Why doesn't God seem to answer my prayers?
Often quoted is Psalm 37:4b, "and he will give you the desires of your heart." This portion of the Scripture is often used to say that God will give you what you ask for. However, the first part of this verse-often unquoted-provides the true meaning behind it. Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will grant you the desires of your heart."
If you are taking pleasure in the things of God, and you want for yourself no more and no less than God's will for you, then you can be confident that He will grant you your desires. But, when you mix your own desires and self-made plans into your prayers, God may not answer the way that you thought you wanted Him to. James 4:3 says, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."
"Lord, I thank you for all of your blessings. I give my day to you. I lay my worries and my desires at Your feet. Please give me Your perspective on my day. Help me to order my priorities according to Your will for me. Lord, please show me Your heart on the things that concern me." This prayer will always be answered. The only desire in this heartfelt prayer is to delight in the Lord's will.
