Promises

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened."
Matthew 7:7-8
"And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."
Matthew 21:22
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
Mark 11:24
"Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it."
John 14:13-14
"In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."
John 16:23-24
"For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."
Matthew 17:20
"And Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, "Be taken up and thrown into the sea," and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.'"
Mark 11:22-24
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father."
John 14:12

Specific Promises

"Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up."
James 5:14-15
"Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."
Matthew 18:19-20
"Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
Matthew 6:31-33

Clinical Studies

Clinical studies have found no statistically significant effect of intercessory prayer on medical outcomes:

  • The STEP Project (Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer) examined 1,802 coronary bypass patients and found no effect of prayer on complications or recovery
  • A Cochrane review of 10 studies involving 7,646 patients found no overall effect of intercessory prayer on health outcomes

Responses

  • "God's timing may not be your timing."

    This response suggests that when a prayer isn't answered, it just means God hasn't done it *yet*. You're supposed to keep waiting, possibly forever. While this might offer some hope, it also makes the original promise impossible to disprove – any amount of waiting can just be called 'God's timing'.

  • "God's will may not be your will."

    This common answer claims that God doesn't answer some prayers because they don't fit His 'bigger plan', even if the prayer is for something good like healing. Believers might point to verses like 1 John 5:14-15, but this adds a condition ('if it's God's will') that Jesus often didn't include when he made straightforward promises about getting what you ask for.

My Prayers

The existence of this website serves as evidence that my prayers have been unanswered. Below are actual prayers from my journal.

3/13/2025
God, if you're there, please hear my prayer. I am struggling, and a relationship with you would restore that hope, meaning, and purpose that I once had. No longer do I feel those things, and I no longer have the security I once had. God, if you're there,  I know your will would be for me to return to the fold and to give a testimony. Yes, I doubt if you're there. Yes, I doubt what your will is. Yes, I'm doubting if this prayer will even work. But I this point, all I can do is be honest and transparent—it's not like you don't know my intentions.
Specifically, I pray that you would use supernatural circumstances to draw me back to you. It can be a divine encounter, dream, or working through natural relationships that I have with other people. Simply put, I need a miracle. But maybe you know better.

1/15/2025
God, help me to be still and know that you are God.

12/15/2024
God, if you're there, make yourself known to me. Make me certain in my faith. I am doubting and struggling. I sincerely want to believe in you. I've lost my comfort. I'm lost and confused. I've lost my security and assurance.
Still thinking that maybe God will turn my life around and I'll be a testimony later on. Maybe these are just trials.

12/5/2024
God, if you're there, help me overcome this anxiety. That is proof in and of itself.

12/3/2024
God if you're there, help me out. Either give me more of this feeling to confirm that you're there, or reveal something to me intellectually that shows that I can believe regardless of barriers.

11/28/2024
God, if you're there, help me believe again. I do feel more at peace and more neutral now, but I'm still asking for your help God. If my unbelief is a result of me sinning, I repent of that. I rebuke that sin. Remove the barrier between me and you and help me believe again. At this point, a turn toward belief would be the best evidence of all that you're real, since I am thoroughly convinced of the opposite. Make me like Cornelius in Acts.

6/11/2024
God, if you're there, please help me understand everything. Reveal yourself to me. The sooner the better, since my marriage is suffering. I know I need to ask with a sincere heart, but I don't even know how to do that. So I am asking you to do it for me. Maybe all of these words are just vain and empty because I don't believe them. I'm just saying that to be transparent and cover my bases. Jesus, please change my heart. If you desire to change me, change me. If you desire to have me be a testimony, have me be a testimony. Right now, as I'm typing, I don't feel anything internally. I do feel a fear of God being real and killing me or smiting me on the spot. That is a very big fear for me right now. I pray that the best example I could be is if I'm alive and healthy and Jesus appears to me and rescues my life. I don't know how much longer I can last believing. I need God to help. And if I am being stubborn or selfish, please remove that from me and don't withhold yourself from me God. I'm just trying to cover my bases so that I allow you to work in any way you wish. Thank you lord.

6/9/2024
God, if you're there, please reveal yourself to me. Make it personal and real so I believe without a doubt. Maybe I'm asking for a sign. Maybe i shouldn't ask for that. I pray that you would reveal yourself to me and save me if there is such a thing as heaven and hell. Please save me on your goodness if that is true. If it is not, please help me understand. Goodnight.
            
1/7/2023
I want to thank you for your faithfulness. You’re a God that answers prayers. I don’t have peace or understanding for everything yet, but you’re operating through me to instill confidence and joy on me. 

1/4/2023
From you through you and to you are all things. You are a God of compassion and courage, not one of fear and punishment. Forgive me for my sins God... I rely on you God, and I know you hear my prayers. Help me seek you when I pray and during the day today. I want to wait on you God to hear the answer to my prayers. Lord, give me a peace that surpasses all understanding in todays work... you are a true and living God who hears my prayers. Hear my prayer for peace, confidence, and joy today, Lord. Amen.