We've all heard the qualifiers. The reasons why God won't answer your prayer. "It's not his will". "No is an answer too". "There's likely sin in your life".

Why are we so eager to give God excuses? Debunking Christianity puts it well:

The "Name-it-and-claim-it Gospel" is widely condemned by conservative evangelicals. But why, exactly? Aren’t radical Pentecostals just taking their God at his word? I submit that many Christians are secretly embarrassed by the Bible’s extravagant promises because (1) they know intuitively that they are not realistic expectations, (2) they are afraid that God will fail them, or (3) they have witnessed someone else being let down by the promises.

God repeatedly says over and over that he's in the business of fulfilling his children's requests:

Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Matthew 17:20

He said to them, "Because of your little faith. 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 18:19

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.

Matthew 21:22

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

John 14:13

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 15:7

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

1 John 3:22

and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

2 Corinthians 1:20

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

What are these verses trying to convey? A flowchart for whether God will or won't answer? Indeed there are conditions, but the repeated message is the character of God. He's a giving God, not a withholding God (Romans 8:32). They're trying to invoke hope, confidence, expectation, and ultimately, faith.

The Bible isn't a textbook. It's not an algorithm. I know this is a hot take, but I don't believe the Bible is inerrant. I don't believe it is perfectly logical, perfectly precise, or perfectly accurate. But I do believe it is perfect; meaning any change would result in less souls spending eternity with their savior.

God wrote and Jesus spoke these things to inspire awe and faith in God's character, not certainty. Robert Harris in Conclave puts it beautifully:

Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt. If there was only certainty, and if there was no doubt, there would be no mystery, and therefore no need for faith.

When you ask, it might not happen. That's ok. That fact need not diminish your faith. Believe. Ask for it and ask for more.

Daniel 3 has a beautiful example of this concept:

If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were both confident that God would deliver them, and yet if not their faith wouldn't be shaken. It's a contradiction. Yet it's beautiful because it shows they weren't concerned with certainty. They were full of crazy faith.

Faith is inherently crazy. You're believing in an invisible God who listens to you. That's crazy. Go a little crazier and circumvent certainty. Don't give excuses - if you feel ignored, you're talking to a god inside your head, not big-G God. Ask for bigger, not smaller, and see how God shows up.