When prayers seem to go unanswered

[Dan_Defender]

Make no mistake, prayer works miracles. But you have to have great faith and trust in God. God grants us what he wills, as much as he wills, when he wills. Patience and persevere to the end, like St Paul.

 

[amazingcatholic]

You said it. God always answers prayers, just not in the way expect them too. God is not a vending machine. Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes it is not and sometimes it is not now but later. When God says any of those things, it is because he knows what is best for us. I learned that the hard way.

 

[PennyinCanada]

When things go poorly, pray…

Jesus I thank you for this cross.
Jesus I accept this cross out of love for you.
Jesus, please save souls!

When things go sideways, that’s when we can have the biggest impact for good in the world.

 

[irenaeuslyons]

For example I drive Uber and I say a Hail Mary before every ride. I do this with the unconscious assumption that because I said it, things will go smoothly. But in the last two days two rides have gone very poorly.
Not just with Uber but in dealing with evil spirits I’ve often been left unaided even with rosaries said, St. Michael prayers, sacraments , holy water, etc.
I am a new Catholic so I’m leaning the basics.
What goes on in heaven when we pray and our prayers aren’t answered? I can believe that they are answered in ways we don’t expect.
Also, is our level of worthiness ties to prayers being answered.
I am a very wretched sinner and I sometimes believe that’s why things go poorly.

Sometimes, the unanswered prayer is a blessing. God knows what’s best for you better than you do yourself. There is a curse in greek which translates roughly, “may you get everything you desire”. Our desires are often not in our best interests, because we are blind to it, because we cant see all ends. Perhaps your best interests are served by doing things a little differently and you have to listen more carefully to discern what that is.

Pardon me if I make some assumptions, such as “going very poorly”, means unsafe.
In your case, you seem to be petitioning for safety in an unsafe environment. Which is perfectly fine, but maybe your best interest is not served by continuing in that line of work which sounds inherently dangerous. I would suggest praying for the strength and wisdom in finding a newer, safer job. Perhaps these bad experiences you had are the wake up call to switch before something worse happens. Prayer is a conversation with God. For me, that little voice of subconscious helping me make good decisions between right and wrong in light of reason, I associate with part of God’s conversation with me. I only seem to hear it when doing right is harder than the thing I want to do . This I find is His way of answering me, not with miracles but with wisdom. Switching to a safer job may be hard, but in the long term, is it wise to stay and ask for safety? Is that really in your best interest? We shouldn’t willingly go into dangerous situations and then test God when we know we are endangering ourselves, when we have the power to change it. God loves you and wants the best for you. I will add you to my prayers tonight.

PS: I think the story in the lyrics of this song is a beautiful example of gifts that sometime come with unanswered prayers.