Believe For More: Even When Prayers Seem Unanswered… 

Believe For More: Even When Prayers Seem Unanswered… 
Pastor Blake Hanson | 1.22.23 

Psalm 22:1–2 (NLT)

1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? 

2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. 

Unanswered prayer leads us to a choice, am I going to God or am I going to God away? 

Unanswered prayer puts us in . 

Exodus 4:13–14 (NLT)

13 But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.” 

14 Then the Lord became angry with Moses…

2 Samuel 12:16 (NLT)

16 David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground.

2 Samuel 12:18 (NLT)

18 Then on the seventh day the child died…

2 Corinthians 12:8–9 (NLT)

8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 

9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness…” 

Matthew 26:38–39 (NLT)

38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible,  let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”  

“God has granted you the high privilege of suffering for Christ; this is the surest sign, that He looks upon you with favor – J. B. Lightfoot 

Unanswered prayer takes us on a . 

Matthew 7:7–8 (NLT)

7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 

8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Marker #1 –  

Matthew 7:7 (NLT)

7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask…

Marker #2 –  

Matthew 7:7 (NLT)

7 … Keep on seeking, and you will find…

Marker #3 –  

Matthew 7:7 (NLT)

7 “… Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”

God invites us by need and encourages us to seek, to engage in relationship with Him. 

Unanswered prayer is handled with . 

Luke 18:1–8 (NLT)

1 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 

2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 

3 A widow  of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 

4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 

5 but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’ ” 

6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 

7 Even 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? 

8 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?”

Persistent prayer is focused on the of God not the .  

Hebrews 13:5 (NLT) 

5 …“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

 Nehemiah 8:10 (NLT) 

10 … The joy of the Lord is your strength!”

Isaiah 40:29 (NLT) 

29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

Notes:

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