The Key to Unanswered Prayer?

“David sought the face of the Lord.”

(2 Samuel 21:1)

Do you ever wonder about unanswered prayer in your life? Sometimes I have. Could it be that, though we might call ourselves zealous for God, are we still out of step with His plan? If so, does that then imply some sort of conditionality to the way God deals with us? I know, I know; theological red flag. I too have a hard time with that explanation, but as you’re musing over that, consider this nugget from Watchman Nee:

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“There are times when we put forth tremendous effort in prayers without getting any answer from God, yet how seldom do we seek to discover why! For how can we expect God to answer prayers that are out of harmony with His mind? In all our praying we must first find the key. It was this David sought to do at the time of prolonged famine this chapter describes.

“He did not simply cry to God: ‘This famine has lasted three years. Have mercy on us now and grant us a rich harvest this year.’ No, He sought the face of the Lord. Had God something to say about it? To his direct question God gave a direct reply, and with it the key to answered prayer. Saul, it appears, by slaying some of the Gibeonites, had violated God’s understanding with Israel to spare them. True, he had done it out of zeal for God; but he had sinned. God will not permit the breaking of a solemn vow. So there was something to be set right. ‘And after that,’ we read in verse 14, ‘God was intreated for the land.’ David had found the key.”

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Have we broken a vow that we've previously made to God? Does that even matter? How does the fact that God is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5) play into this?

Whose priorities are we concerned with the most, God’s or our own? If it turns out that we’re concerned mostly with our own, then should it surprise us if some of our prayers remain unanswered?

Maybe we’ve been using the wrong key. Something to think about. 

“But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given to you besides.” (Matthew 6:33; Amplified)

Quote Source: A Table in the Wilderness