flesh does. It always overcorrects, right? It doesn’t find balance. So I wouldn’t try to find the right thing to say at the right time; I just thought, «Well, if I talk too much, I’ll just keep my mouth shut all the time.» Then I ended up getting depressed and feeling down. I said to God, «Why am I depressed? I’m trying to do what You want me to do.» He said, «Well, you’re keeping your mouth shut, but nothing’s changed inside.»
What’s really going on inside of us is what makes us unhappy; it’s not our circumstances, to be honest. I mean, I know from growing as a Christian over the years that I always thought my self-pity, my depression, my bad mood, my disappointment, was due to my circumstance. But it really was the way I looked at the circumstance. The Bible says that God works all things out for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. If we can really believe that, then no matter what kind of issue we have, we can know that it’s going to end well.
Now, that doesn’t mean you’re not going to have to go through anything because God does sometimes test our faith, and the enemy does attack us. So we may have to go through some things, but God never allows more to come on us than what we can bear. With every temptation, He always provides a way out, and I love that. Amen.
But James 4 starts out talking about what causes strife in the world. Strife is all the stuff going on -people not getting along, bickering, arguing, heated disagreements — all the time. A lot of homes are full of strife. A lot of strife is when we all smile at each other and say, «Praise the Lord,» but inside, we’re angry and not really dealing with the real issue. Then it says, «So you try to get what you want and you don’t.» You get jealous of people who have what you don’t. And verse 2 says, «You have not because you ask not.»
When I came across that many years ago, the day God opened my understanding to it, I thought, «Well, yeah! How many times do I just try to do things myself or try to change somebody else without praying about it? Or try to make my kids do something without praying about it? Or try to change myself without praying about it and leaving it up to God?» So I took that literally and decided I couldn’t ask for too much.
See, if I’ve got a choice, I’d rather ask for too much than too little, because God can always say no. Right? That’s right! But if I don’t ask, then I have no hope of getting anything at all. How many of you can relate to that? There are times when we just say we’re going to go do it, you know. I’m not saying we have to pray about every single thing, every step we make, but a person of prayer gets their day started by asking God to help them with everything they do.
I try to pray throughout the day about specific things. For example, yesterday morning when I went to work out, I prayed, «God, please help me work out and not hurt myself.» I certainly didn’t come here without praying that this would be good and that I would be anointed, and so on and so forth. You can pray when you sit down to eat that you don’t overeat. There are so many things we can pray about, yet we just say, «Well, I’m going to try not to overeat,» or «I’m going to try to hate sweets, although I love them,» and none of that’s going to work.
So always remember that you have not if you don’t ask. Ask for help in all things. Isaiah 65:1-2 says, «I was ready to be inquired of by those who ask not. I was ready to be found by those who sought Me not. I said, 'Here I am, here I am, ' says the Lord, to a nation that has not called on My name. I have spread out My hands all the day long to a rebellious people who walk in a way that is not good after their own thoughts.» God says, «I was ready, but nobody was praying.»
You know what I think is part of the mystery of prayer? It’s that God, who can do anything and who knows everything, generally won’t work if somebody’s not praying. It’s not that He can’t, but maybe God’s got somebody else praying for me that I don’t even know. Psalm 28 says, «Ask of Me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth as your possession.» I’ve prayed that over this ministry, and, by the grace of God, we have been able to touch I don’t know how many nations in the world — probably most of them, especially because of television and YouTube. Anywhere a person has a computer, they can get my program. We’ve got this «Joyce Meyer TV» that David created, and if you live in Timbuktu, you can find the program in your language.
That, in itself, is tremendous. And it’s not because I’m on television; it’s because the Word changes people’s lives. Yesterday, I looked up Hebrews 4:12 just to see it again. The word of God is alive and full of power. It’s only in heaven that people will no longer need to ask. As long as we’re here, we need to ask. Matthew 7:7 says, «Ask, and keep on asking, and it will be given to you. Seek, and keep on seeking, and you will find. Knock, and keep on knocking reverently, and the door will be opened to you.»
