[1] This isn't the same as when God doesn't answer our prayers the way we want—there are other reasons why He might choose to do that. When He doesn't listen to us, it is likely because our sin has caused offense to Him and hindered our prayers.
Through the scriptures, we are taught that God will always hear our prayers and will answer them if we address Him with faith and real intent. In our hearts we will feel the confirmation that He does hear us, a feeling of peace and calm.
- As long as your prayers are for selfish motives, driven by pride hidden in your heart, God will not answer them. - Other versions start this verse with “don't be anxious” in place of “Be careful…” - Once you know God has said yes, you know you will receive it.
Just because God seems silent doesn't mean you should doubt Him or stop praying. God's silence isn't a license for us to turn our backs on Him. Instead, it's an invitation to press forward and seek Him even more diligently. The psalmists modeled crying out to God.
Silence allows a connection to God beyond what words can express. It is a special gift for us to cultivate and use to aid our faith.
I've heard it said that God answers prayers in one of three ways. God says “Yes,” and you receive what you ask for. God says “No,” and you have to accept it and move on. Or God says “Not Yet,” and you learn to be patient and wait.
(2) Sometimes healing does not occur because of the presence of sin for which there has been no confession or repentance. James 5:15-16 clearly instructs us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another that we may be healed.
When circumstances turn sour or take too long, it's easy to think God's forgotten us or would rather not deal with our issues. But to think He isn't doing anything—to think God doesn't care—is simply not true. He is still just as much in the details and the outcome of our lives as He was in Bible times.
Just as God saw and heard the Hebrew's cry, He hears yours, too. He is aware of your affliction and suffering. Each tear we cry has meaning to our Father God. He keeps track of all our sorrows just as carefully as if He were gathering each tear and placing it in a bottle for His remembrance.
Thus strictly speaking, if “sinner” means anyone who has sinned, then God does not hear the prayers of anyone. However, the term “alien sinner” has been applied to those who have never become one of God's children (Eph. 2:12).
You could try journaling your prayers, praying a Psalm or the Lord's Prayer, spending more time listening, walking around while you pray, or praying with other people. Even David—a man after God's own heart—wrote some Psalms crying out to God about why He wasn't answering, so you're not alone if you feel far from God.
Fifteen hundred years after Noah's great flood, King Solomon was receiving some advice from his father, King David, who said this, ” … for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts” 1 Chronicles 28:9. In other words, “Be aware of what's in your head, son. God sees it.”
Because He knows this and loves us, He doesn't usually interfere with the consequences of our choices. If He forced us to make the right decisions, it would be impossible for us to grow and reach our divine potential. It would be impossible to live by faith in Him and His plan for our happiness.
God respects agency.
He (and we) can encourage, plead, warn, and teach—rewarding good behavior and punishing bad behavior. But in the end, it would go against His nature and plan to force anyone to do anything.
Heavenly Father, I come before You with a humble heart, seeking Your divine healing for my life. As I stand in Your presence, I am reminded of the many blessings and benefits You have graciously bestowed upon me. Lord, You are the one who forgives my sins and transgressions, showing me mercy and compassion.
Sometimes God is silent because we aren't ready for the message. He wants to talk to us about something, but we aren't ready. We have to go through refining trials to make us ready to listen. God is sometimes silent because He knows we aren't willing to obey.