Why Pray?

As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. (Daniel 9:13–18)

I ’ve sometimes had the notion that if I am just good enough and obey God as much as I can, He is more apt to hear and answer my prayers. This is a sin-nature reason for praying — to get or earn God's favor. 

It does not work that way and Daniel knew it. He said his pleas were not because of any goodness he could claim, not even the imputed righteousness of a truly saved person. Just as he did not obtain that salvation by works, he did not think that his works would incline God to do what he asked.

According to this prophet and godly man, God answers prayer because of His mercy. This means that when I pray, I am to be surrendered and humble of heart, never thinking that He hears and blesses because I’ve somehow earned it. 

Yet even as I say that, I know that disobedience is a good way to shut His ears to my pleas. To obey is better than sacrifice. (1 Samuel 15:22) and if I cherish sin in my heart, He does not listen. (Psalm 66:18) He is far more concerned with a clean heart than whatever I bring to Him in prayer.

Daniel had a job to do. God was about to tell him things of the future, of the end times. His obedience was important so that he could clearly hear what was said. While theologians often wrestle with his predictions, God said this:

Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.” (Daniel 12:10–13)

No one will understand except the wise, and most of what I read and hear is either jumbled and unclear, or bragged about as if the entire proclamation is known only to them. Sadly, this may mean that wise people either are very rare, or they know to keep their mouths shut.

Lord Jesus, You want obedience because it is the best thing for me and You want the best for me because You are merciful. You are amazing. I have nothing to offer You but pleas for the fullness of Your Spirit that I might always listen to You and do what You say.

 

Keep Praying

 

Yesterday morning God challenged me to pray for revival. I did. The devil didn’t like it. He spent the afternoon assaulting my thoughts to the point that I forgot what I’d been praying for. By the time I recognized this was a spiritual attack and connected to Satan attempting to thwart those prayers, I wondered how God could even listen to me over that barrage of unholy thinking. 

Today the Spirit took me to my books on prayer and I did a search on hindrances. The first discovered comment said, “The difficulties most often complained of as hindrances to prayer may be traced back to want of love.” I could see the connection to my battle, but also the answer. Remembering God loves me totally, relentlessly, without stopping or needing me to be lovable. Knowing this removes that hindrance and draws me into a deeper desire to pray, to talk with Him. Want of love can stop prayer, but knowing His love motivates it.

Other clues about hindrances to prayer also describe problems I’ve had that keep me from praying. One is this: “He who is too busy to pray will be too busy to live a holy life.” Being busy is almost a disease in the lives of many Christians. We joke about it, complain about it, yet as my hubby often points out, most of our busyness is by choice.

Even so, life’s duties can become pressing and crowd out prayer. One author says: “This way of hindering prayer becomes so natural, so easy, so innocent that it comes on us all unawares.” If we will allow our praying to be crowded out, it will always stop us from prayer. Satan rathers ‘we let the grass grow on the path to our prayer-chamber than anything else.’ 

Lack of prayer indicates a “Gone out of business” sign on my life. It can also mean I’m living for some other name than God’s and to somebody else’s glory, likely my own. In the early church, the apostles understood prayer as their most important business: 

And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:2–4)

 For them, prayer was the priority, not an opening and closing remark whenever they met together. I’ve also realized how putting prayer first changes the day, yet doing it remains a challenge. Besides my own lax, that devious enemy works to stop me.

He didn’t stop Daniel. His enemies had a petition that meant death for praying, but “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” (Daniel 6:10) This got him tossed into the lion’s den, yet God delivered him. Little wonder the NT says this: 

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) 

I need to be alert, but also persistent and obedient because many hindrances to prayer are related to disobedience. For instance:

Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered. (Proverbs 21:13)
If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. (Proverbs 28:9)

The Bible also points to pious activity for personal gain (Isaiah 58:1-14, Matthew 5) and most of all, unconfessed sin (Isaiah 59:1-3, Zechariah 7:12-13, Psalm 66:18, many more)

For me, busyness, selfish desires, or feeling as if my prayers bounce off the ceiling because God doesn’t care about what I care about (lack of His love) are hindrances. I have dozens of books on prayer but reading them does not remove any obstruction. The only way to do it is by praying.

PRAY: Jesus, You are loud and clear. Protect me from the enemy’s lies and other obstacles as I go to prayer. . . .   

Why prayers are not answered…

After USA election results came in, some will rejoice and others will wonder why God did not answer their prayers. Today’s devotional reading offers a simple reason: lack of faith. But this is not the only reason that God does not respond to requests. Several sources group the reasons, such as this example:

• Spiritual sins - doubt, hypocrisy, pride, flippancy etc.
• Poor relationships - rudeness, unforgiveness, malice, anger, wrath, divisiveness.
• Major sin - things categorized as doing evil indicating no faith or walking in the flesh
• Praying amiss - lack of persistence, not fasting, not using Jesus' name etc.

Unconfessed sin is a major reason. When I fall short but fail to agree with God and neglect 1 John 1:9, I cannot assume God will answer me: “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” (Psalm 66:18) The psalms are filled with verses about God hearing those whose life is righteous.

