10 Bible Verses About Unanswered Prayers
God’s ways are different than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Yet it’s not easy to trust him when our prayers seem to go unanswered. The best place to turn when God doesn’t seem to hear our prayers is his Word. Today, we’ll dig into a list of Bible verses about unanswered prayers.
These Scriptures remind us that God hears the prayers of his children. His ways are simply different than our ways.
At times, he doesn’t answer our prayers according to our expectations because he is protecting us, preparing us, or has something better in mind.
Bible Verses About Unanswered Prayers
Let’s take a close look at some Bible verses about unanswered prayers.
Bible Verses About Unanswered Prayers
1. Psalm 66:18
“If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (NIV).
This verse tells us that when we allow sin to remain in our lives, our prayers are hindered. Talk to God about your life and ask him to search your heart and show you if you have been disobeying him. If he reveals something, commit to repenting.
2. 2 Corinthians 12:9
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (NIV).
Paul prayed for God to remove a “thorn in his flesh,” but God did not remove it. God was teaching Paul (and us) that our weaknesses are the perfect platforms for him to work in our lives.
3. James 4:3
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (NIV).
This verse addresses our motives. At times, God doesn’t seem to hear our prayers because we are praying with selfish motives that don’t align with God’s heart or his plans for us.
4. John 9:31
“We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to Godly people who do his will” (NIV).
This is a tough verse to swallow. Aren’t we all sinners?
We have all sinned, but those who have received God’s forgiveness through Jesus are clothed in his righteousness. Our sins have been washed away. We still sin, but our sins do not define us. We are God’s children and are saints, not sinners.
According to this verse, God hears the prayers of those who obey him and have decided to follow Jesus.
5. 1 John 5:14-15
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked for” (NIV).
The key phrase here is, “If we ask anything according to his will.” When our hearts are so closely united with God’s heart that we ask only according to his will, we will see answers to our prayers.
Ask God to draw you into alignment with him so that your prayers consistently align with his will. When this happens, you will start seeing many answered prayers.
6. Matthew 7:7-8
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (NIV).
God is a good Father. He wants to bless you and provide you with all you need in life. Have you directly asked him for what you need? This might seem obvious, but thinking about praying is not the same as actually praying!
This might seem obvious, but thinking about praying is not the same as actually praying! #prayer Share on X7. Psalm 84:11
“The LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless” (NIV).
Did you catch it? God is not holding out on you. If you are a follower of Christ, he considers you blameless.
He is giving you all you need to walk with him. Claim this promise.
8. 1 Peter 3:12
“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (NIV).
God is against those who directly do evil. Again, if we cherish sin in our lives, our prayers are hindered.
9. Isaiah 55:8-9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD” (NIV).
As I shared at the beginning of our post, God’s thoughts and ways are different than ours. We can trust that his plans for us are good even when we don’t understand what he is doing.
10. 2 Chronicles 7:14
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (NIV).
This was a call to the Israelites to repent and return to God. It is a call for us today as well. When we humbly turn to God, seek his face, and repent, he heals us and hears our prayers!
Applications of These Bible Verses About Unanswered Prayers
What do these Bible verses about unanswered prayers have in common?
First, God responds to those who obey and love him. If we cherish sin in our hearts and allow it to remain in our lives, God will not answer our prayers.
Second, at times, God doesn’t answer our prayers in our timing because he knows things we don’t know. What feels like “no” might actually be “not yet.”
Third, God doesn’t answer our prayers when he is protecting us from circumstances that aren’t best for us. I have experienced this many times as I pursued jobs, relationships, and dreams that didn’t work out.
Fourth, God doesn’t answer our prayers according to our expectations when our motives are wrong. He wants us to follow him with pure motives and does not answer prayers that only serve selfish needs.
First, God wants a relationship with us more than anything else. Sometimes, he allows us to continue seeking him in prayer because he is shaping our hearts to look more like his heart. He is drawing us deeper in relationship.
If these Bible verses about unanswered prayers blessed you, I invite you to explore our devotional books and library of free devotional books below. Be blessed as you draw near to God. He is pursuing you.
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 7, 12, and 16, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. I also recently released a teen devotional called Anchored, designed to help teens learn key biblical narratives and apply them to their lives. You can find these books here or read more below. 
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Devotions for Boys by Boys
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
These Books Are Free on Kindle Unlimited: God Wants to Heal, Restore, and Refresh You
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. He also wants to help you establish a rhythm of meeting with him daily as you trust him with the hard parts of your life. Click here to explore two books that will guide you: Be Still and Trust and Lean Into Grace. They are free on the Kindle Unlimited program and for sale in print.
Download Your Free Devotional Here
Set Free: Let God Do What You Cannot explores ten realms in which most of us need God to work in our lives and bring deliverance. We’ll talk about finding freedom from fear, worry, insecurity, bad habits, emotional pain, and more. This short online devotional will bless you as you let God accomplish what you’ve been unable to achieve through willpower. Get your download for free with promo code GRACE or for a donation of 3.99 here. Thank you. This small gift helps keep this ministry running.
I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
