Why pray? Why pray when
God is already in perfect control of everything? Why pray when God knows
what we are going to ask before we ask it?
(1) Prayer is a form of serving God (Luke 2:36-38). We pray because God
commands us to pray (Philippians 4:6-7).
(2) Prayer is exemplified for us by Christ and the early church (Mark
1:35; Acts 1:14; 2:42; 3:1; 4:23-31; 6:4; 13:1-3). If Jesus thought it
was worthwhile to pray, we should also.
(3) God intends for prayer to be the means of obtaining His solutions in
a number of situations:
a) Preparation for major decisions (Luke 6:12-13)
b) Overcoming demonic barriers in lives (Matthew 17:14-21)
c) The gathering of workers for the spiritual harvest (Luke 10:2)
d) The gaining of strength to overcome temptation (Matthew 26:41)
e) The means of strengthening others spiritually (Ephesians 6:18-19)
(4) We have God's promise that our prayers are not in vain, even if we
don't receive specifically what we asked for (Matthew 6:6; Romans
8:26-27).
(5) He has promised that when we ask for things that are in accordance
with His will, He will give us what we ask for (1 John 5:14-15).
Sometimes He delays His answers according to His wisdom
and for our benefit. In these situations, we are to be diligent and
persistent in prayer (Matthew 7:7; Luke 18:1-8). Prayer should not be
seen as our means of getting God to do our will on earth, but rather as
a means of getting God's will done on earth. God’s wisdom far exceeds
our own.
In situations for which we do
not know specifically what God's will is, prayer is a means of
discerning God’s will. If Peter had not asked for Jesus to call for him
to come out of the boat and onto the water, he would have missed that
opportunity (Matthew 14:28-29). If the Syrian woman with the
demon-influenced daughter had not prayed to Christ, her daughter would
not have been made whole (Mark 7:26-30). If the blind man outside of
Jericho would not have called out to Christ, he would have still been
blind (Luke 18:35-43). God has said that often we go without because we
do not ask (James 4:2). In one sense, prayer is like sharing the gospel
with people. We do not know who will respond to the message of the
gospel until we share it. It is the same with prayer: we will never see
the results of answered prayer until we pray.
A lack of prayer demonstrates the a lack of faith
and a lack of trust in God’s Word. We pray to demonstrate our faith in
God, that He will do as He has promised in His Word, and will bless our
lives abundantly more than we could ask or hope for (Ephesians 3:20).
Prayer is our primary means of seeing God work in others' lives. Because
it is our means of "plugging into" God's power, it is our means of
defeating a foe and his army (Satan and his army) that we are powerless
to overcome by ourselves. Therefore, may God find us often before His
throne, for we have a High Priest in heaven who can identify with all
that we go through (Hebrews 4:15-16). We have His promise that the
fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much (James 5:16-18). May
God glorify His name in our lives as we believe in Him enough to come to
Him often in prayer.
"What are some hindrances to effective
prayer?"
The most obvious hindrance to effective prayer
is the presence of iniquity and un-confessed sins in the heart of the
pray-er. Because our God is holy, there is a barrier that exists between
Him and us when we come to Him with un-confessed sin in our lives. “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). David
concurred, knowing from experience that God is far from those who try to
hide their sin from God: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord
will not hear me” (Psalms 66:18).
The Bible refers to several areas of sin that are
hindrances to effective prayer. First, when we are living according to
the flesh, rather than in the Spirit, our desire to pray and our ability
to effectively communicate with God are hindered. Although we receive a
new nature when we are born again, that new nature still resides in our
old flesh and that old “tent” is corrupt and sinful. The flesh can gain
control of our actions, attitudes and motives unless we are diligent to
“put to death the deeds of the body (Romans 8:13) and be led by the
Spirit in a right relationship with God. Only then will He hear and
answer our prayers.
One way living in the flesh manifests itself is in
selfishness, another hindrance to effective prayer. When our prayers are
selfishly motivated, when we ask God for what we want rather than for
what He wants, our motives hinder our prayers. “Now this is the
confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His
will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14). Asking according to God’s will is the
same as asking in submission to whatever His will may be, whether or not
we know what that will is. As in all things, Jesus is to be our example
in prayer. He always prayed in the will of His Father: “yet not my will,
but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Selfish prayers are always those that
are intended to gratify our own selfish desires, and we can’t expect God
to respond to such prayers. “When you ask, you do not receive, because
you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your
pleasures” (James 4:3).
