stephen R Harrison

Scripture gives us great confidence when we pray.

1 John 5:14 says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” There are nearly a dozen similar Scriptures that say if we ask anything even in His name He will do it. The Father sees in secret and rewards openly (Matthew 6:6-8). We can boldly approach the throne of grace with confidence because He hears us and answers our prayers (Hebrews 4:16). We should pray bold prayers because, “the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

While I’ve had many prayers answered, I’ve had many unanswered. He didn’t heal my mom from dying although I fasted and prayed. He ushered her into glory. I think he answered her prayers. The same was true for my pastor, sister, a spiritual mentor, newborn babies of others in the hospital, a dying friend, and many others I cried out to the Lord to heal. I just knew if He would heal anyone, He would heal them! Now, there have been countless times He did!!! Praise Him! I still pray as though He will every time! He is faithful!

Does God really answer every prayer? Are there conditions to our requests? Can we really ask for anything and God has to do it?

There are prayer blockers.

One of those is sin. Isaiah 59:1-2 says, “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” God does not hear our prayers when we have unconfessed sin in our lives. Why would He bless a rebellious and sinful heart?

Another prayer blocker is unforgiveness. Mark 11:25 says, “When you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins”. Does verse mean God won’t forgive me if I won’t forgive others? The hard answer is yes. We must forgive because He forgave us (Ephesians 4:32).

Probably the most unobvious prayer blocker is not praying. The prayers that aren’t prayed are not answered. James 4:2 says, “You do not have because you do not ask God.” We must be people who ask God to move, supply, deliver, save, heal, and so forth.

Sometimes God does not answer prayers because we ask with wrong motives. James 4:3 says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” God is not a magic genie we rub to get what we want. When we pray selfish prayers with a motive of flesh instead of worship they go unanswered.

Prayers can be blocked by unbelief. Again, the half-brother of Jesus said, “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 1:6-8). Doubt can block our prayers and keep us from praying.

Did you know marriage problems can lead to unanswered prayers? Peter, who was married, said in 1 Peter 3:7, “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”. How we treat our spouses can affect our prayer life! Malachi even said, “Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant” (Malachi 2:13-14). The Lord stiff arms our worship and prayers when we do not honor our marriages. I must remember my wife is also His bride and love her like Jesus would!

Prayers can be blocked because we are laxed in prayer. Lethargic prayer lives halt the activity of God. Peter was kept in prison until the church began to pray (Acts 12:5). The rain did not come until Elijah prayed and it did not stop until he prayed (James 5:17). We must be engaged in an ongoing prayer with the Lord about everything! Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Another reason our prayers are not answered is because God does not want them to be. That’s right, God is sovereign. Every gospel writer accounts for Jesus saying, “Not my will but Yours be done” (Matthew 26:39, Mark 14:36, Luke 22:42, John 6:38). When you pray, “if it is the Lord’s will” you are praying a Jesus prayer! Sometimes what we ask for is not God’s will. I often say, “pray what’s on God’s prayer list”. It is God Who said, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy” (Romans 9:15-16).

Should these keep us from praying? Absolutely not!!! We must pray boldly and confess sin, study the Scriptures to know what the Lord’s will is, honor our spouses, forgive, check our motives, surrender doubt, and trust His sovereignty. When we confess sin, He forgives! When we study the Word, He reveals truth. God restores marriages. He restores friendships torn by unforgiveness. He renews hearts and minds, giving us the mind of Christ. He erases doubt. We can pray and all these can be answered by the Lord! He is sovereign. He does His will. I want that. I trust that. I trust Him.

Lord, help me to pray righteous, bold, believing prayers from a pure heart and lifestyle. While in prayer we are to use His name, but we must be careful not to attach His name to things not of Him. That is taking the Lord’s name in vain (Exodus 20:7). John 14:13-14 says Jesus will glorify the Father through answering our prayers. If it does not bring the Father glory, the Son will not do it, and we should not want it. How we live before the Lord can either result in confidence in prayers or condemned prayers. 1 John 3:21-22 says, “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him.” God delights in His Son and those adopted as sons and daughters through His saving grace. He desires to bless us and give us what pleases Him (Romans 8:32). Keep on praying bold prayers and trusting a sovereign miracle-working God!