Collected or prepared by Pastor Wilfred Chung

Why Prayer And Fasting Is Not Answered?

Meditation on Isaiah 58

Some of the people in Isaiah's time did seek after God. They even pray and fast earnestly. Yet God did no respond to them. Why? Isaiah explained to them the reason: They did not manifest action of love and passion to their neighbors. Contrarily, they continued to oppress the weak and the poor. They did not care for the needy among them. If they would turn around to conduct social justice and expressed their charity with their heart, God would then turn toward them to answer their prayers and fasting. If they would have compassion toward one another rather than finding fault, the light of the LORD would shine upon them.

In such condition of true repentance, God said, "The LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail." (v. 11 NKJV)

Prayers must accompany with action of repentance before it is answered. Besides eternal salvation which is by faith only, there is a condition for any of God's blessings! Now we shall all understand why many of our prayers had not been answered.

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