Lack of faith is also a problem. Hebrews 11 says that people must believe in God and that he rewards those who seek him. If this is my issue, my lack of faith must also be confessed. Since faith comes by hearing the Word, then I need to be diligent in reading it! The lack of Scriptural knowledge has done more damage to prayer than anything in the church. As Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

Poor relationships cover a wide spectrum, mostly obvious. One is plainly stated but often ignored:

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. (1 Peter 3:7)

I’m not a husband, but as the “likewise” in this passage points out, I have a responsibility to be respectful with a gentle and quiet spirit, paying attention to my hubby’s leadership. While this is not a popular teaching, doing what God says in my marriage makes a huge difference in my prayer life too.

Of course God isn’t hearing prayers if major sin is present. His priority is my obedient faithfulness to walk in the Spirit and demonstrate the life of Christ to those around me. If not, my prayers are not at the top of His list. He is going to deal with my sin first, either by exposure, trials, or conviction. I better listen if I want Him to listen. My behavior is God’s priority.

I can pray wrongly too. One obvious example is not praying at all. James 4:2 says, "You don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it.” This passage goes on to add another: "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures.” God isn’t interested in granting me my selfish I-wants or prayers that come from the wrong side of being double-minded.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5–8)

If faith is right, and my life is right, and I’m keeping short accounts, then delays are not necessarily a denial of the request. God's timetable may be different from mine. I know He is more invested in the outcomes than I am. An example from Jesus: If an unjust judge would answer the request of an unconnected widow, how much more will a loving, righteous, generous God hear the prayers of His chosen ones. God is my heavenly Father. I are not coming before a tyrant; I are coming before a friend who is also my heavenly Father. 

Jesus also said, "Ask, and it will be given. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened." He reminds me that a good father knows how to give good gifts to their children. How much more does God love to bestow the Holy Spirit on those who ask? Being filled with the Spirit in my praying is vital. It begins with confession and is followed by obedience:

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16)

This is the passion that comes from loving the Lord, my God, with all my heart, mind, and soul —  and praying with fervent trust in what God will do.

PRAY: Jesus, as I go to prayer today, may I speak to You in demonstration of complete faith and total trust — and in the power and zeal of the Holy Spirit. May You grant me the words to say and eagerness to look forward to Your responses, even exceedingly above all I can ask or imagine.  

See God = see my sin

 

Some days looking in the mirror reveals more than I want to see. Age spots, wrinkles, sagging eyes, the things that many seniors don’t want to see. No wonder those with dementia may not recognize themselves; we don’t look like we used to.

A similar sensation happens when taking a closer look at the Lord; my sin stands out, sin that I didn’t realize I had, or that I didn’t want to see. Today’s devotional speaks of prayer being a time to draw near to God with great fervency, seeing my sin yet realizing this is incentive to pray and the humbling reason that I must pray — like Daniel did:

Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. (Daniel 9:3)

At times I’ve said, ‘About all we can do now is pray’ as if prayer were a spare tire used only in emergencies. Other times I’ve heard a tale of woe, expressed sympathy and walked away without praying. I’ve also told people I would pray and forgot all about it.

Daniel saw prayer as an opportunity to express his praise to God and his sinfulness and the sinfulness of the nation. He demonstrated his deep concerns by fasting and wearing sackcloth and ashes, which for him were symbols of his humility and deep contrition.

Some might wonder how this godly man could be so concerned about sin. He was not noted for it, nor was Paul in the NT who said, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

Walking in the light does that. The closer we get, the brighter that Light becomes and the more clearly we can see our sin. When I was a new Christian, it didn’t occur to me that gossip, or jealousy, or having a critical spirit, or many other things in my life were sins. To me, sin was the blatant stuff of those ten commandments, not the now and then expressions of my selfishness.

Daniel turned his face to the “Lord God” realizing He is sovereign over all things. This understanding has taken me years, yet it now affects how I view adversity and trials. God uses odd things, even the most difficult, to show me my sin and to reveal His power. The effect of that is being able to pray with a greater focus, not only on Him but on the need for mercy from Him for myself and for others.

I also need to caution myself that this understanding of prayer does not cause me to criticize those who pray flippantly, or who talk to God as if He is their genie in a bottle. Prayer is asking for grace, but it is also humbly seeking His will and direction. For me, prayer is a profound privilege and a holy endeavor I do not earn or deserve.

Jesus, Your Word says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16) You are my righteousness and that means I can pray, yet if there is unconfessed sin in my heart, You are not obligated to listen because confession of my sin is a priority over answering prayer about the sins of others. “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” (Psalm 66:18) and “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” (Proverbs 28:9) Keep me informed of my sin that I might pray with fervor and effectiveness, and a deep thankfulness that You hear and answer prayer. That means keeping me close to You.

CONSIDER: How do the words of Jesus in Luke 11:5–13 illustrate the benefits of humble, persistent prayer? Does anything need to change in the way I pray?