Hello, God, Are You There?
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” - Isaiah 59:2
Have we ever felt like God wasn’t hearing us, not listening, and wonder why?
If so, do we look for new ways to pray with more powerful words and phrases to say in our prayers? Do we point fingers at the devil, blaming him for interfering somehow in our prayers, maybe preventing them from reaching God like what happened with Daniel?
So what steps can we take when it seems like God is either not hearing us or answering our prayers? The following are two ways we can look to see what may be behind these feelings.
Dig Deeper
It’s not something we like to do and most of us try to avoid it, but possibly a self-evaluation is needed to see if we’re sinning, not just in the everyday way we all do throughout life, but in an in-depth look where we go beyond the surface and start digging down.
2 Corinthians 13:5 urges, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”
If we find sin, what is our next step to rid the separation we’ve created between God and us, and to reconcile with Him, so that He hears us once again?
It’s really simple, as 1 John 1:9 directs, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
God calls us to repent because He wants our relationship to be restored.
Fast, Pray, and Mourn for Answers
Daniel 9:3 describes how Daniel prayed and sought answers from God. “So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.”
Yet, even so, it seemed like God wasn’t answering him and, like us, Daniel didn’t understand. But God was hearing and listening, and He sent Gabriel to let Daniel know what was happening in the heavens (Daniel 9:22), saying, “As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision” (Daniel 9:23).
Then, later on, after three weeks of mourning and seeking answers (Daniel 10:2-3), Daniel experienced another divine encounter. “I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, His face like lightning, His eyes like flaming torches, His arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and His voice like the sound of a multitude” (Daniel 10:5-6).
“He said, ‘Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.’ And when He said this to me, I stood up trembling. Then he continued, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.’” (Daniel 10:12-14).
Through Daniel’s story we see that the enemy can interfere with our prayers being answered, but when it seems to be happening in our lives, we can follow his example to fast, pray, and mourn until there is a breakthrough.
When answers to prayers seem delayed, we want to remember what Ephesians 6:12 explains, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Like Daniel, are you going through agonizing times when it seems like God is not hearing and answering your prayers? If so, ask God to strengthen you to keep asking and believing that He is hearing and will answer you.
Further Reading:
A God Who Hears and Listens
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Capuski
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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