Prayer
is communication, in other words: "talking to/with God." Understand
that the Creator of the universe is a Living Being, not a mere concept.
To God it is definitely important to interact and communicate. Our
Creator is not distant to where you are not able to know Him in some
part. Great things happen in people's lives when they begin to devote
time to God and prayer. Sometimes God answers directly, but often
indirectly in a way people can understand. As your relationship with
God grows, so will your communication with Him.
The Prophet Daniel prayed three times a day as was customary since early days:
"Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in
his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down
on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his
God, as was his custom since early days." (Daniel 6:10)
Some people ask, why don't my prayers always get answered? If God
knows all of my thoughts and feelings, why do I need to pray and ask for
things anyway?
It is not that God doesn't know what we need,
it's that He wants us to ask for these things. He wants us to have a
relationship with Him as a Living Being. We are His children, and He is
our Father. Often a parent knows that their child wants or needs
something, but waits for the child to ask in confidence because that
parent desires their child to communicate with them. Sometimes you miss
out on something simply because you do not ask for it.
(5) “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. (6) But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (7) And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. (8) Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. (9) In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. (10) Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (11) Give us this day our daily bread. (12) And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (13) And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from all evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (14) For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (15) But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6)
There are a number of reasons why some prayers seem like they don't get
answered, and some prayers apparently do not get answered at all. We
will look at some of these reasons:
1) A lack of faith or sincerity --- Sometimes a person prays with little
or no faith at all, not believing that God will accomplish what is being
asked for, and therefore nothing happens. Sometimes a person prays
with faith but the person they are praying for has no faith in their
healing and that person does not get healed for it. God desires faith. Through God's grace though, there are cases in which people have been
healed by even a single person's faith, yet there are other cases in
which the lack of faith keeps a miracle from occurring. There are even
cases in which God has healed people without ever asking, or maybe
somebody in the background like an old grandparent perhaps was praying
behind closed doors, but do not let "not asking" or a lack or faith be
your reason for missing out on something big. Pray confidently and
continuously without ceasing.
(18) While He spoke these things to them, behold! A ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.” (19) So Yeshua arose and followed him, and so did His disciples. (20) And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. (21) For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” (22) But Yeshua turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour. (23) When Yeshua came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, (24) He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. (25) But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. (26) And the report of this went out into all that land. (27) When Yeshua departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” (28) And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Yeshua said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Master!” (29) Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” (30) And their eyes were opened. And Yeshua sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows it.” (31) But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.
2) Your behavior or relationship with God --- God can turn His ear from
you. He can do whatever He wants; He is God. But also consider grace. There are many grave sinners
who have prayers that are answered, in fact those who claimed to
never have sinned are liars. But God knows your heart and your reasons
for asking as well as the outcome of your situation. Do you trust Him, or are
you a rebel against Him who only calls to Him when you need something?
"One who turns away his ear from hearing Torah(instruction), even his prayer is an abomination." (Proverbs 28:9)
Another translation:
"God detests the prayers of a person who ignores the Law(Torah/Instruction)." (Proverbs 28:9 NLT)
3) God is answering your prayer in His time/pace --- There are cases in
which a miracle happens right away and God instantly answers your
prayer; I've seen it myself. I have seen a crippled man's leg healed
before my eyes. There are also times though when God answers prayers more slowly, happening little by little or later on all together. God
knows the timing in which it is best to respond to a prayer. Our time does not always match His, in fact, it usually doesn't.
(1 Thessalonians 5:17) - "Pray without ceasing."
4)
God is answering the prayer in a different way than you assumed ---
Because you ask for something does not mean you will get exactly what
you are expecting. Sometimes your prayer gets answered but the outcome
looks a little different than what you had imagined, or even very different.
5) Conflict of prayers --- Sometimes two people or groups pray for the
direct opposite thing to occur. How big of an army is sincerely praying
on each side? If you're team is praying that they will win, and so is
the other team about them winning, which team will win? Will the one
with the most or most faithful prayers win? I don't know. What is your reason behind your prayer?
6) Wicked prayers ---
Some prayers are just petty. It is a waste of time to pray for things
that are contrary to God. If you are praying for God to give you a
hooker, I doubt you will ever get your prayer answered, at least not from God...
7) God has a bigger plan --- God can see all
things, beginning and end. There is a clause to prayer; not all things you ask for are in
accordance to God's will or purpose. Sometimes God even uses suffering for a
purpose in time. Yeshua of Nazareth prayed to God and said, "let Your
will be done!" Sometimes you may pray for something that is not good
for you in the long run, or at all, and God has something better. A child will sometimes ask a
parent for candy or something else not good for them, a good parent
will give good gifts to their children and not every piece of junk they
ask for. If your prayer doesn't get answered, consider that God has
something better planned using the current circumstances that you are
going through than you can see in the present time.
8) You
perhaps need to fast --- Some things require continuous prayers; God may
want you to ask more than one time, more than several times. Some
prayers even need fasting. When you fast you also increase your
closeness to God because you rely solely on Him, not even on food or
drink. If you feel like something is dire and you just keep praying and
still don't receive an answer from God, try incorporating fasting. If
God does not answer a prayer, He may possibly at least tell you why. He
has told me some things, especially in my dreams. Seek, pray continuously, trust, and wait.
How do I know when to pray for someone? What if they don't get healed? How can I pray confidently if I do not know?
It is important to pray for discernment. Sometimes it is best to go up
to someone and pray directly on them for immediate healing, sometimes it is best to pray with them for comfort, wisdom and understanding in a situation, and other times it is better to
pray for them alone in your prayer space or with a small group or
congregation. I've gone up to people, prayed for them, and they were
instantly healed! I've gone up to people, prayed for them, and nothing
seemed to happen. As your relationship grows with God, He will more
often teach you when the time is appropriate, and when it is better to
stand back and pray silently.
Why not pray in a broad sense instead of specifically, let all the sick be healed, and all the hungry be fed?
Answered prayers lead to testimonies that often draw other people into
God's family. When you pray specifically for a person, and that prayer
gets answered, you and them now have a testimony to share with others. They become a witness to God's goodness; He wants us to ask for the
needs of people that we see suffering. That doesn't mean a big broad prayer
cannot be answered, they can be, and some do, but if you ask for
something more narrow and specific, you are more likely to see God put
His focus on it as priority. As far as poor and hungry, Yeshua of
Nazareth tells us that there will always be poor and hungry as long as
this earthly kingdom exists. While it is compassionate to ask for there
to be no more poor or hungry, it is something we will not
realistically see until the return of our Messiah.
Final thoughts:
Don't forget
to give thanks to God for He is good! God is not a Jeanie to grant your
wishes, He is your Father who wants a relationship with you. It's not
good to only ask and ask for stuff every time you pray. Talk to Him! Give Him praise, give Him thanks. If you want a conversation with Him, I
recommend not acting like He is just that Jeanie to grant your wishes only when
you are in need. He is good all the time, even when you don't recognize His miracles.
