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So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him. Matthew 7:11
I grew up in a legalistic-minded church that focused more on behaviors than matters of the heart. Along with this performance-based model of salvation came the belief that it is selfish and sinful to pray for things that would benefit ourselves. For years I believed that God had better things to do than listen to me selfishly pray for what I wanted, so I avoided that part of prayer completely. I prayed for other people, repented for my sins, and reflected on how things in my life made me feel, but I never asked God for anything I considered worldly or selfishly motivated.
Then a medical situation came about in my life that brought me to my knees. For months I begged God to take away my affliction to no avail. When God didn't heal me from my medical issue, I was hurt and confused. Here I was, a child of God, who never asked for anything for myself. The one time that I did ask God for something, my prayers were left unanswered. God began to seem distant and detached from my life. Eventually, I simply quit asking. For a long time after that, I rarely prayed. I figured that if God already had His mind made up and knew what He was going to do, my prayers wouldn't make a difference.
That is exactly what Satan wanted me to believe, and that's what he wants you to believe too. Prayers are powerful, and any lie that Satan can plant in our heads to the contrary is a small victory for evil. These lies separate us from God and make us susceptible to further attacks from the enemy. So if you have ever wondered whether your prayers really matter to God, take heart! You are not alone.
I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him. And since we know He hears us when we make our requests, we also know that He will give us what we ask for. 1 John 5:13-15 Does God Hear My Prayers?The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; His ears are open to their cries for help. Psalm 34:15
God is all-knowing and all-seeing. He hears every word that leaves our mouth and He knows every thought that has been formed in our minds. The Bible makes it very clear that if you are a born-again believer and follower of Christ, He truly hears your prayers. (Proverbs 15:29) If you are not a born-again believer and follower of Christ, God's word says that even your prayers are detestable. (Proverbs 28:9, Psalm 66:18) If you are not sure whether your prayers are heard because of your unbelief, there is good news. God knows our hearts and He hears our honest and heartfelt prayers of repentance. (Acts 11:18)
What is the Purpose of Prayer?Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7
It is easy to assume that the Creator of the Universe has better things to do than to listen to me ramble about my life. If He is as great and as powerful as the Bible says He is, why does it even matter if I pray? The answer is simple, yet so very hard to understand. God wants to hear about our trivial lives because He cares about us. He loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross for our sins, so that we might have eternal life with Him. (John 3:16)
Prayer is about a relationship between God and us. Prayer is personal: no one else can do it for you. Even Jesus prayed during his time here on earth. If the Son of God thought it was important to take time to pray to His Father, then certainly we sinners should, too. Jesus modeled how to pray when He prayed the Lord's Prayer. (Matthew 9:5-13) If you are unfamiliar with the Lord's Prayer, I encourage you to read it for yourself and use it as a springboard for your own prayers.
Prayer is not about changing God's mind or convincing Him to do things our way. Rather, the opposite is true. Prayer is for our benefit, not God's. God doesn't need us, but we sure do need Him. True prayer is seeking God's will for our lives and aligning our hearts with His. Over time, His will becomes our heart's desire.
Do My Prayers Make a Difference?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. James 5:16
I am just a tiny speck of dust in a vast desert of people since the beginning of time. My life is but an iota of time in the span of eternity. How can anything I say or think affect the heart of the Most Holy God? If God has everything planned in advance, why does it even matter if I pray? He didn't answer my prayers in the past, so maybe my prayers aren't as important as other Christians. What if I pray for someone else and their prayer isn't answered because I am not worthy enough to pray for them? These are all lies that Satan wants us to believe, and he wants us to believe these lies so that we won't pray. Why would Satan not want us to pray? Because prayer is powerful and he knows it.
If you spend much time in the Word, you know that when Christians pray, things happen. There are differing beliefs about how our prayers actually affect things, but regardless of your personal beliefs it is hard to deny that things do, indeed, happen after prayer.
An important aspect of prayer is that we are praying within the will of God. 1 John 5:14 says, This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. To the contrary, James 4:3 says, When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Keep in mind that just because we pray for something, even if our heart is in the right place, does not mean it will come to pass. We have a God that is all-knowing and all-powerful. He is wise and good and just. He has a bigger picture in mind and knows what is best for us, even if we don't agree with his decision. God's concern is not for our earthly comfort as much as it is for the benefit of His Kingdom and our spiritual growth.
Why Do I Need to Ask?So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for His help. Isaiah 30:18
I don't know about you, but there is something humbling about asking others for help. My pride gets in the way and I often would rather suffer without help than swallow my pride and ask. It tends to be human nature to try and do things on our own, without God's help. We do okay for a while, but then things get out of control and we find ourselves sheepishly turning back to God confessing our mistakes.
God knows what we need and He knows our heart's desire. He blesses us more than we probably will ever realize. Yet how many more blessings are we missing out on because we simply never asked? James 4:2 says that we have not because we ask not. What if God is waiting for us to swallow our pride and simply ask for what our hearts most desire?
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. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You parents- if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him. Matthew 7:7-11 |