Notes On The Christian Prayer Life

• Defining The Issues:

          -The fact that God seemingly ignores certain prayer requests has been a source of discouragement in daily religious life, and has in fact harmed the faith of some. We have all been disappointed from time to time with how He decides to answer our prayer supplications. But this is by no means a valid reason for turning away from God, for we are in no place to question the intentions of our Maker. Neither are we fully able to comprehend His will. There are several biblical principles for a Christian to take into account in his daily prayer life.

• Keep In Mind That In Order To Have A Deep Relationship With God, We Must Pray To Him On A Regular Basis:

          -"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

            *Prayer is a serious act that should never be done thoughtlessly or carelessly. It is communication with God Himself.

• God Will Not Answer The Prayers Of Somebody Who Has The Wrong Motives:

          -"You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures." (James 4:3)

            *Prayer is to be centered around the will of God. He will not yield to our selfish requests, no matter how many times that we petition Him. Nor are people to be rewarded for actions that appear good on the outside, but were intended to harm others or for one's own greedy gain. Even if such a person seemed to have a prayer request answered, it may either be due to Satanic influence or mere coincidence.

• God Will Not Answer The Prayers Of People Who Have Doubt In Their Hearts:

          -"But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (James 1:6-8)

            *A person who has doubt in his heart is not reliable in the service of God. He is not spiritually stable and has no steady conviction to stand by.

• God May Refuse To Answer The Prayers Of People Who Are Not Fulfilling Their Duties As A Christian Or Have Cherished Sin In Their Hearts:

          -"Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." (1 John 3:21-24)

• Other Points Worthy Of Consideration:

          -Even when God says no to a prayer request, that is still an answer to prayer. That is not the same as having no answer to prayer at all; just an unsatisfactory one.

          -God can answer our prayers in totally unexpected ways. He may have something else in mind than we ourselves do, and oftentimes does.

          -Maybe God wants us to wait for a period of time before He answers a prayer. The testing of our faith produces endurance. (James 1:2-3)
          -The forgiveness of sin does not entail the undoing of negative consequences.
          -God wants us to pray according to His will (1 John 5:14). He is not like a genie summoned from a bottle that grants us whatever we wish.

• There Are Different Types Of Prayer:

          -If the conscience of a person is burdened by sin, then he can pray and meditate on Psalm 51.
          -If a person does not know what to say or how to pray, then he can always recite from the heart the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:6-14).

          -If a person even needs encouragement, then he can pray and reflect on Psalm 23.