So it’s not like I’m demanding God do something, but He’s basically saying, «Don’t give up.» You know, God really likes people who won’t give up. I think that’s one of the things that has really been in mine and Dave’s favor-we have just refused to quit. I mean, just do your best, devil, but I’m not quitting. If I had to take a chance on asking for too much or too little, I would definitely ask for too much. I’d rather ask for too much and get some of it than to ask for too little and get all of it.
The second reason why people’s prayers are not answered, and it’s connected a little to the first one, is they don’t pray boldly. See, God tells us to come boldly to His throne in Hebrews 4:15 — 16, which says we have a high priest who understands our infirmities and our weaknesses. That thrills me because He understands me. He’s been tempted in all points just like we have, yet He never sinned. Therefore, come boldly to the throne.
So many people pray what I call just prayers. «Now God, if You’ll just do this…» Listen to people when they pray. Even people who really have a lot of faith often say, «Well, God, if you’ll just give me the money to pay my rent this month.» Wouldn’t you rather have everything paid? Or do you just really want your rent paid? The word «just» means barely enough to get by. So, «God, if You’ll just give me enough to barely get by, I’ll be happy.» It’s hard to get that word out of our prayers because there’s something about us that doesn’t feel like we should go to God boldly because, «Who am I?»
I understand; I get it. But when you study the word long enough and you start doing what God tells you without regard to how you feel about it, I remember when I was praying one day, and the thought came to me to pray that I would be able to help every person on the earth. I thought, «No, that’s stupid! I’m not praying that! No one person from Fenton, Missouri, is going to be able to help every person on the planet.» But I thought, «Well, I can’t lose anything, right?» So I prayed it.
I know that we haven’t helped every person on the planet, but we’ve sure gotten a large percentage, Amen. And we’re not done yet, right? That’s the good thing. We’re not done yet. It’s amazing how God is keeping Dave and me. We’ve been doing this for 49 years, and we still enjoy it. I don’t want to travel as much as I used to, and I don’t have to, because I can reach people by television. I can reach more people in 30 minutes on a TV program than I could running all over the world all the time. So, I’m working smarter, not harder, and I can be here for the long haul.
Some people try to pray not really believing they even have a right to ask God for anything. I dare you to start asking God for what you really want. Now, I will say I don’t think you should be asking God for things all the time. Right? And I’m going to read to you today how the Apostle Paul prayed, and it might make you ashamed of your own prayers. But be sure to pray for spiritual things first because no matter what you have physically, if you’re not strong spiritually, it will actually do you more harm than good.
That’s why so many young believers, who suddenly become popular because they’re gifted, like a very talented singer, can get in trouble and fail. Many of them end up in trouble for sinning, often with other women or with drugs. When you’re touring from place to place every night and the pressure’s on you to keep that up, if you don’t maintain your performance, your ratings start to go down. Sometimes people get to the point where the only way they can do it is to take something that gives them extra energy.
You have to be wise enough to realize that your longevity is more important than a temporary success at a high level. So, sometimes you have to put the brakes on yourself and say, «This is going to lead to trouble if I keep this up.» If a person’s doing so much that they’re grouchy with everybody else, or maybe they’re in the public eye and they’re great when they’re impressing their audience but treat their family terribly when they go home, we have self-control.
I always tell people, «If you don’t like your schedule, change it; you’re the one who made it!» Isn’t that true? How many people complain about how much they have to do? But do you really have to do it all? Do you have to do it all, or are you doing it to please people? Or are you doing it because you just don’t want to be left out?
It was hard for me, for example, when I had to stop going on overseas trips because I loved it. I loved going to India and Africa and Asia and ministering to the people, but I could tell the grace was lifting off me to do it. I kind of dreaded going, and the flights-who wants to be on a 22-hour flight? Then you get there and your body’s all mixed up; mine’s mixed up enough already, so I don’t need to add anything to it. You can’t sleep, and then you want to sleep during the day when you get to these places.
