Why does God reject our prayers? - Rick Warren

Rick Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church, said that there are good reasons why people do not always get what they pray for.

In his Daily Hope devotional on Wednesday, he detailed three reasons why sometimes God rejects prayer requests.

The first reason, he said, is that God is not a genie. "You don't just put in a prayer and get whatever you want. If every prayer were answered, we'd be spoiled brats. Do you give your children everything they ask for? I hope not. You know what's best for them," Warren wrote.

Another reason why prayers are not heard is because Christians sometimes pray in conflict. "If two Christians are praying at the Super Bowl for different teams, who's God going to answer? Obviously, God can't answer every prayer at the same time," he said.

But Warren believes that the real reason why God rejects prayer request is that God knows what is best and people do not. He said that it would be presumptuous for people if they believe that they know what is best for them.

Warren cited John 5:14, which stated, "We are sure that [God] hears us if we ask him for anything that is according to his will."

He pointed to the phrase "according to his will" and said that the attitude of Christians in their prayer requests should be: "Lord, this is my prayer request, but thy will be done."

He said that Jesus prayed in the same manner in Luke 22:42 which stated: "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

In another recent devotional, Warren wrote about the secrets to answered prayer based on the life of Nehemiah.

The first one he shared is that prayers should be based on God's character. He explained that Christians should pray like they know that God will answer their prayers while recognizing that He is wonderful, loving and faithful.

He also shared that Christians should confess the sins that they are aware of. He pointed out that Nehemiah confessed his sins when he prayed to God. He even included himself in the sins of Israel even though he was not even born at the time when the nation went into captivity.

Warren suggested that believers should claim God's promises. He noted that Nehemiah reminded God of His promises to Israel in his prayers.

The pastor also advised Christians to be specific in what they ask for. He mentioned that Nehemiah was not hesitant to pray for success, and he was bold in his prayers.

He noted that a good definition of success would be "fulfilling God's purpose for my life in faith, love, and the power of the Holy Spirit and expecting the results from God."