Blocking answers to prayer

God answers prayer. I’ve seen many things happen that have no other explanation. However, some people have been in my prayers for decades and I’ve seen very little, if any, answer to those prayers. This morning, God strikes me with two reasons for that. 

And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:22–25)

The first reason is summed up in my own phrase, “seen very little if any” compared to what Jesus says about doubting in my heart. To believe God will do it is not a seeing thing. I’m to walk by faith, not by sight. That means believing in my heart without doubting is not about seeing answers, but trusting God.

In other words, when I pray, I am asking Almighty God to act. If my prayers are according to His will, He promises to answer. But if I pray with my eyes looking for results as the basis for my faith, then I am not praying in faith, but relying on what I can see. If I cannot see anything happening, I begin to doubt that God heard or that God will answer. My focus is on the outward evidence, not on Almighty God for whom nothing is too difficult. This is not faith at all.

The second reason is unforgiveness. To harbor it keeps me from having a clear  conscience toward God. In one situation, I’ve withheld full forgiveness and used the fact of someone’s sin against me as an excuse to avoid and not fully care about that person. It isn’t something I think about all the time nor do I want revenge. It is more like a tool for leverage — and it is also a barrier to answered prayer.

Actually, there is a third reason, and it is tied to both of these. Today’s reading in Spurgeon says that there are no “little sins” and yet as Christians, it is easy to slide into that thinking. For me, both of the above problems fall into that category. I’ve not taken “needing to see the answers” nor “I’ve every right to not forgive” seriously enough.

However, God is not interested in my reasoning and excuses. To be a person whose prayer life is filled with power and assurance, I must deal with lack of faith and lack of full forgiveness. It doesn’t matter what I think, but what God sees in my heart.

*****

Lord, this is serious stuff. I’ve been up and down in my assurance over some of those prayers because my faith drops to nil every time it looks like You have not heard me. I’m looking at circumstances instead of at You and Your incredible promises and power to fulfill them.

Also, I’ve not fully forgiven someone. I hold back, just a little, but that is not forgiveness. You forgave me fully; I’m to do the same.

I now see that You are holding back just a little concerning answers to my prayers. Serious repentance is required. I need to focus on You and fully forgive, giving both these matters fully over to Your grace. I need to quit writing and talk to You.