In a lot of these foreign nations, people are much more social than we are. They want to meet you, talk to you, and do dances for you. Not that I didn’t love them, but you’re so tired. You’re trying to act like you’re not tired, and then you’ve got meetings at night. Just about the time your body gets turned around, it’s time to come home.
People often look at the fun part without realizing there’s always another part. If you’re going to ask God for something, first of all, make sure you want it. I always pray, «If I don’t have scripture and verse for it, I always pray, 'God, please don’t give it to me if it’s not your will.'» There is nothing worse than God giving you something just to shut you up, which He will sometimes.
There is a permissive will of God; it’s not the perfect will of God. I believe that when God gave the Israelites meat, they kept complaining, «We hate this stupid manna.» You know how dumb you have to be to hate your food raining out of the sky every day? They kept saying, «We hate this, and we hate that.» So God says, «You want meat? Okay, I’m going to give you meat.» They had quail for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for I don’t know how many days-30 days or something. But they had so much of it that they were vomiting it up.
Sometimes I think God will give us what we’re moaning and complaining about just to show us that’s really not what we want. So I would prefer to pray, " God, please, if it’s not Your will, don’t give it to me. I don’t want anything that You’re not going to give me the grace to handle.» And that includes money, power, and other things.
Satan works very hard to keep us feeling condemned or unworthy so we either don’t pray or we pray weak, wimpy prayers. Certainly, I’m not going to pray boldly; I mean, who am I to go boldly to the throne after what I did? It’s hard, I agree. But I’ve decided to get into agreement with God, and I’m just going for it. You have to pray in Jesus' name, not your own.
And I love what the Amplified Bible says: When we pray in Jesus' name, we are presenting to the Father all that Jesus is. I’ll tell the Lord, «I come to You in Jesus' name, not in my own, because I have no right to ask for anything. But I come to You through Him; He’s the doorway for us to go to God.» We always have to go in His name.
When we pray in Jesus' name, we’re presenting all that He is to the Father, not all that we are. Jesus had been talking to the disciples about the fact that He was going to be leaving before long. I don’t know if they believed it or not, but He talked to them about it over and over, and they still seemed astonished.
In John 16:23 — 24, He says, «When that time comes, when I won’t be here, you will ask nothing of Me. You will need to ask Me no questions. I assure you most solemnly I tell you that My Father will grant you whatever you ask in My name, which means presenting all that I am.» So maybe sometimes people don’t get their prayers answered because they’re asking the wrong person. Our prayers should go to the Father in Jesus' name.
Yes, Amen. Up until this time, He said, «You have not asked a single thing in My name, presenting all that I am. But now ask, and keep on asking, and you will receive so that your joy, your gladness, and delight may be full and complete.» I like how some translations of verse 24 say, «Ask and receive, that your joy may be full.» I love that! It’s just like, «Take the pressure off yourself! Quit trying to do it all yourself and know and believe and understand that if it’s something God wants you to have and if it’s His will, if you ask in faith, you will get it.»
Now there is a little catch there; it doesn’t say when you’ll get it. That helped me when I realized that. Because in Mark 11 and some other places, if you believe and ask in faith, and it’s God’s will, you will get it, but it doesn’t say when. David was anointed to be king 20 years before he wore the crown. Abraham waited about the same length of time to have that promised child. And in the meantime, what happened? They got into the works of the flesh. Sarah said, «I know what we’ll do!»
You’ve got to be careful when you get one of those flashing light bulbs in your head. It’s like a red light sale at Walmart. It’s like, «Whoa, let’s get it!» We don’t even care if we need it. «I know what we’ll do; I’m giving my handmaiden to my husband to be his secondary wife, and he can have intercourse with her, and she’ll get pregnant, and then I’ll take the baby and it’ll be mine.»
Now, we all know ladies that any woman with even a little bit of common sense doesn’t tell her husband, «Here, you can have this woman; go have intercourse with her.» That’s like a no-no! But we do notice that Abraham didn’t tell her, «No, woman, that’s a bad idea,» just like Adam didn’t turn down the apple that Eve offered. Do you realize that Adam and Eve gave up paradise for an apple? Wow! I wonder what we sometimes give up paradise for.