The Study Corner    

Philippians 4:6-7

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (ESV)

Why do we pray? Is it because the Bible says to? Partly, yes, but it goes much deeper than that to me. Prayer is a privilege. Prayer is a direct line of communication and communion with our Father, the God of all creation, being facilitated by the perfection of his Trinitarian being. The Spirit helps us convey our prayers even when all we can let out is a sob and a tear, or we are so confused and scared we don’t know what to say to God. Our Lord Jesus Christ takes the prayers of an unholy sinner and covers them with his blood and forgiveness making them worthy to present to His Father. Our Father God receives these prayers as a loving Father who listens to His children in pure and perfect love. I pray because I want to talk to my Father in Heaven, not only out of Biblical commands, but also out of Joy that I am allowed unlimited audiences with the highest authority in the Universe.

Is there anything that can hinder our prayers? There certainly is. This is not an all-inclusive list, but I will try to list some of the Biblical conditions for prayers to be answered, but remember all things are up to God and his plan, not your wanton desires.

1. Obedient Child of God: Obviously, the first hindrance in praying to God the Father would be that we must be his children. Truly, being one of his elect, covered in the grace provided by Jesus on the cross, is a requirement to consistent meaningful communication with God.

1 John 3:21-24

21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. (ESV)

2. Sin: God will not answer the prayers of those who cherish sin in their heart. Does this mean he won’t listen to sinners? No it means that there is requirement to repent of our sins and he will pour out mercy on us. We must admit to God that we know what we have done is sin by His law and standards. We mustn’t try to keep any portion of our sin hidden in your heart.

Psalm 66:18

18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened. (ESV)

Isaiah 1:15-18

15 When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause.

18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool. (ESV)

Isaiah 59:1-2

59:1 Behold, the Lord‘s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
2 but your iniquities have made a separation
between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not hear. (ESV)

Proverbs 28:13

13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. (ESV)

3. Lack of Faith: The faith I’m talking about here is the faith that God has heard our prayer and the answer is on its way. Don’t pray asking for his help, and throw in the classic phrase “If it is Your will” because this is just an expression of doubt. In doing so we are providing a scapegoat for ourselves, so if we don’t see the answer immediately in the way we expect then we just say, “It must not have been his will” and go on about our day placing the blame on God not on ourselves where it belongs. People seem to find it easier to believe that prayers weren’t answered purely because God willed it. While His grace and glory come before anything we want, we must learn to know that an answer to a request does not always come in the manner we expect it to. Part of the reason many Jewish people reject Jesus as their promised Messiah is because He didn’t come in the way they wanted. Even though God was perfectly faithful to their cries and pleas in His plan, it wasn’t done in the way they wanted or expected so they rejected the Messiah. We too have a tendency to reject God’s answers to our prayers when they don’t come as we want or expect them to come. See Matthew 21:21-22; Mark 9:21-24; 11:22-24; Hebrews 4:16; Hebrews 11:6; James 1:5-8.

Jeremiah 17:5-8

5 Thus says the Lord:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 He is like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.

7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
8 He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (ESV)

Matthew 17:19-20

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (ESV)

4. We Do Not Ask: We see something that we view as God’s work (which it may very well be) to do and go to it with our own planning, in our own strength, and at the time and place we think is best. The result is a job poorly done at the wrong time and our needs are not completely supplied. God does not open doors until we knock. We do not find God’s will because we have not sought God’s will. And we do not receive His blessing because we have not asked.

Our asking also should be specific. We don’t go to the pharmacist and ask for medicine, we ask for a specific medicine. If you want specific needs met, then pray for specific needs. God’s not there just to take our order and deliver it, but He does delight in blessing His children when they come with the proper heart.

Luke 11:9-10

9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (ESV)

James 4:2

2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. (ESV)

5. Wrong Motives: Sometimes our requests are not answered because we have the wrong motive (or heart) behind our prayer. God does not listen to our own selfish requests meant to satisfy our flesh and worldly desires. Making requests of God with the wrong motives, is asking beyond our needs. God promises to supply our needs whether great or small. A big screen TV or other fancy new gadgets are not a need. Requesting beyond our needs is usually not honored by God.

James 4:3

3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (ESV)

Matthew 6:5-6

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (ESV)

Your motive behind your asking should be to bring glory to God and to express your love Him. Everything you receive comes from God. Everything is His.

1 Corinthians 4:7

7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? (ESV)

John 14:13-14

13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (ESV)

6. Not Praying in God’s Will: We can approach God in great confidence knowing that when we pray according to His will, He hears you and will answer you.

1 John 5:14-15

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (ESV)

Since God want only the best for you, He does not answer prayers that would do you or His will harm. He knows what is best, and we know that time and time again we fail to make wise decisions. Knowing His will does not mean you will see His entire plan laid out before you in some special way. He has provided us with the Holy Spirit and His word to reveal His will for us and His kingdom. We must constantly and prayerfully ask that He will reveal His will in our lives. It means we must pray, “Lord, I want your perfect will for me and my family.” It involves asking, seeking, and knocking, for God reveals Himself only to those who are willing to do His will.

