When God Does Not Answer Prayers, Try These Three Helpful Methods

Cheng Shi

    Brothers and sisters:

    Peace to you in the Lord! Praying is an important way for us Christians to establish a normal relationship with God. This is especially the case during the morning and at night. That is why learning how to pray is extremely important. However, many brothers and sisters feel perplexed: Every single day, we pray both in the morning and at night; we also pray before we eat and after we finish eating as well as when we have gatherings; furthermore, each time we pray, we say a lot to the Lord and pray for a long time. However, we always feel as if God is not there; it feels as if we are just talking to ourselves when we pray, and our spirit does not feel peace or joy. Why does God not listen to our prayers? How should we pray so that we can receive God’s praise?

    Actually, there are a few reasons why God may not listen to our prayers. I will share my personal understanding of this with everybody.

How Did She Find a Suitable Job Abroad Without Work Experience?

By Xing Yue, Italy

“Hello, please can I ask whether your restaurant is hiring any staff at the moment?”

“Can you speak a foreign language? Do you have work experience?”

“No, sorry, I don’t speak any foreign language and I don’t have any work experience.”

“In that case, I’m sorry. We need skilled workers, not interns at this time.”

When the telephone call ended, thoughts swirled through my mind: “Oh dear, this is the third call I’ve made today trying to find a job. If I can’t find a job, then I won’t be able to afford this month’s rent.”

My Roommate Gives Me Advice in My Fruitless Job Hunt

My roommate saw me sigh and came over. She said, “You’re too honest. Whenever you’re asked something, you always tell the truth, and you certainly won’t find a job that way. You have to learn to bend the truth a little. When someone asks you whether or not you can speak a foreign language, you say, ‘A little.’ When they ask you whether or not you have any work experience, you say, ‘I haven’t been working long.’ Wouldn’t that be better? Secure a job first and then think about honesty!” When I heard my roommate say this, I felt a little worried, and said, “But wouldn’t that be lying? I can only say simple greetings in a foreign language, and I’ve only worked in a restaurant for one evening, so I don’t really have any work experience at all. It’s not right to say things like that.” My roommate went on, saying, “Xing Yue, you’re too stubborn! You can learn languages and store up work experience gradually as you go along. Who would know that you’ve only worked in a restaurant for one evening if you didn’t tell them? You don’t have the money for rent right now, and if you don’t hurry up and find a job, then you won’t even be able to afford to live here at all.” My roommate’s advice began to sway me, and I thought: “She’s right. When I tell the truth, no manager wants to hire me. If I lied just once for the sake of providing for myself, surely that would be OK?” But then I thought of how God enjoins us many times in His words to be honest people, to always tell the truth and not to tell lies or try to deceive people. I am a Christian, and I knew I should take God’s words as the standards for how I live my life, for only in that way could I glorify and bear witness to God. “No,” I thought. “I’d best heed God’s words and be an honest person.”

I Can Get Along With My Daughter Who Lives From Paycheck to Paycheck

By Song Ling

Children’s Excessive Consumption Brought Their Mothers Annoyance

One Sunday, I was chatting with several mothers in Lan Bei Park.

Aunt Liu said helplessly, “Yesterday my child spent a few hundred yuan on four dresses. Today she is going to eat at a restaurant with her friends. She doesn’t feel any regrets for spending money, as if it were got without pains. No matter what I say, she won’t listen, and when I talk too much, she will get peeved off. Alas, I really cannot control her.”

“My daughter is the same. She spends money like it’s water. When she sees clothes that she likes, she will buy them, and her wardrobe gets stuffed full of clothes. I’m frugal and even unwilling to buy a dress or shoes, while she spends three or four hundred yuan on a dress. What’s worse, she can’t bear any criticism of this, and even blames me for nagging her that she doesn’t speak to me—she is too immature. This really fills me with anger and helplessness.”

Christian Devotional Song | "How Does One Enter Into the True Prayer"

Christian Devotional Song | "How Does One Enter Into the True Prayer" | Song About Prayer (Lyrics) 

During prayer your heart must be at peace before God,

your heart must be sincere.

Truly commune when you pray to God.

Don’t cheat God with words pleasing to the ear.

So your heart will be quiet before God.

And in the environments arranged for you,

you will then know yourself and hate yourself.

You will hate yourself and forsake yourself.

So you’ll have normal relations with God,

and become someone who truly loves, loves God, loves, loves God,

become someone who truly loves, loves God.

Prayer must surround what God will do today. Ask for greater illumination,

bring your state and troubles before God and speak to Him your resolution.

So your heart will be quiet before God.

And in the environments arranged for you,

you will then know yourself and hate yourself.

You will hate yourself and forsake yourself.

So you’ll have normal relations with God,

and become someone who truly loves, loves God, loves, loves God,

become someone who truly loves, loves God.

Prayer is not to follow procedure but to seek God with your sincerity.

Pray for God to protect your heart. Ask for God to protect your heart.

So your heart will be quiet before God.

And in the environments arranged for you,

you will then know yourself and hate yourself.

You will hate yourself and forsake yourself.

So you’ll have normal relations with God,

and become someone who truly loves, loves God, loves, loves God,

become someone who truly loves, loves God.

from Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs

Recommend More: 

Hymns of Praise to God

Christian Marriage Advice on How to Choose a Spouse

Hello brothers and sisters of Spiritual Q&A,

   I’m old enough now to look for a partner in life, plus my unbeliever family members are pushing me to find a boyfriend. But I don’t know what kind of partner I should look for in order to be happy. When it comes to looking for a spouse, my unbelieving friends all want to choose those who are “tall, rich and handsome” or “fair-skinned, rich and beautiful,” but I see there is no real affection between them, and instead they cause each other a lot of harm. I’d like to understand how, as a Christian, we should approach love and marriage.

Sincerely yours,

Bai Xue

How Should We Pray According to His Will? Get Inspired From 3 Biblical Stories

By Xuesong

    Praying is a way for Christians to commune with God and obtain enlightenment from Him, and is an essential practice in our daily life. Since praying is so important to us Christians, how should we pray according to His will so that He will hear? This is an issue that every Christian is concerned about. Now let’s find out the answer from three biblical stories.

How should people experience God’s judgment and chastisement in order to be saved?

The Church of Almighty God- How should people experience God’s judgment and chastisement in order to be saved?

Relevant Words of God:

True faith in God means experiencing the words and work of God based on a belief that God holds sovereignty over all things. So you shall be freed of your corrupt disposition, shall fulfill the desire of God, and shall come to know God. Only through such a journey can you be said to believe in God.