Does Prayer Have an Expiration Date?

The only ultimate expiration date we could speak of is when we die and have definitively chosen to separate ourselves from God in horrifically choosing hell (CCC 1033ff.). In the interim, God continues to seek us like the Good Shepherd who pursues his wayward sheep (Luke 15:1-7). So just because we stop praying for something doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t yet happen, as God will lovingly pursue us in turning back to him and seeking him and our prayer petition(s) anew. Of course, if a prayer petition is not according to God’s will for our lives, the answer will be “no” (see, e.g., Jas. 4:3).

Bottom line, regarding our prayer, we must always keep our focus on God in radical childlikeness, avoiding both the grave sins of presumption and despair (CCC 2091-92),