If you saw your prayers answered more often, would you pray more? Perhaps one of the biggest problems people have with prayer is they don’t see their prayers making any difference. They struggle to see a connection between their prayers and reality. Some people give up because they think God has something else in mind. Others begin to believe God is going to do whatever He wants despite their prayers.
God answers prayers in so many different ways that it can be difficult, if not frustrating, to figure out what God is doing. Pretty soon instead of the bold confidence the Bible speaks of, our prayers are uncertain and timid. As one person I was talking with said, “our prayers become more like wishes than prayers of confident faith.”
How can we develop confidence in our prayers? Perhaps looking at how God responds to our prayers can help.
Sometimes God says, “no.”
Read James 4:3. Why does God say, “No” in this instance?
If you struggle in this area, you’re not alone! Read these examples from Scripture:
• James and John (Mark 10:35-40; Luke 9:51-56)
• Jonah (Jonah 4:1-4)
While God wants to say “yes” to His children, He wants what is best for us. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of our own desires. Sometimes we are selfish and/or less concerned about God’s love of others. When God says “no”, sometimes it is because we are not seeking His glory. Our prayers can be subtly self-glorifying. A preacher wants to be popular. A musician wants to steal the show. We want to do well, but for the wrong reasons.
To consider:
Have there been times in your life when God answered “no” to a prayer? Looking back, was there a problem with your motivation? If a prayer seems to have “no” for an answer (where God shuts the door over and over again), consider your motivation. Take a deep, honest look at your prayer and ask: Why do I want this?
*Note: Credit goes to Bill Hybel’s book, “Too Busy Not to Pray” from which much of the background material for this and the next few days come.