5 Things To Know While Praying

Prayer is simply communicating to God.

Have you ever wondered why some prayers do not get answered? Have you ever wondered why there appears to be a lack of response or delay in some prayers? Did you know there are some conditions in answered prayers? Did you know there are some answers we may never get or understand? I have been in full time ministry for almost 25 years. I have asked the Lord for many things in my life, and have waited on him many moments. I have felt his presence, seen him answer prayers in my life, and in the lives of those I have prayed for. I have also experienced persevering prayer, were I am still looking for answers. It is through prayer we get to know Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Prayer is about a relationship more than about petitions. But, it is an amazing thing to put our life in the palm of His Hands.

God’s response to our prayers is YES, NO, and NOT YET. 50% God’s Will and 50% God’s Timing.

5 things to consider while praying:

When You Pray First Forgive

Mark 11:24-25 "I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too."

We need to always ask ourselves the question: Is there anyone I have a grudge or an offense against? Offenses and Bitterness hinders all progress in prayer. We need to keep short accounts in our marriages, family, work associates, neighbors. “That neighbor that still has your shovel…forgive…just go ahead and give it to them.” “That child or friend who you have felt rejection from…let it go” I want to encourage you, if while you are praying the Lord brings to your mind a person you have an offense with. Begin to pray for them....pray blessing, peace, and hope in their life.

Keep On Asking

Luke 11:9-10 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."

Delay does not mean denial.

We need to learn to Ask, Seek, Knock. Just because you have prayed about a situation once, does not mean you are done. We need to continue to lift our requests before the Lord, until we get an answer. Persevering prayer is vital lesson for all believers to grow in, never give up praying for someone.

The Way We Live Matters

James 5:16 "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results."

It is a righteous persons prayer, that produces results. It does matter if you are in right standing with God. It does matter how you live.

Psalm 34:15 "The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help."

Our Faith Matters

James 1:6-7 “But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

As we grow and mature in our relationship with God, it is crucial we discipline our lives to be more consistent in faith. It takes discipline to keep the faith in the requests we have presented to the Lord. Our feelings change, but our faith needs to remain. Let’s learn how to stop listening to our feelings. Feelings lie. If we want an answer to our prayers, our faith in God has everything to do with it. We need to believe He can and He is able. We trust His plan for the situation, and we stand on His Word for the answer. Don’t waver like the wave of the sea. I grew up near an ocean, and loved swimming and fishing in the ocean. The one thing you could not predict was the waves and the undercurrent. Our belief/faith level in the prayers that we pray need to be predictable. We need to trust His Word and stand on His promises regardless of what we see, hear, and feel.

His Will Matters

1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him."

According to His Will is the key phrase in that passage. If what we are asking for is contrary to scripture we are asking amiss. The Lord is never going to violate His Word. Therefore, the confident prayers are those that come in alignment with His Word. For example, physical healing, salvation, deliverance, peace, friendships, wisdom, etc.... When you know it is in agreement with the word, you can pray with boldness and leave the results to God. He is Sovereign and In Control.