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No one said communication was easy. We know it isn’t at the human level, and there can even be problems when we talk to God. Here are some issues to watch out for when you pray—and how to resolve them:
- “Unanswered” prayers. In our world we have come to expect immediate responses to questions, inquiries, and requests. Therefore, when God doesn’t respond immediately to our prayers, we think He hasn’t heard us, He is saying “No,” or is not responding for some other reason. The truth is, there is no prayer that goes unanswered by God. Just as a loving human father would never fail to respond to his child’s requests, so God is always responsive to ours (Luke 11:11-13). What we have to learn is that silence from God doesn’t mean He is not answering, or preparing to answer, our prayers. And it certainly doesn’t mean He hasn’t heard us, or is toying with us. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9) which means His answers may come in ways different from what we expected when we prayed. The apostle Paul wrote that, once we have prayed to God, we ought to let the peace of God guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).
- Lack of faith. The Bible says, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). How many times do you ask God for things you already have or can already see? The whole point of prayer is to learn to trust Him for what only He can do—and that takes faith. The writer to the Hebrews went on to say, “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). One way to develop faith is by meditating on the promises of God and then telling God you believe that what He has promised He will bring to pass (2 Peter 1:4).
- Not abiding in Christ. Some people have suggested there are no conditions on prayer—that we can approach God like a “sugar daddy” and get whatever we want. But Jesus said something very different: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John 15:7). “If . . . then . . . .” Abiding in Christ and obeying His commands is a central condition for having our prayers answered. That means we can’t live carnally and expect to pray spiritually. We must submit to the Lord if we care going to petition the Lord for our needs.
- Unconfessed sin. We touched on this principle above—if we regard sin in our heart God will not hear our prayers. But here is how to resolve the issue: follow the example of David. He asked God to search His heart—to test him—and see if there was any sin to be found in him (Psalm 139:23-24). Because one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin (John 16:8), we know God will show us our sin if we ask Him to. Confess your sins before you pray, and anytime God reveals them to you.
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