To pray “If it is Your will” and to pray, “Your will be done,” are two entirely different prayers. The first is a prayer of doubt and should never be used. But in requesting “Your will be done,” is asking God to reveal His will in regard to the thing asked. Learning God’s will involves changing our thinking, our emotional responses, and our desires. We are told to be transformed, not conformed. (Romans 12:2)

Matthew 7:21

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (ESV)

1 Thessalonians 4:1-5

4:1 Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; (ESV)

7. Unforgiving Spirit: Forgiveness of our sin is dependent on how we forgive the sins of those who have sinned against us. The measure we use for others is the measure that God uses for us. Having a judgmental and unforgiving attitude can be yet another cause of unanswered prayer.

Matthew 5:43-48

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (ESV)

Matthew 6:12

12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors. (ESV)

Matthew 6:14-15

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (ESV)

Luke 6:37-38

37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (ESV)

Ephesians 4:32

32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (ESV)

8. Lack of Praise, Thankfulness, and Love: The language of God’s Kingdom is praise and thanksgiving not complaint and whining. When Israel complained in the wilderness, God answered their prayers and also punished them for their distrust and complaining.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (ESV)

1 Timothy 2:1

2:1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, (ESV)

1 John 4:7

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. (ESV)

9. Failure to Resist Satan: God wants you to pray. Therefore, Satan does not want you to. The Deceiver will do all in his power to hinder your prayers. He knows that your prayers are more powerful than any of your good works. Satan would rather have you do almost anything other than pray to God. Whether you think so or not, there is a real war going on between God’s Kingdom and the kingdom of darkness. You are called to fight against the kingdom of darkness and against its spiritual forces. Too often we try to fight against the results of his attacks, and not to fight him and his plans. This is a battle that you must fight in the full armor of God and become skillful in the use of the offensive weapons God has given to you. These offensive weapons are the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, and praying in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

John 17:15-17

15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. (ESV)

Ephesians 6:10-13

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (ESV)

1 Peter 5:8-9

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (ESV)

10. Praying to Other Gods: Some Christians are seeking and even receiving answers that are not from God. They get them from astrology, horoscope, Ouija boards, transcendental meditation, palm readers, séances, etc. Our God is a jealous God. Attempts to seek out answers from other sources will cause God to turn His face from us. He alone is the truth. He alone is our God. Even reading your horoscopes for fun can hinder your prayers. See Exodus 20:3-4; Deuteronomy 18:9-14; Ezekiel 14:1-11.

1 Corinthians 10:19-22

19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? (ESV)

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
17 Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
18 and I will be a father to you,
and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.” (ESV)

Attempts to find healing by use of New Age medication, charms, folklore superstitions, witchcraft medicines, pilgrimages to holy places, will make God jealous and He will not listen to your prayers. God may make use of medicine and medical advances, but He expects these to be used with liberal amounts of prayer to your heavenly Father. You should pray for God’s will in your illness and also call the Elders of the Assembly to lay hands on you when you are ill.

James 5:14-16

14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (ESV)

11. Not Waiting On God: If we do not receive an answer the first time we ask, we should pray again. And if we do not have an answer the hundredth time, we should go on praying until we do get an answer. If we request something and stop praying, forgetting what we asked for, God will also forget and not answer our request. The women who asked Jesus to heal her daughter would not give up until her plea was answered. When Daniel prayed for understanding, God sent a messenger the same day, who was hindered and arrived twenty one days later. If Daniel and given up before the messenger arrived his prayer would not have been answered. Let us not grow weary but be constant in prayer. Luke 11:5-13; Luke 18:1-8.

Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane prayed three times concerning God’s will, and Paul prayed three times concerning his thorn in the flesh. These are examples to us that we must continue to pray until we receive an answer from God. Not that we pray only three times, but to pray until the Holy Spirit reveals that the prayer has been heard and the answer is coming. Jesus’ parable about the persistent widow teaches us that we should always pray and not give up. Sometimes our prayers are not answered because we stop asking, seeking, and knocking.

12. Refusing to Do Our Part: You cannot sincerely pray, “Your kingdom come” unless you are doing what God desires you to do to hasten the coming of His kingdom. As a servant of your Lord you cannot say, “Lord, do this or that.” Servants say, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” The satisfaction of a servant is to see his Lord satisfied. You may see a work someone else is doing and desire to do the same, but it is not yours to do until God assigns that work to you.

Matthew 7:21-23

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (ESV)

Luke 17:7-10

7 “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” (ESV)

John 12:25-26

25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (ESV)

1 Corinthians 15:58

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (ESV)

Romans 12:6-8

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (ESV)

Proverbs 3:27-28

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to do it.

