Prayer is the heart of man reaching out to the Heart of God for help, wisdom, counsel and direction.
Prayer is our coming to the strong realization that we are not sovereign, that there is One Who is greater than us. And with that realization, we come to Him and seek Him as our God and Father, our Strength and Source, our all in all.
Many people pray but have not seen answers to their requests. They know that they are in need of God’s help, healing and provision, but wonder why they cannot seem to get Him to respond to their prayers. There may be several reasons for un-answered prayer, but in this article we shall look at one of them. We shall also see how to overcome this hindrance to prayer. And if we apply the wisdom of God in the matter, we shall enjoy the very Hand of God working in our behalf, removing our burdens and setting us free, meeting our needs and ministering to our hearts with His great love, presence and peace.
Prayer is meant to be answered. And you can experience real answers when you meet the conditions set in the Holy Bible, which is the Word of God. The first obstacle or hindrance to answered prayer is a lack of knowledge of what God has to say about the situation you are facing. Many of us do not take the time to seek for answers in God’s Word. THE BIBLE IS GOD SPEAKING TO US. THE BIBLE IS GOD SPEAKING TO YOU.
In the Scriptures God reveals to us what He wants us to know. He shows us His Heart and opens up to us many great and precious promises which if we would dare to come to Him based upon them, He will respond. We must learn to pray God’s way in order to get His answers. And He has revealed His ways in His Word.
Sometimes, when people ask for prayer, they are asked, “What Scripture are you standing on in regard to what you are asking?” And their response is, “Well, none in particular.” But you and I should know what God has to say about our situation or circumstance before we approach His Throne of grace. We should spend time in the Word so that when we come before Him we come with Knowledge, knowing His Heart, purpose and desire in the matter.
Prayer works. But it works when we apply the principles which govern effective praying. And the Bible repeatedly encourages us to come to God based upon His promises, not based upon our opinions.
If we are praying regarding guidance, we can come to Him based on Proverbs 3:6, “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” If we desire to pray concerning our needs, we can come to Him based upon Philippians 4:19 which says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Perhaps you need His help in a situation. Or maybe you need His strength and comfort. Then His promise in Isaiah 41:10 will really be what you want to bring before the Lord. It says, “Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.”
There are many, many promises in the Word and I am sure that you will find one that applies to your issue. So come to God based upon His Word. He has promised that if we do, He will hear and He will respond.
