Why Some Prayers Fail
First Reading: Exodus 17:8-13
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 120(121)
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2
Gospel: Luke 18:1-8
________________________________________
Sometimes we pray and pray, yet it feels as though heaven is sealed. You fast, attend vigils, jump from one church to another, or from one adoration ground to another, and shout until your voice cracks, and still… nothing changes. You’ve seen people go to shrines for help because “God no dey answer fast.” Others stop praying altogether, thinking maybe God has favourites. But if you look closely, even in daily life, we see this struggle. A mother who prays for her sick child, yet the child doesn’t recover. A young man who prays for a job, yet the rejection letters keep coming. Many begin to wonder, “Padre, why does prayer even work for some and not for others?” Sometimes it’s not that prayer doesn’t work; it’s that we give up too soon. We want instant results, but heaven wants steady faith. Prayer is not for the strong; it’s for the stubborn, for those who refuse to stop even when the answers delay.
In the First Reading (Exodus 17:8-13), we see Moses, an old man, standing on a hill with his hands lifted as Joshua and the army fought against Amalek. Each time his hands went up, Israel prevailed; when they dropped, Amalek prevailed. It wasn’t Moses’ strength that won the battle but his perseverance. The book of Exodus, written during Israel’s journey from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land, shows how God trained His people to depend on Him in every struggle. The story of Rephidim (where this battle happened) is not just about a war but about how faith fights. God could have destroyed Amalek without Moses, but He wanted Moses (and all of us) to learn that prayer is a partnership. The Hebrew word used for “hands” here is “יָד” (yad), which doesn’t just mean the physical hand; it signifies power, control, or human effort. When Moses’ yad grew tired, it wasn’t just his muscles; it was his spirit getting weak. That’s when Aaron and Hur came to hold up his hands. Sometimes God lets your “hands” get tired so that you will learn to lean on others. It’s a gentle reminder that even men of God need help; no one prays alone to victory.
The Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 121) answers that tiredness with confidence: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where shall my help come from?” The psalmist knew what it meant to walk through rough paths, tired and helpless, yet he learnt that help does not come from the hill itself but from the Lord who made heaven and earth. The Hebrew word used for “help” is “עֵזֶר” (ʿezer), meaning aid, support, or strength given to one in weakness. This same word appears in Genesis 2:18, where God made Eve as a “helper” to Adam. So, God Himself is our ʿezer, our sustaining partner when we cannot stand. The Psalm ties directly to Moses’ experience: when his eyes looked up to God and his friends supported him, victory came. So the lesson is clear, some prayers fail because we depend only on ourselves, not on God’s strength or the community He gives us. When faith gets tired, it’s time to borrow strength from others who still believe.
Now, the Gospel (Luke 18:1-8) gives the same message in another language of life. Jesus tells the story of a widow who kept coming to an unjust judge, begging for justice. In the culture of Jesus’ time, widows were among the most vulnerable. They had no legal power or protection, and a judge who ignored them could do so freely. Luke wrote his Gospel around AD 80-90, mainly for Gentile believers, to strengthen them in faith when persecution and delay made them tired. So, when Jesus said, “Will not God see justice done for His chosen ones who cry to Him day and night?” He was teaching that real faith is not for those who get quick results but for those who don’t quit praying even when results delay. The Greek word used for “to pray always” is “προσεύχεσθαι” (proseúchesthai), meaning to direct oneself continually toward God. It’s not just speaking but an attitude of leaning on God even when tired. The judge eventually gave in, not because he became just, but because the widow’s persistence wore him down. So, Jesus concludes, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith (πίστις – pistis) on earth?” He didn’t say “miracles” or “churches”, He said “faith.” Meaning, God may delay, but He never denies; it is we who often stop too soon.
When we look at the Second Reading (2 Timothy 3:14–4:2), Paul speaks to his spiritual son Timothy from a Roman prison, near the end of his life. He urges him to “remain faithful to what you have learned.” Paul’s words are soaked with experience. He had prayed for healing and still lived with a “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor 12:7). He had prayed for acceptance, yet was rejected and jailed. But he never stopped believing. The Greek term used for “remain” is “μένειν” (menein), which means to stay rooted, to abide steadily. Paul is saying, “Even when you’re tired, stay.” That’s unrelenting faith, the kinda faith that doesn’t need strength to keep standing, just stubborn trust. It’s the same faith that held Moses’ hands up, the same faith that made the widow keep knocking, the same faith that made the psalmist keep looking up to the hills.
Sometimes, our prayers fail not because God is silent, but because we quit too early. Some prayers fail because we pray only with words, not with faith. Some fail because we isolate ourselves when God wanted us to be helped by others. And sometimes, God deliberately delays to train our hearts to lean on Him. A prayer that doesn’t change your attitude might not change your situation either. Moses had to stay still and keep his hands lifted even when tired, that’s faith in action. The widow had to keep coming even when ignored, that’s prayer with persistence. The psalmist had to keep trusting even when surrounded by trouble, that’s endurance. And Paul had to keep preaching even when nobody listened, that’s obedience.
So my dear friends in Christ, if your prayer seems unanswered, ask yourself: are your hands still raised, or have they fallen? Are you still stubborn in faith, or have you stopped believing because you got tired? God doesn’t measure your words; He measures your endurance. He often lets us get tired so we can discover His strength through others. Real faith isn’t loud but loyal. Prayer isn’t for the strong, it’s for the stubborn, the ones who keep showing up even when heaven feels silent. So, my friend, when your hands grow weak, don’t drop them. Let someone hold them. And when your faith trembles, don’t stop praying. Because the moment you give up might be the moment just before heaven breaks its silence.
O that today you would listen to his VOICE, harden not your hearts! (Ps. 95:7)
____________________________
Shalom!
© Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ
Seminário Padre Pedro Magnone, São Paulo, Brazil
nozickcjoe@gmail.com / fadacjay@gmail.com
__________________________
Have you prayed your rosary today?
