At what times will God not listen to us?

Deuteronomy 1:42-45“The Lord told me to tell you, ‘Do not attack, for I am not with you. If you go ahead on your own, you will be crushed by your enemies.’ “This is what I told you, but you would not listen. Instead, you again rebelled against the Lord’s command and arrogantly went into the hill country to fight. But the Amorites who lived there came out against you like a swarm of bees. They chased and battered you all the way from Seir to Hormah. Then you returned and wept before the Lord, but he refused to listen.”

Jonah 4:1-4This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.” The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”

1 John 5:14We are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.

In his perfect love and wisdom, God desires what is best for us and others. If what we ask for contradicts that, he will not answer our prayer. Israel lacked faith and disobeyed God, so God determined they were not ready to enter the Promised Land. When Israel decided to try to enter anyway, God warned them it would end badly. After Israel was soundly beaten, they ran back to complain to God, and Moses had to tell them, “God told you so!” Another example comes from Jonah. Jonah was angry at the Ninevites, and he became angry at God for showing mercy to them. Naturally, God didn’t incinerate Nineveh like Jonah wanted. Instead, God taught Jonah a lesson in his divine love and compassion. God does not listen to our selfish or wrong requests, but he always offers answers to our real needs. To receive his answer, we must learn to listen ourselves.

Psalm 66:18If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

Isaiah 59:2It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.

Jeremiah 11:11This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring calamity upon them, and they will not escape. Though they beg for mercy, I will not listen to their cries.

Zechariah 7:13“Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to me, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

James 4:3Even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

When we persist in sinful living, God will not listen to any of our requests because they will all come from selfish motives. If we are not sincere and unselfish when we come to God in prayer, our prayers will be meaningless.

Psalm 23:1-4The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

Matthew 13:58So he [Jesus] did only a few miracles there [in Nazareth] because of their unbelief.

Matthew 14:30-31When he [Peter] saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

Mark 9:22-24“Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

James 1:6-8When you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

Lack of faith toward God may lead to a lack of response from him. But God still loves and cares for those with a weak faith. Just as Jesus had compassion on the man with the demon-possessed son who asked for greater faith, and just as he lifted Peter from the waves when Peter’s faith failed, he also comforts and strengthens our faith. Growing in faith is not growing in willpower, trying to force God to do what we want. Growing in faith means growing in a relationship with the good Shepherd and trusting him to meet our needs. The good Shepherd cares for all his sheep, but a trusting and obedient sheep will benefit most from the Shepherd’s guidance.

Luke 18:1-4, 7-8One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally . . . he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

Sometimes, we can feel as though God isn’t listening to us. Jesus assures us that God is not an unjust judge. He does not help us begrudgingly. He does not require bribes. He genuinely loves us and wants what is best for us. So we should keep praying!