Living according to selfish, fleshly desires will also
hinder our prayers because it produces a hardness of heart toward
others. If we are indifferent to the needs of others, we can expect God
to be indifferent to our needs. When we go to God in prayer, our first
concern should be His will. The second should be the needs of others.
This stems from the understanding that we are to consider others better
than ourselves and be concerned about their interests over and above our
own (Philippians 2:3-4).
A major hindrance to effective prayer is a spirit of
unforgiveness toward others. When we refuse to forgive others, a root of
bitterness grows up in our hearts that chokes our prayers. How can we
expect God to pour out His blessings upon us—undeserving sinners—if we
harbor hatred and bitterness toward others and an unwillingness to
forgive? This principle was beautifully illustrated in the parable of
the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:23-35. The principle in this story
is that God has forgiven us a debt that is beyond measure (our sin) and
he expects us to forgive others as we have been forgiven. To refuse to
do so is to hinder our prayers.
Another major hindrance to effective prayer is unbelief
and doubt. This does not mean, as some suggest, that because we come to
God convinced that He will grant our requests, He is somehow obligated
to do so. Praying without doubt means praying in the secure belief and
understanding of God’s character, nature and motives. “And without faith
it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must
believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”
(Hebrews 11:6). When we come to God in prayer, doubting His character,
purpose and promises, we insult Him terribly. Our confidence must be in
His ability to grant any request that is in accordance with His will and
purpose for our lives and with the understanding that whatever He
purposes is the best possible scenario. “But when he asks, he must
believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea,
blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive
anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he
does” (James 1:6-7).
Finally, discord in the home is a definite obstacle to
prayer. Peter specifically mentions this as a hindrance to the prayers
of a husband whose attitude toward his wife is less than godly.
“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives,
and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you
of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers”
(1 Peter 3:7). Where there is a serious conflict in family relationships
and the head of the household is not demonstrating the attitudes Peter
mentions, his prayer communication with God is seriously hampered.
Likewise, wives are to follow the biblical principles of submission to
their husbands’ headship if their own prayers are not to be hindered
(Ephesians 5).
Fortunately, all these prayer hindrances can be dealt
with at once by coming to God in prayer characterized first by
repentance. First John 1:9 assures us that “If we confess our sins, he
is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness.” Once we have done that, we enjoy a clear and open
channel of communication with God, and our prayers will not only be
heard and answered, they will be filled with a deep sense of joy.
"Ask, and it will be given to
you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who
knocks it will be opened."
Matthew 7:7-8
"And all things you ask in
prayer, believing, you will receive."
Matthew 21:22
"This is the confidence which we have before Him,
that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we
know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the
requests which we have asked from Him."
1 John 5:14-15
"Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me,
and I will listen to you."
Jeremiah 29:12
"It will also come to pass that before they call, I
will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear."
Isaiah 65:24
"You will pray to Him, and He will hear you; and you
will pay your vows."
Job 22:27
"In that day you will not question Me about anything.
Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My
name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My
name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full."
John 16:23-24
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray
for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a
righteous man can accomplish much."
James 5:16
"Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that
the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My
name, I will do it."
John 14:13-14
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask
whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."
John 15:7
"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room,
close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your
Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."
Matthew 6:6
"Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue
you, and you will honor Me."
Psalm 50:15
"Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You
will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.'"
Isaiah 58:9
"The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the
prayer of the righteous."
Proverbs 15:29
"He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will
be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him."
Psalm 91:15
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give
what is good to those who ask Him!"
Matthew 7:11
"The righteous cry, and the LORD hears and delivers
them out of all their troubles.
Psalm 34:17
"Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and
murmur, and He will hear my voice."
Psalm 55:17
"The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who
call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear
Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them."
Psalm 145:18-19
"So do not be like them; for your Father knows what
you need before you ask Him."
Matthew 6:8
"Whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep
His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight."
1 John 3:22
"Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you
great and mighty things, which you do not know."
Jeremiah 33:3
"Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe
that you have received them, and they will be granted you."
Mark 11:24
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