Category Archives: Praying

True, not all prayers seem to get answered. This can lead some to think those prayers that do appear to be answered may be mere coincidence. Before we jump to that conclusion, we need to understand that answers to prayers aren’t always what we expect.

The closer we walk with God, the more we can sense that He’s working in our lives nonetheless, even in responses to our prayers that don’t appear answered.

The deeper and more intimately we understand who God is, the more we identify His faithfulness to us in all things. Even when we don’t quite understand His response, we realize that He’s working for our best interest because He, being God, sees the big picture, which we don’t. The stronger our conviction about the greatness of God, the harder it is to believe in mere coincidences.

What We Know About God That Affects How God Answers Prayer

To understand who God is, we can look at what He’s made (Rom. 1:20-21) as well as evidences of His work in people’s lives (Rom. 2:14-15; 2 Cor. 3:2-3) but most importantly, we’ll get to know Him through His Word, the Bible. To reconcile issues like how God answers prayer, we must look at the whole of Scripture and not just pull out isolated verses about God or rely on our limited understanding based on our experiences.

Here’s some of what we’ll discover:

1) We have an omniscient God. If we believe in His ability to know all things, and hence see the big picture, certainly He is able to know what is best. If not, answers may not result in what’s wise and ultimately good. Then we may get what we want, but lose out on what we need.

2) We have a sovereign God. If we believe He works all things for the good (Rom. 8:28), then however the answer to our prayer comes about, certainly God must have His hand in it. If we can’t be assured of His involvement, perhaps what appear to be answers could be mere coincidence. Then we might as well question the validity of bothering to pray.

3) We have a faithful God. If we believe He stays true to who He is and what He says, certainly He must keep His many promises about answered prayer. If not, He’s a liar who can’t be depended upon. Then He is not worthy of believing in or praying to at all.

4) We have a righteous God. If we believe He always does that which is right, true, good, and holy, certainly His responses to our prayers will not betray His own character. If so, He’s flawed and not reliable in His responses. Then He’s not much of a God and we may as well rely on our own finite understanding and abilities.

5) We have a loving, gracious, and merciful God. If we believe He truly cares about us, certainly He will answer in ways that bring about what’s best for us which may sometimes result in a “no” answer to prayer. If He always gives us what we ask for, even if it’s not for our good, He’s simply pampering us. Then He doesn’t truly love us for love always protects (1 Cor. 13:7).

If we truly believe God is all of the above, and so much more, then we’ve got to realize that just because we don’t “see” or understand how God answers, it doesn’t mean He isn’t working on our behalf. It simply means we are not God. There are a lot of things in life we don’t fully understand. Maybe we don’t know how electricity works yet we believe it will work when we turn on the light switch. We may not grasp a lot about how cars operate yet we trust that our cars will get us to where we need to go. But, let’s be clear: Things like electricity and cars can be faulty or unreliable when they break down. If God truly is all-knowing, sovereign, faithful, totally righteous and loving, then how much more we should rely on Him for He will never fail us.

So, the bottom line, when it comes to prayer, what do you really understand and believe about God?

Check Out: Theology Resources – Study of the God of the Bible

Also Check Out: Our Great God from A to Z Discipleship Tool

When asked by someone how we could know if something happened was truly an answer to prayer or mere coincidence, we got into a lengthy discourse.

Response to Whether Prayer Was Answered or It Was Just a Coincidence

By the end of our discussion, it all seemed to boil down to what we believe about the following:

1) Who God is

If God promises to answer prayer, what does seemingly unanswered prayer say about Him?

2) How God answers prayer

If some prayers go unanswered, isn’t it then possible that the ones that seem to be answered are pure coincidence?

The above two points go hand in hand. How God answers prayer flows from who God is. What God does must always  be congruent with His character. If He isn’t consistent within Himself, He can’t be depended upon. How do we know if He’ll actually answer our prayer? And, if prayer seems to be answered, how do we know it isn’t mere coincidence?

We humans struggle with consistency. God, however, for Him to be God, must always be consistent. — “if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” (2 Tim. 2:13) We must explain seemingly unanswered prayer in light of who He is, not on the basis of our own limited understanding or experiences.

Be sure to look for subsequent posts that will address these points.

For More on Praying, Go To: Prayer Resources

Just as underestimating certain factors can lead to prayerlessness, so can overestimating certain perceptions about ourselves.

Overestimate the Following And Prayerlessness will be More Likely

• If we overestimate our own ability to deal with life, we’ll be less likely to pray at every turn.

