029: When God is Silent: 5 Reasons He’s Not Answering Your Prayers and How to Hear His Voice

Show Notes

Are you praying about a decision but feel like God is silent? In this episode, we dive into five biblical reasons you might not be hearing from God—and what you can do about it. You'll learn how God speaks today, ways you may have already heard from Him without realizing it, and practical steps to tune into His voice.

This teaching is pulled directly from my Divine Discernment Workshop, which walks you through how to seek and discover God’s direction for your decision. If you want the full 45-minute workshop + worksheet, grab it at anchoreddecisions.com/ddworkshop.

Whether you’re overwhelmed by a big decision or just unsure how to hear from God, this episode will give you biblical encouragement, practical tools, and renewed confidence to walk in faith—even when the answers don’t come right away.

Links From This Episode:

✨ Divine Discernment Workshop: anchoreddecisions.com/ddworkshop
✨ Decision-Making Guides: anchoreddecisions.com/shop
✨ Episode 26: The Single Most Important Factor in Your Decision Making www.anchoreddecisions.com/26
✨ YouVersion Bible App
✨ Show Notes & Links: www.anchoreddecisions.com/29

Bible verses mentioned:
📖 Isaiah 30:21 – “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”
📖 John 10:27 – “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
📖 1 Corinthians 15:33 – “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’”
📖 Romans 12:2 – “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
📖 Isaiah 59:2 – “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”
📖 Psalm 66:18 – “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”
📖 Proverbs 28:9 – “If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.”
📖 James 4:3 – “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives…”
📖 Proverbs 21:13 – “Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.”
📖 1 Peter 3:7 – “Husbands… be considerate… so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”
📖 Isaiah 1:15 – “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you…”
📖 Jeremiah 14:11–12 – “Do not pray for the well-being of this people… I will not listen…”
📖 Acts 16:6 – “Paul and his companions were kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.”
📖 Habakkuk 1:5 – “I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”

Key Points:
🔑 5 reasons God may be silent when you’re praying over a decision
🔑 How to tell the difference between God’s voice, your own thoughts, and the enemy
🔑 Real stories of how God has spoken to me in my own life
🔑 Ways God speaks today: Scripture, inner peace or conviction, sermons, worship, wise counsel, The Holy Spirit (still small voice), circumstances, dreams or visions (less common, but still possible)
🔑 How to identify how God uniquely speaks to you
🔑 Reasons God may be silent when answering your prayers: Sin, closed doors, timing, he already spoke and you just haven’t obeyed, he may be giving you the freedom to choose
🔑 What to do when you’re given the freedom to choose and want to choose wisely
🔑 The importance of daily time in prayer and the Word

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