There
are times when we feel that our prayers are falling on deaf ears. We do not see
any results from our pleading and we have no answer for our petitions. We feel
like God abandoned us in our circumstances (Psalm
22:1). Even
when Jesus’ walked in human form on the earth, He offered up prayers and
supplication, actually using loud cries and tears when it came to facing
Calvary’s cross (Hebrews 5:7). He pleaded with our
Father God to remove the torture of Calvary
from his future.
Although
God called Jesus to go all the way and to endure crucifixion and death for our
sakes, God still heard His prayer because of His submission to our Father’s
will (Hebrews 5:7). God does not always answer our prayers by
supplying our immediate needs. He saw our whole life stretched out before Him
before we were ever even born (Psalm 139:16; Jeremiah
1:5). He
knows what we really need; and in His mercy He often chooses to ignore those
requests that He knows are not part of His plan for our life, because they would
harm us in the long run.
Our
selfish motives often motivate our prayers. We fail to pray according to God’s
will, according to what would please Him and that which complies with His moral
fiber and Biblical standards (James 4:3). Therefore, God does
not hear these prayers, because they are motivated by sin in our heart (John 9:31; Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:2). If we fail to shower
each day in the cleansing power of God’s Word, and if we fail to obey His
directives for us, this will also hamper our prayers. When we only come to God
during times of crisis, our prayers become an abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 28:9).
Unforgiveness
is another block to answered prayer (Mark
11:25).
When we harbor bitterness and resentment in our heart, this obstructs the answers
to our prayers. If we do not forgive, God cannot forgive us (Matthew 6:15). Some husbands even blame their unanswered prayers
on their wife, when all along it is the way they treat their wife that is
hindering their prayers (1 Peter 3:7). If we live in habitual
sin, harbor even one secret sin, or allow anything to consume our thoughts and
actions more than God, it becomes an idol, which prevents God from listening to
our prayers(Psalm 66:18; Ezekiel 14:2-5).
Ingratitude
for God’s provision signals that we do not realize God is already working out
His will and purpose for our life. Ungratefulness delays answered prayer. In America
Giving
to those less fortunate than we are will open the pathway for God to hear our
prayers (Proverbs 21:13). Obedience to God’s
will and walking uprightly in this twisted and perverted generation brings us
answers to our prayers (1 John 3:22; Psalm
84:11; Philippians 2:15). God delights in answering the prayers of His Saints (1 Corinthians 2:9; Matthew 7:7-8). We have total
confidence as Born Again Believers that God hears our prayers (1 John 5:14-16; Psalm 54:2). God often answers our
prayers before we even call on His name. While we are in the very process of
making our requests, He is already meeting our needs (Isaiah 65:24).
Prayer:
Holy
Spirit, convict, instruct and direct us on how to overcome hindrances to our
prayers. Remind us to be like the persistent widow and like Jacob who would not
let You go until You blessed them (Luke
18:1-8; Genesis 32:26). Help us to examine our heart rather than to hurl accusations against
You, when we feel our prayers are left unanswered. Your Word is truth (John 17:17). Help us to cling to You through every adversity
in life. Show us how praying with others assures us that Jesus is in our midst
as we make our requests known to Him (Matthew
18:19).
Thought
for the Day:
It
is a fact that no one else can hinder our prayers from being answered. We are
the only setback.