20 Bible Verses about Why Prayer Is Unanswered
Most Relevant Verses
You ask, and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it for your pleasures.
but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God, and does his will, he listens to him.
You offer polluted bread on my altar. You say, 'How have we polluted you?' In that you say, 'The LORD's table contemptible.' When you offer the blind for sacrifice, isn't that evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, isn't that evil? Present it now to your governor. Will he be pleased with you? Or will he accept your person?" says the LORD of hosts. "Now, please entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With this, will he accept any of you?" says the LORD of hosts.
Thus says the LORD to this people, "Even so have they loved to wander; they have not refrained their feet: therefore the LORD does not accept them; now he will remember their iniquity, and visit their sins."
Because I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention; but you have ignored all my counsel, and wanted none of my reproof;
He who turns away his ear from hearing the Law, even his prayer is an abomination.
But they refused to listen, and turned their backs, and stopped their ears, that they might not hear. Yes, they made their hearts as hard as flint, lest they might hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts. It has come to pass that, as he called, and they refused to listen, so they will call, and I will not listen," said the LORD of hosts;
Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor, he will also cry out, but shall not be heard.
When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Yes, when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue mutters wickedness.
Therefore thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will bring disaster on them, which they shall not be able to escape; and they shall cry to me, but I will not listen to them. Then shall the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem go and cry to the gods to which they offer incense: but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble. For according to the number of your cities are your gods, Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have you set up altars to the shameful thing, even altars to burn incense to Baal.'read more.
Therefore do not pray for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry to me because of their trouble."
Then he said to me, "Have you seen this, son of man? You shall again see yet greater abominations than these." He brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house; and see, at the door of the LORD's temple, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs toward the LORD's temple, and their faces toward the east; and they were worshipping the sun toward the east. Then he said to me, "Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence, and have turned again to provoke me to anger: and behold, they put the branch to their nose.read more.
therefore I will also deal in wrath; my eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them."
But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For let that man not think that he will receive anything from the Lord.
For what is the hope of the godless, when he is cut off, when God takes away his life? Will God hear his cry when trouble comes on him?
There they cry, but none gives answer, because of the pride of evil men. Surely God will not hear an empty cry, neither will Shaddai regard it.
The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: 'God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.'
You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me. They cried, but there was none to save; even to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
You who hate the good, and love the evil; who tear off their skin, and their flesh from off their bones; who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them, and break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron. Then they will cry to the LORD, but he will not answer them. Yes, he will hide his face from them at that time, because they made their deeds evil."
