Many of us struggle to carry everyday burdens because we have not learned to trust our heavenly Father to lend a helping hand. Frustration and anxiety characterize our lives when peace might be ours if only we would place our trust in His hands. James reminded his readers: “You do not have because you do not ask” (Jas. 4:2). A church cannot advance beyond its willingness to pray. When prayer becomes the forgotten essential, growth becomes the impossible dream. Jesus says, “apart from Me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). On the other hand, He also says, “with God all things are possible” (Mt. 19:26). The difference between spiritual success and failure is our ability to bend our knees in prayer.
Prayer is not the regurgitation of memorized phrases offered to God in meaningless repetition.. Prayer is expressing our heart’s most earnest desires to the Creator. Albert Lemmons described prayer as “belief finding utterance.” Prayer is not designed to keep God informed on what is going on in our lives. He already knows everything, including the number of hairs on your head (Lk. 12:7). Our requests will not surprise God or catch Him off guard. He knows what we need before we ask Him (Mt. 6:32). Prayer is as much an expression of our dependency on God as it is an acknowledgement of His almighty power.
Powerful prayer is intimately connected to a life that makes every effort to live in harmony with God’s revealed word. While moral perfection is not a requirement for effective prayer, ignoring the sin in our lives is a great hindrance to our prayers. Solomon observes that “He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, even his prayer is an abomination” (Prov. 28:9). Unrepentant sin destroys the effectiveness of prayer. When his readers complained that God was not hearing their prayers, Isaiah responded in these familiar words: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear” (Isaiah 59:1–2). Heaven was not the hindering cause. It was their sinful conduct. One cannot live wrong and pray right! James says, “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (Jas. 5:16). We cannot expect powerful prayers if we are making provision for the flesh (Rm. 13:14; Gal. 5:24). The psalmist rightly concluded, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear…” (Ps. 66:18). Powerful prayer begins with a close, personal relationship with the Father made available only through Jesus Christ our Lord.
–Glen Elliott–