A Deeper Understanding of Prayers
The Bible says God cannot lie because He is not a man. (Numbers ). If so, why has God’s promises of “Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you…”as recorded in Matthew 7:7 not expectedly fulfilled in our lives? This is one critical issue that bothers Christians daily. It has no doubt contributed greatly to the weakening of the faith of many believers. Because of this, some even doubt the fact that God answers prayers.
The Bible has clearly pointed out to us that God is blameless. It means that He does not have the nature to do evil or hurt His people. Could it then mean that we are responsible for why our prayers are not answered? Before we make the mistake of blaming God for our many unanswered prayers, let us do well to examine the following facts:
1. The Bible has warned us in Galatians 6:7 that, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Prayer is like fertilizer. It only helps our seeds and crops to grow faster and bigger. The question that readily comes to mind is: What crop or seed have we sowed in our lives? Based on this gospel fact, can we then sow poverty and expect God to answer our prayers for financial blessings? Is it possible for us to hate people and turn around to expect our husbands, wives, children, neighbors, or superiors in our places of work to love us? As Christians, we must endeavor to sow the very things we want to reap in our lives. The Bible has recorded in Matthew that, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you do ye even so to them for this is the law and the prophets.” It means that we must show mercy to people if we want to obtain mercy from God. We must be kind to people if want God to answer our prayers for kindness. We must show people favour if want God to answer our prayers for favour. It is very likely that majority or even all of us have been praying for God’s blessing in order to build our own houses. The question is: How many of us have faithfully contributed towards the building of God’s house or helped a relation, friend, or neighbor facing accommodation challenges? When we bless people with our money, clothing, or food; we propel God to answer our prayers for financial and material breakthroughs. Let this message free us from the bondage of ignorance and open our eyes to the Truth so that we can benefit from the gift of God’s abundant blessings.
2. The Bible says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God
3. Let us above all consider Mark and Psalms 66:18.
The foundation of the spirit to do good is captured in Mark 12:32-34. “And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God
Without love for God and our neighbors, we cannot do things good enough to please God. It is natural that we cannot have our prayers answered if we do not please God. Nevertheless, it must be clearly understood that our prayers are sometimes not answered for reasons other than sin. For instance, if our desires are not in line with God’s master plan (James 4:3). Sometimes, God delay answering our prayers in order to force us back on the right track. In some other cases, God may simply want to see the level of our faith in Him. This was the case when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. There are also instances where God uses our faith in Him to send strong messages to Satan and its agents, as was the case with Job. We should therefore be strong and keep our faith even in the midst of difficulties and disappointments if we are truly in right standing with God. Let us be wise.
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