Scripture gives several possible reasons why a person may not receive what they ask for: the request may not align with God’s will, be made with wrong motives, or be accompanied by consciously holding on to sin and unforgiveness. This is not an exhaustive list. The absence of a quick answer does not mean we should stop praying: Jesus teaches us to pray always and not lose heart.
What Does the Bible Say About This?
- When we ask according to God’s will, He hears us (1 John 5:14–15).
- Requests go unanswered when people ask “with wrong motives,” intending to spend what they receive on their pleasures (James 4:3).
- The psalmist says that if he had cherished iniquity in his heart, the Lord would not have listened to him (Psalm 66:18).
- Jesus connects prayer with faith and with a willingness to forgive those against whom we hold a grievance (Mark 11:24–25).
- The parable of the widow and the judge teaches us to pray always and not lose heart; Jesus says that God will defend His chosen ones, although He may seem slow to act (Luke 18:1–8).
- Paul asked the Lord three times to deliver him from a “thorn in the flesh,” but received a different answer: the sufficiency of grace (2 Corinthians 12:8–9).
The brief answer was prepared by the editorial team; the verse texts are from the Father’s Blessing Bible.
Key Bible Passages
6 Bible Passages · Father’s Blessing Bible
1 John 5:14–15
14 And this is the confidence that we have before Him: whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And when we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have received what we have asked of Him.
James 4:3
You ask, and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, to spend it on your desires.
Psalm 66:18
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened to me.
Mark 11:24–25
24 Therefore I tell you: whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have already received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
Luke 18:1–8
1 Jesus told them a parable about the need to pray always and not lose heart, 2 saying: “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him, saying, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a long time he refused. But afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor care about people, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she will not keep coming to pester me.’ 6 And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
2 Corinthians 12:8–9
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But the Lord said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.
Related questions
- How should I pray correctly?
- How can I know God's will?
- How can I hear God?
- What should I do if I doubt God?
- What does it mean to pray in Jesus' name?
