Why does Allah place a desire in my heart only to withhold it?

I’m really struggling with this and I don’t even know how to put it into words. I’m in my twenties, a graduate with no job, and it’s been four years now-no work, no feeling like I actually have a life. I live in a very conservative and stifling area. Meanwhile, everyone around me is getting married, traveling, building their futures. I feel like I’m just stuck, watching everyone else move ahead. I want to be clear that I’m not saying I wasn’t religious. My family is very practicing. We read Quran together almost every day and I grew up with Islam. But inside, I had drifted so far from Allah. I was exhausted and honestly felt like there was nothing to hope for. Then I saw this job. It was something I’d never even considered before. Suddenly, I felt so pulled toward it, and I started thinking maybe Allah put this in my life for a reason. I applied, started praying extra, made duaa constantly, did everything I could, and even thanked Allah for giving me the job before I got it. That’s how much yaqeen I had. The job was also in a place where I could have been close to the Haram and maybe done Umrah often. I genuinely thought this could bring me nearer to Allah. Then I got rejected. And this wasn’t the first rejection. I was turned down from a national job competition, I didn’t make the PhD list, and now this job I suddenly wanted so badly is gone too. I feel humiliated. I feel foolish. I was literally thanking Allah for something I didn’t even have yet. I had so much faith it would happen, and now I feel like a complete joke. Like, what did I do? People say, “Allah can answer any duaa, even impossible ones.” So I keep thinking, if Allah can make miracles happen, why couldn’t He answer this simple duaa? And people also say sometimes Allah doesn’t give you what you want because He knows you might stop praying after getting it. But not getting it is exactly what made me stop praying. It made me question everything. I know people will probably say there’s a lesson, or Allah has something better, or I’ll understand one day. But honestly, I’m struggling with that right now. Because what if this is what “better” looks like? Being 26, unemployed, stuck, depressed, and watching my life pass by? Is Allah happy to see me like this? Genuinely? I know I have sins. I’m not saying I’m perfect. But mine are between me and Allah, I’d rather sleep hurt than hurt anyone, yet I see people doing major sins and suddenly their lives change, while every time I finally get some hope in Allah, something happens that makes me lose it again. Right now I almost feel like Allah is showing me signs that He doesn’t want me or my prayers, so why should I keep praying? I’m not trying to disrespect Islam. I’m genuinely hurt and confused. I’m losing more than just my faith at this point. I feel like I’m going to end up living just for the sake of living. So please, if you’ve been through something similar, **tell me your story.** Did you ever feel completely abandoned by Allah, lose hope, stop praying or question everything, and then somehow things changed? I really need to hear from people who have actually been through this. Because right now I keep asking myself: **Why would I pray to a God who doesn’t answer me?**