28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you. (ESV)

13. Stinginess in Giving: One of God’s principles is that you do not receive until first you have given. The measure you use in giving to others is the measure God uses in giving to you. If you sow nothing, you reap nothing, and if you sow much you will reap a bountiful harvest. Also, if you do not listen to the cry of the poor, God will not listen to your prayers. See Luke 6:38; Colossians 9:6-11; Galatians 6:7-10.

Proverbs 3:9-10

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine. (ESV)

Proverbs 21:13

13 Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself call out and not be answered. (ESV)

14. Repetition: Repeating the “Lord’s Prayer” in a worship service or reading a printed prayer is not true praying. Prayer is communication with God in our words for specific requests, with thankfulness for specific blessings, and praising God for specific things He has done. Too often we pray the same general prayer, repeating them daily, weekly, monthly, or as often as we pray. This is not prayer. See Ecclesiastes 5:1-5.

Matthew 6:7-8

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (ESV)

15. Believing God Is Obligated: Some Christians believe that God is obligated to answer their prayers because they are faithful in attendance, tithing, Bible reading, praying, and doing good. Doing all these things does not obligate God to answer us. Our works do not give us a claim on God that He must provide our needs or give us all the things on our “want list.” Our prayers are answered because of our relationship with Jesus. Only when we are in Him and He in us can we approach God with our requests and expect answers. Our attitude should be the same as Habakkuk’s, who said he would rejoice in the Lord regardless of what happened. See Habakkuk 3:17-18.

Daniel 9:18-19

18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” (ESV)

16. Family Relationships: God has revealed to us, in the Scripture, what He expects of families and the relationships between its members. In God’s sight the family is holy and He hates anything that destroys it. Therefore, Satan will attempt to destroy all strong family ties. When we fail to abide by God’s rules in family relationships our prayers are hindered.

1 Peter 3:7

7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. (ESV)

17. Lack of Time: I find it strange that while we have time to watch TV, eat out, play games, and work on hobbies, we say it is so hard to find time to our God and Creator. When you pray your mind wanders, the telephone rings, someone comes to the door, you remember the wash needed to come in, or you are suddenly reminded that the yard needs to be mowed. This is the work of Satan. He purposely creates these obstacles to keep us from our prayer life with God. We MUST find time to pray. If we wait until we have free time to pray, then we will be waiting until the grave. All who desire to make improvements in their prayer life must make time by setting aside a period for prayer. We even must use that time to sometimes beg God to protect our prayer time so that our enemy can’t try to take it away from us.

Also, we must pray without ceasing. Pray for your children as they leave for school. Thank God for His provisions as you prepare meals. At work thank God for the job; pray for His blessings for the company, your boss, and fellow employees. When you lay awake at night, pray for those the Lord’s puts on your heart. As you meet those you love, thank God for them. If you meet a person who irritates you or has hurt you, pray, “Lord, give me the attitude you want me to have toward this person.” When tempted to sin pray for relief and protection. In all things, at all times, continually communicate with your heavenly Father. See Luke 18:1-8.

Ephesians 6:18

18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, (ESV)

18. Not Praying In Jesus’ Name: The night Jesus was arrested He spent considerable time instructing the disciples. Seven times He told them to begin praying in His name. Praying in the name of Jesus means that you have been given the power and authority of Jesus to do the work of God. All authority has been given to Jesus, which in turn has been made available to us. Therefore there is no excuse for not accomplishing the work of God. Whatever task God has assigned you, you can do with the authority of the name of Jesus.

In baptism, you were buried with Christ in the name of Jesus. Demons are cast out in the name of Jesus. Peter healed the lame man in the name of Jesus. His name has not changed. The authority is still there in His Name. So, today you can do the same in the name of Jesus.

Just adding the words, “In the name of Jesus” to the end of your prayers does not suffice. To pray “in the name of Jesus” means you are making your request to God by the authority of His Son to whom all authority has been given. Jesus only gives this authority to those who know the will of God and pray accordingly. Your will must be in complete harmony with the will of the Father. God’s will is that you become like His Son. When you remain in Jesus and His words remain in you, you will know His will. Then, you can ask whatever you wish and it will be given you. You cannot seek wealth, health, prosperity, success, ease, comfort, spirituality, or fruitfulness for our own enjoyment, advancement, or prosperity. Prayers that are answered are those that bring glory to the Father. See John 14:13-14; John 15:16; John 16:23-24.

Luke 18:10-14

10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (ESV)

“Some persons say they cannot bear to spend one hour in quiet solitude; they have nothing to do, nothing to think about. Surely no Christian will ever talk like that, for if I can but give him one word to think of—Christ—let him dwell on that forever; let me give him the word Jesus, and only let him try to think it over, and he will find that an hour is not enough, and that eternity is not half enough time to utter our glorious Savior’s praise.” – Charles H. Spurgeon