Do you ever feel like your prayers are bouncing off
the ceiling? Ever wonder if your prayers
are getting through to God? Believe me,
you’re not alone. We’ve all been
there—but it doesn’t have to be that way. We can stir God to action with our
prayers.
However, it’s not a given.
Too often our prayers don’t touch God’s heart.
The result? He doesn’t act on our
behalf. What we often fail to realize is
that we are the ones preventing God from being moved to answer our
prayers. We put up barriers in our
relationship with Him, and unfortunately it’s quite common.
Now don’t misunderstand me.
I’m definitely not suggesting that we can somehow put God in a box. We can’t.
That is man-centered, humanistic theology, and it is not what the Bible
teaches. What I am suggesting, though, is that if there’s a problem in
prayer—if your requests are not being answered regularly, specifically,
sometimes very dramatically and supernaturally—the problem is not God; the
problem is you. We need to dispense with
the notion that we’re the ones willing to make this prayer thing work, while
God’s reluctant. The reverse is true:
God is ready and willing to make this prayer thing work. We’re the problem.
Unanswered prayer is not
some mysterious, inexplicable problem.
James 5:15-16 is key to understanding this essential truth. It says, “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise
him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your
faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Notice three central
elements in these verses. First, you
must pray in faith believing that God will answer. Second, your prayers must be effective (or
fervent). Your prayers cannot be
effective if you have barriers between you and God. Third, you must be a
righteous person. If you are not living
according to the Lord’s commands, your prayers will be hindered. Fully understanding these truths is essential
to experiencing the victorious and dynamic prayer life that God wants you to
have.
God has made some incredible
promises about prayer in His Word.
Growing up, We were taught to distrust them. These promises weren’t for us; they were only
for the apostles, or for other people in other places at other times—or so we
were told. I now know that to be false
teaching. God’s promises about prayer
are for you and for me today. Here’s
just a sampling:
·
Matthew 21:22 – “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,
believing, ye shall receive.”
·
Luke 11:9 – “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek,
and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”
·
John 14:13 – “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do,
that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
·
Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee
great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”
The Father longs to answer
your prayers in amazing ways. Are you
standing in His way? Are you hindering
Him from answering you? Get on God’s
program, and get ready to experience a supernatural breakthrough in your prayer
life.
No matter what’s happening,
no matter how dark the moment, God is in control. He can be explicitly trusted.
He’s working out a purpose beyond what you can imagine. Some of it you’ll see
in this life; some of it you’ll see in the life to come. Give thanks to God—always
and for everything! Go for it. Thank Him for the hardest part of your
life. Just say, “Thank You, God, even for this,” and trust in His
steadfast love which endures forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment