--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we pray only because we want answers…" description: "\"If we pray only because we want answers, we will become irritated and angry with God. We receive an answer every time we pray, but it does not always c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/220/oswald-chambers-205_angry_if-we-pray-only-because-we-want-answers_771772.jpg" --- # If we pray only because we want answers, we will become… ![“If we pray only because we want answers, we will become irritated and angry with God. We receive an answer every time we pray, but it does not always come in the way we expect, and our spiritual irritation shows our refusal to identify ourselves truly with our Lord in prayer. We are not here to…” quote by Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/220/oswald-chambers-205_angry_if-we-pray-only-because-we-want-answers_771772.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/220/oswald-chambers-205_angry_if-we-pray-only-because-we-want-answers_771772.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/220/oswald-chambers-205_angry_if-we-pray-only-because-we-want-answers_771772.jpg) > “If we pray only because we want answers, we will become irritated and angry with God. We receive an answer every time we pray, but it does not always come in the way we expect, and our spiritual irritation shows our refusal to identify ourselves truly with our Lord in prayer. We are not here to prove that God answers prayer, but to be living trophies of God’s grace.” [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prayer should be an act of devotion, not a transactional request; frustration arises when expectations dominate. **In simple terms:** Prayer is devotion, not bargaining. Key Takeaway Pray with humility, not expectation. Themes faith patience humility spirituality Mood contemplative reverent Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - personal prayer - spiritual counseling - church study Key Concepts theology trust inner peace Questions to Reflect On - How can you trust divine timing? - What does humility look like in your prayer life? A Different Perspective Expecting specific answers can lead to disappointment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/) [God 's grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-s-grace-2/) [God answers prayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-answers-prayers/) [God'S Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-s-grace/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Irritated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irritated/) [Irritation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irritation/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [Our lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-lord/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Praying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praying/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) ## Related quotes > [God answers prayer on the ground of Redemption and on no other ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/god-answers-prayer-on-the-ground-of-redemption-and-on-no-other-ground/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [God answers prayer in His own way, not ours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/god-answers-prayer-in-his-own-way-not-ours/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [God answers prayer in three ways: yes, no, and wait awhile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/god-answers-prayer-in-three-ways-yes-no-and-wait-awhile/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [My life is one long daily, hourly record of answered prayer. For physical health, for mental overstrain, for guidance given marvelously, for errors and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-slessor/my-life-is-one-long-daily-hourly-record-of-answered-prayer-for/) [Mary Slessor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-slessor/) > [Nobody ever got anything from God on the grounds that he deserved it. Haven fallen, man deserves only punishment and death. So if God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/nobody-ever-got-anything-from-god-on-the-grounds-that-he-deserved-it/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Whenever the insistence is on the point that God answers prayer, we are off the track. The meaning of prayer is that we get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/whenever-the-insistence-is-on-the-point-that-god-answers-prayer-we/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [Not thinking critically, I assumed that the successful prayers were proof that God answers prayer while the failures were proof that there was something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barker/not-thinking-critically-i-assumed-that-the-successful-prayers-were/) [Dan Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barker/) > [God answers prayers when you least expect it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-answers-prayers-when-you-least-expect-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can whisper in a crowd to Him. You can cry when you're alone to Him. You don't have to pray out loud to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-adarkwah/you-can-whisper-in-a-crowd-to-him-you-can-cry-when-you-re-alone-to/) [Michael Adarkwah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-adarkwah/) > [God answers first the prayers we should have prayed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/god-answers-first-the-prayers-we-should-have-prayed/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [“According to some believers, God answers prayers in one of three ways: “Yes,” “No,” and “Wait.” This sounds reasonable and even wise before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armin-navabi/according-to-some-believers-god-answers-prayers-in-one-of-three-ways/) [Armin Navabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armin-navabi/) > [God answers prayers, but he doesn't always answer it your way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-holtz/god-answers-prayers-but-he-doesn-t-always-answer-it-your-way/) [Lou Holtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-holtz/) > [God answers the prayer we ought to have made rather than the prayer we did make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/god-answers-the-prayer-we-ought-to-have-made-rather-than-the-prayer/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [If God Answers Our Prayer, He Is Increasing Our Faith. If He Delays, He Is Increasing Our Patience If He Doesn't Answer, He Knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/if-god-answers-our-prayer-he-is-increasing-our-faith-if-he-delays-he/) Pacifiersucker > [“The God-always-answers-prayer sophistry leaves the praying man without discipline. By the exercise of this bit of smooth casuistry he ignores the necessity to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-w-tozer/the-god-always-answers-prayer-sophistry-leaves-the-praying-man/) [A.W. Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-w-tozer/) ## More by Oswald Chambers > [“If we deliberately choose to obey God, then He will tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist us with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/if-we-deliberately-choose-to-obey-god-then-he-will-tax-the-remotest/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [Realize that the Lord is here now, and the freedom you receive is immediate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/realize-that-the-lord-is-here-now-and-the-freedom-you-receive-is/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [You will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/you-will-never-cease-to-be-the-most-amazed-person-on-earth-at-what/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [When Jesus Christ shed his blood on the cross, it was not the blood of a martyr; or the blood of one man for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/when-jesus-christ-shed-his-blood-on-the-cross-it-was-not-the-blood-of/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [Sorrow burns up a great amount of shallowness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/sorrow-burns-up-a-great-amount-of-shallowness/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“Let circumstances take you where they will, but keep drawing on the grace of God in whatever condition you may find yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/let-circumstances-take-you-where-they-will-but-keep-drawing-on-the/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to do His work through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-goal-of-faithfulness-is-not-that-we-will-do-work-for-god-but-that/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-are-in-danger-of-forgetting-that-we-cannot-do-what-god-does-and/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“It is a solemn thing, and no small scandal in the Kingdom, to see God's children starving while actually seated at the Father's table.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/it-is-a-solemn-thing-and-no-small-scandal-in-the-kingdom-to-see-god-s/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“If my holiness is not drawing towards Him, it is not holiness of the right order, but an influence that will awaken inordinate affection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/if-my-holiness-is-not-drawing-towards-him-it-is-not-holiness-of-the/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“My spiritual history must have as its underlying foundation a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ. To be born again means that I see Jesus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/my-spiritual-history-must-have-as-its-underlying-foundation-a/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [We always have visions, before a thing is made real. When we realize that although the vision is real, it is not real in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-always-have-visions-before-a-thing-is-made-real-when-we-realize/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [The lasting value of our public service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-lasting-value-of-our-public-service-for-god-is-measured-by-the/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [The thing that awakens the deepest fountain of gratitude in a human being is that God has forgiven his sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-thing-that-awakens-the-deepest-fountain-of-gratitude-in-a-human/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [The secret of the missionary is...I am His, and He is carrying out His work through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-secret-of-the-missionary-is-i-am-his-and-he-is-carrying-out-his/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) [Explore all 922 Oswald Chambers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) ## More Angry quotes > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/) Kirsten Gilchrist > [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying or getting overly angry or to maintain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/sometimes-you-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-or-getting-overly/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [When you're frustrated with people, when they've made you angry, it just may be because you haven't given them enough time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/when-you-re-frustrated-with-people-when-they-ve-made-you-angry-it/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [When I was writing 'Black Panther,' on one level, I was angry because DC would never let me write 'Batman,' so I was doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/when-i-was-writing-black-panther-on-one-level-i-was-angry-because-dc/) [Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/) > [Another step had her backed up against the wall, and he braced his arms on both sides of her. "I'm beginning to look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/another-step-had-her-backed-up-against-the-wall-and-he-braced-his/) [Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/) > [I'm an angry guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gandolfini/i-m-an-angry-guy/) [James Gandolfini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gandolfini/) > [Apparently, I'm the angriest man. I don't know. It's just an interpretation. If it was someone else, they might be called focused or competitive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alun-wyn-jones/apparently-i-m-the-angriest-man-i-don-t-know-it-s-just-an/) [Alun Wyn Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alun-wyn-jones/) > [In the 1998 Oscars, I found myself in the bathroom in a stall, next to Tom Selleck. So I leaned over and I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/in-the-1998-oscars-i-found-myself-in-the-bathroom-in-a-stall-next-to/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Of course I get angry, but I want to use my brain a little bit and not just smash things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/of-course-i-get-angry-but-i-want-to-use-my-brain-a-little-bit-and-not/) [Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/) > [“Rather than being incensed by the nature of the bruise, maybe we should be inspired by the possibilities in the bruise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/rather-than-being-incensed-by-the-nature-of-the-bruise-maybe-we/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) [Browse all 3,857 Angry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If we pray only because we want answers, we will become irritated and angry with God. We receive an answer every time we pray, but it does not always come in the way we expect, and our spiritual irritation shows our refusal to identify ourselves truly with our Lord in prayer. 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