Have you ever prayed and wondered if God was really listening? In this devotional, Lynette Kittle walks us through the struggle of feeling unheard by God and explores two powerful steps we can take when prayers seem to go unanswered: self-examination and persistent seeking through fasting and prayer. Drawing from Daniel’s experience, we discover how spiritual battles can delay answers but also how God hears us the moment we call.

✨ Highlights


Why unconfessed sin can create a sense of distance between us and God (2 Corinthians 13:5, 1 John 1:9)


How Daniel’s story reveals that prayer delays don’t mean God is silent or absent


Practical steps to restore closeness with God through confession, fasting, and seeking His presence


The reality of spiritual warfare and why persistence in prayer matters (Ephesians 6:12)


Encouragement to trust that God hears you—even when answers feel delayed

💬 Join the Conversation

Have you ever experienced a season when it felt like God wasn’t answering your prayers? How did you find strength to keep believing and seeking Him? Share your story with us and tag @LifeAudioNetwork using #FaithInTheWaiting to inspire others walking through similar seasons.

🎙🎶 SUBSCRIBE to our NEW SHOW — Your Nightly Prayer

🌟 Check out other Crosswalk Podcasts:Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews

Full Transcript Below:

Hello, God, Are You There?

By Lynette Kittle

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear”--Isaiah 59:2 

Have we ever felt like God wasn’t hearing us, not listening, and wonder why? 

If so, do we look for new ways to pray with more powerful words and phrases to say in our prayers? Do we point fingers at the devil, blaming him for interfering somehow in our prayers, maybe preventing them from reaching God like what happened with Daniel?

So what steps can we take when it seems like God is either not hearing us or answering our prayers? The following are two ways we can look to see what may be behind these feelings. 

Dig Deeper 

It’s not something we like to do and most of us try to avoid it, but possibly a self-evaluation is needed to see if we’re sinning, not just in the everyday way we all do throughout life, but in an in-depth look where we go beyond the surface and start digging down.

2 Corinthians 13:5 urges, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”

If we find sin, what is our next step to rid the separation we’ve created between God and us, and to reconcile with Him, so that He hears us once again?

It’s really simple, as 1 John 1:9 directs, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

God calls us to repent because He wants our relationship to be restored.

Fast, Pray, and Mourn for Answers

Daniel 9:3 describes how Daniel prayed and sought answers from God. “So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.”

Yet, even so, it seemed like God wasn’t answering him and, like us, Daniel didn’t understand. But God was hearing and listening, and He sent Gabriel to let Daniel know what was happening in the heavens (Daniel 9:22), saying, “As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision” (Daniel 9:23).

Then, later on, after three weeks of mourning and seeking answers (Daniel 10:2-3), Daniel experienced another divine encounter. “I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, His face like lightning, His eyes like flaming torches, His arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and His voice like the sound of a multitude” (Daniel 10:5-6).

“He said, ‘Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.’ And when He said this to me, I stood up trembling. Then he continued, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.’” (Daniel 10:12-14).

Through Daniel’s story we see that the enemy can interfere with our prayers being answered, but when it seems to be happening in our lives, we can follow his example to fast, pray, and mourn until there is a breakthrough.

When answers to prayers seem delayed, we want to remember what Ephesians 6:12 explains, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Intersecting Faith & Life:  Like Daniel, are you going through agonizing times when it seems like God is not hearing and answering your prayers? If so, ask God to strengthen you to keep asking and believing that He is hearing and will answer you.

Further Reading: A God Who Hears and Listens

https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/a-god-who-hears-and-listens-the-crosswalk-devotional.html