Though we’re finite human beings, we sometimes act like we know it all and can do it all. Self-reliance leads to prayerlessness. When, however, we truly understand our own limitations and God’s great wisdom and power, that He’s the Infinite One, we’ll tend to pray more. When we understand how much we need Him, we’ll humble ourselves and turn to Him in prayer, yielding control and trusting Him.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.(Prov. 3:5-6)

Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jn. 15:5)

• If we overestimate our own goodness, we’ll tend to pray less.

We don’t like to admit that we are fallen, depraved people. Yet, the Bible says, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Rom. 3:10-12). We will often be motivated and guided by self-inflation which skews what we do. When we truly understand how much we need God’s grace and mercy in our lives, we’ll tend to pray more. When we truly grasp how our thoughts and ways are not as high as God’s (Isa. 55:9), we’ll realize we aren’t good enough to make proper decisions and we’ll seek God’s guidance and power.

Notice the emboldened words above. When we overestimate ourselves, we have less need for God. If we don’t need God, we won’t sense a need to pray. It’s only when we come to an end of ourselves that we turn to God in prayer. But after we regain our footing, if we aren’t careful and alert (1 Pet. 4:7), we’ll all too quickly return to our self-reliance and self-inflation, once again leading to prayerlessness.

In previous posts we’ve determined that for many prayerlessness probably isn’t due to ignorance or a perceived lack of benefits in praying. Why, then, don’t we pray more? Perhaps it’s because we fail to accurately or wholeheartedly grasp certain factors that will help us pray.

What We Might Underestimate that Leads to Prayerlessness

• We might underestimate the work involved in praying.

The following Bible verses show how we need to be actively engaged when it comes to praying — alert, clear-minded, self-controlled, persevering. We can’t merely coast. We can’t be passive or lazy about praying. It’s too easy to lose focus or even fall asleep.

With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Eph. 6:18)

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Col. 4:2)

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. (1 Pet. 4:7)

• We might underestimate the role of the Spirit in helping us pray.

We need to be consistently walking in the Spirit, depending on and yielding to His work in our lives. On our own we might lack the self-control we need to consistently pray but the fruit of the Spirit includes self-control and perseverance (Gal. 5:22-23). We might not know what to say or how to pray, but we have a Helper in the Holy Spirit.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. (Eph. 6:18)

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. (Rom. 8:26)

• We might underestimate the enemy and consequently don’t pull on God’s mighty power as needed.

God has a formidable foe who doesn’t want us praying. Satan knows the power of prayer. We must be aware of the devil’s lies and schemes to get us to doubt God hears or cares, to believe we’re too busy to pray, or that it doesn’t really matter. We must be proactive, putting on the armor God provides, resisting the devil, replacing his lies with truth.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith … (1 Pet. 5:8-9)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. … (Eph. 6:10-18)

When we underestimate any of the above factors, we will tend to find it harder to “pray continually” (1 Thess. 5:17) and to be devoted to prayer (Col. 4:2). But, prayerlessness can also result from what we overestimate.

In the previous post we considered how for many Christians prayerlessness isn’t due to ignorance. We know we should pray, that God commands it. Could it be because we don’t think it’s beneficial?

Can We Really Claim Prayerlessness is Due to a Lack of Benefits?

If we don’t pray because we fail to see its value, or benefit, then we have to reconcile the following:

1) God’s Word clearly promotes the benefits of praying.

Read the following verses for just a few of the many specific benefits of praying we find in Scripture:

I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. (Ps. 34:4)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6-7)

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5)

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16 … even more in verses 13-18)

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:16)

Some of the benefits will be outward demonstrations of God’s power and grace. Others, equally if not more potent, may be internal results affecting our heart attitudes and perspective. There’s definitely something beneficial about prayer if we have a God who keeps His promises.

2) Many believers testify of answers to prayers, attesting to the benefits of praying.

Read through the Psalms for the psalmist’s testimony of God responding to his cries. Listen to fellow believers who have personally experienced God not only hearing but responding to their prayers (Jn. 14:13; 1 Jn. 5:14). There must be something beneficial about prayer or these people are either liars or the exception.

3) Even non-believers seem to value people praying for them.

If nothing else, many non-believers derive comfort and encouragement, a blessing, when a Christian says they will pray for them. There must be something beneficial about prayer for that to happen.

Perhaps rather than claiming a lack of benefits in praying, we must admit our failure to tap into those benefits due to prayerlessness. Surely, then, there must be other reasons why we don’t pray. We’ll look further in the next couple of posts.

GO TO: More on Prayer