No one has given more encouragement to praying than did Jesus. The followers of Christ were both encouraged to pray and taught how to pray.
It pleased God to relate His work in the world to the prayers of His people.
When Noah prayed, God handed him a blueprint for the ark of deliverance. Moses prayed, and God delivered the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. Gideon prayed, and the host of formidable enemy fled in fear before his valiant, prayerful 300. Daniel prayed, and the mouths of the lions were closed. Elijah prayed, and the fire of God consumed the sacrifice and licked up the water around the altar. David prayed, and he defeated Goliath on the Philistine battleground.
God does answer prayer. Some prayers are answered with a “yes” and some with a “no.”
But What About Unanswered Prayer?
Perhaps your prayers have been mingled with doubts. Perhaps you have prayed selfishly. Perhaps you have asked God for things which were not best for you.
The Bible says that there are specific reasons why prayers are not answered.
It may be that your prayers are not answered because of disobedience. A disobedient son cannot expect to “have his cake and eat it too,” as we say. The Bible says, “If you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you” (Deuteronomy 28:15).
Perhaps your prayers are not answered because of secret sin. David said (and he should know), “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalm 66:18). Sin short-circuits the communication system between earth and Heaven, and your praying with an evil heart will not even reach God.
Another reason for prayers not being answered is selfishness or willfulness. The Bible says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3).
Prayer serves a dual purpose: the blessing of man and the glory of God. If a prayer is prayed willfully for our own benefit but not for God’s glory, it’s not worthy of being answered. “Not my will, but Yours, be done” (cf. Luke 22:42) is the spirit of effectual prayer.
Real prayer is not a vain repetition of words uttered in public for religious display. Jesus said, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full” (Matthew 6:5).
When you pray, your physical posture is not so important as the attitude of your heart. Many people put a great deal of emphasis on the position of the body during prayer. Praying is simply a two-way conversation between you and God.
Now, let us look at prayer objectively.
What Does the Bible Say About Effectual Praying?
First: Prayer is for God’s children.
Jesus said, “When you pray, say, Our Father …” (cf. Matthew 6:9).
God has a particular responsibility to His children, and unless we have been born into the family of God through the new birth, we have no right to ask favors of God.
Oh, my anxious friend whose prayers have not been answered, God invites you to the intimacy of spiritual sonship, “that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Philippians 2:15).
Second: Effectual prayer is offered in faith.
The Bible says, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24).
It goes without saying that if our prayers are aimless, meaningless, and mingled with doubt, they will go unanswered. Prayer is more than a wish turned Heavenward … it is the voice of faith directed Godward.
Third: Dynamic prayer emanates from an obedient heart.
The Bible says, “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22).
If you want to get your prayers through to God, surrender your stubborn will to Him, and He will hear your cry. Obedience is the master key to effectual prayer.
Fourth: We are to pray in Christ’s Name.
Jesus said, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13).
We are not worthy to approach the holy throne of God except through our Advocate, Jesus Christ. The person who comes with confidence to the throne of grace has seen that his approach to God has been made possible because of Jesus Christ.
Fifth: We must desire the will of God.
Prayer also couples you with God’s true purposes for you and the world. It not only brings the blessings of God’s will to your own personal life, but it brings you the added blessing of being in step with God’s plan.
And last: Our prayer must be for God’s glory.
The model prayer which Jesus has given us concludes with, “Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever” (Matthew 6:13). If we are to have our prayers answered, we must give God the glory.
What a privilege is ours: the privilege of prayer! Christian, examine your heart, reconsecrate your life, yield yourself to God unreservedly, for only those who pray through a clean heart will be heard by Him. The Bible says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).