Have you ever prayed and wondered if God was really listening? In this devotional, Lynette Kittle walks us through the struggle of feeling unheard by God and explores two powerful steps we can take when prayers seem to go unanswered: self-examination and persistent seeking through fasting and prayer. Drawing from Daniel&rsquo;s experience, we discover how spiritual battles can delay answers but also how God hears us the moment we call.
<hr data-start="945" data-end="948">
✨ Highlights
<ul data-start="973" data-end="1441">
<li data-start="973" data-end="1081">
Why unconfessed sin can create a sense of distance between us and God (2 Corinthians 13:5, 1 John 1:9)
</li>
<li data-start="1082" data-end="1166">
How Daniel&rsquo;s story reveals that prayer delays don&rsquo;t mean God is silent or absent
</li>
<li data-start="1167" data-end="1270">
Practical steps to restore closeness with God through confession, fasting, and seeking His presence
</li>
<li data-start="1271" data-end="1364">
The reality of spiritual warfare and why persistence in prayer matters (Ephesians 6:12)
</li>
<li data-start="1365" data-end="1441">
Encouragement to trust that God hears you&mdash;even when answers feel delayed
</li>
</ul>
<hr data-start="1443" data-end="1446">
💬 Join the Conversation
Have you ever experienced a season when it felt like God wasn&rsquo;t answering your prayers? How did you find strength to keep believing and seeking Him? Share your story with us and tag @LifeAudioNetwork using #FaithInTheWaiting to inspire others walking through similar seasons.
🎙🎶&nbsp;SUBSCRIBE to our NEW SHOW &mdash; <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-nightly-prayer/">Your Nightly Prayer</a>
🌟 Check out other Crosswalk Podcasts: <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/crosswalk-talk-celebrity-christian-interviews/">Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews</a>
<hr>
Full Transcript Below:
Hello, God, Are You There?
By Lynette Kittle
&ldquo;But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear&rdquo;--Isaiah 59:2&nbsp;
Have we ever felt like God wasn&rsquo;t hearing us, not listening, and wonder why?&nbsp;
If so, do we look for new ways to pray with more powerful words and phrases to say in our prayers? Do we point fingers at the devil, blaming him for interfering somehow in our prayers, maybe preventing them from reaching God like what happened with Daniel?
So what steps can we take when it seems like God is either not hearing us or answering our prayers? The following are two ways we can look to see what may be behind these feelings.&nbsp;
Dig Deeper&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s not something we like to do and most of us try to avoid it, but possibly a self-evaluation is needed to see if we&rsquo;re sinning, not just in the everyday way we all do throughout life, but in an in-depth look where we go beyond the surface and start digging down.
2 Corinthians 13:5 urges, &ldquo;Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you&mdash;unless, of course, you fail the test?&rdquo;
If we find sin, what is our next step to rid the separation we&rsquo;ve created between God and us, and to reconcile with Him, so that He hears us once again?
It&rsquo;s really simple, as 1 John 1:9 directs, &ldquo;If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.&rdquo;
God calls us to repent because He wants our relationship to be restored.
Fast, Pray, and Mourn for Answers
Daniel 9:3 describes how Daniel prayed and sought answers from God. &ldquo;So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.&rdquo;
Yet, even so, it seemed like God wasn&rsquo;t answering him and, like us, Daniel didn&rsquo;t understand. But God was hearing and listening, and He sent Gabriel to let Daniel know what was happening in the heavens (Daniel 9:22), saying, &ldquo;As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision&rdquo; (Daniel 9:23).
Then, later on, after three weeks of mourning and seeking answers (Daniel 10:2-3), Daniel experienced another divine encounter. &ldquo;I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, His face like lightning, His eyes like flaming torches, His arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and His voice like the sound of a multitude&rdquo; (Daniel 10:5-6).
&ldquo;He said, &lsquo;Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.&rsquo; And when He said this to me, I stood up trembling. Then he continued, &lsquo;Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.&rsquo;&rdquo; (Daniel 10:12-14).
Through Daniel&rsquo;s story we see that the enemy can interfere with our prayers being answered, but when it seems to be happening in our lives, we can follow his example to fast, pray, and mourn until there is a breakthrough.
When answers to prayers seem delayed, we want to remember what Ephesians 6:12 explains, &ldquo;For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.&rdquo;
Intersecting Faith &amp; Life:&nbsp; Like Daniel, are you going through agonizing times when it seems like God is not hearing and answering your prayers? If so, ask God to strengthen you to keep asking and believing that He is hearing and will answer you.
Further Reading: A God Who Hears and Listens
https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/a-god-who-hears-and-listens-the-crosswalk-devotional.html

Are you a Christian looking for a daily devotional podcast to encourage, inspire, and convict you in your walk with Christ? 7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Daily Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life. Let's study the Bible together and through the experiences of other believers, learn how to apply the Word of God to our lives.

Here’s just some of what we cover in The Crosswalk Daily Devotional Podcast:

☕️ Why the Tongue Can't Be Tamed (And What to Do about It)
☕️ The Quickest Way to an Attitude Adjustment
☕️ Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life
☕️ Noticing God's Blessings in the Hardest Moments of Life
☕️ One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan Is Telling the Church
☕️ How to Push Through the Weariness of Prayer
☕️ 3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation
☕️ What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year

If you love what you're listening to on the podcast, be sure to check out our companion devotional at https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/.

Are you a Christian looking for a daily devotional podcast to encourage, inspire, and convict you in your walk with Christ? 7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Daily Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life. Let's study the Bible together and through the experiences of other believers, learn how to apply the Word of God to our lives.
Here’s just some of what we cover in The Crosswalk Daily Devotional Podcast:
☕️ Why the Tongue Can't Be Tamed (And What to Do about It) ☕️ The Quickest Way to an Attitude Adjustment ☕️ Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life ☕️ Noticing God's Blessings in the Hardest Moments of Life ☕️ One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan Is Telling the Church ☕️ How to Push Through the Weariness of Prayer ☕️ 3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation ☕️ What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year
If you love what you're listening to on the podcast, be sure to check out our companion devotional at <a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/">https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/.</a>

7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life.