Why doesn't Jesus answer my prayers?

Why doesn't Jesus answer my prayers?

While we cannot say whether (or how) the Lord may answer your prayers, we can offer some thoughts on what the Bible says concerning prayer. First, the Bible teaches that the Lord only hears the prayers of His children. God’s children are those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ:

Rom. 8:14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Rom. 8:15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
Rom. 8:16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
Rom. 8:17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

If you have placed your trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, believing Him to be the Son of God and Savior, then you can be sure your prayers are heard by the Lord. If you have yet to confess faith in Jesus Christ, we invite you to read the following article on knowing Jesus.

Nevertheless, the Bible also teaches that Lord will only give His children what is best, and if we are asking for the wrong things, then we can expect He will not grant our requests, as James teaches:

James 4:2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.
James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

If you are making certain requests to the Lord and have not received what you have requested, perhaps the Lord is waiting for you to alter your request to align with His will?
To better understand how the Lord works through prayer, we recommend you listen to Lesson 2 in the Sovereignty of God series.