CHAPTER 2 WHY DO MY PRAYERS GO UNANSWERED?

Read Matthew 21:21-22 At first glance, Jesus seems to be promising to do whatever we ask, provided we have faith. Disappointment is often the result of unmet expectations.

Read Matthew 17:20 A mustard seed is the size of a grain of salt. This is a hyperbole just to emphasize the smallness of the amount of faith required.

Maybe the problem is that we don’t really understand what Jesus said we could move mountains if we pray in faith. When Jesus spoke, He almost always used a figure of speech called hyperbole which is an overstatement or exaggeration to make a point. How do you feel about some of the things we have read in the Bible is not to be taken literally, but as a hyperbole.

Hyperboles are sometimes used to shake people out of their complacency and move them to change. It is important to take Jesus seriously but not always literally.

Read Matthew 5:29-30 Do you take these verses literally? Why or why not? If not taken literally, then what do these verses say to you?

Read Matthew 5:28 Is there any difference in having a lustful thought and cheating on your spouse? Are you more comfortable in understanding these verses telling us that wrongful thoughts can lead to wrongful actions?

Read Matthew 21:22 Looking at these verses as a hyperbole, what do they say to you? One of the features of a hyperbole, is that it’s not logically possible, so the hearer would know that it is a figure of speech. Will knowing that certain verses in the Bible are hyperboles change the way you read the Bible?

When read in the context of the times, the hearers of Jesus would probably have understood that Jesus was using an exaggeration. Otherwise they could have just prayed for the Romans to leave and they would have been gone. Otherwise, they could have prayed that all their problems, challenges and illnesses would be gone, and it would have happened.

If you take these verses literally, then you might be wondering why prayer does not work the way we think it should work, or that we don’t have enough faith. If we take these verses literally, then whenever we ask God to do something in faith, it will happen. Why is that a problem? What would our world be like if prayer really worked this way?

How would you like to live in a world where you are forced to do something because someone else prayed that you would? Think back to when you were in school, you would never have had to study, just pray that you would get an A on your test and you would give God the glory. Do you think that God cares about who wins a football game or whether or not you find a parking place?

What about praying for the sick? If all that is needed is prayer, then there never would be any sickness. There would be no need for medicine, doctors, nurses, or hospitals. There would ne need to watch what we eat or exercise, we could just pray away all those calories.