How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m praying for you” or seen comments on social media saying the same? It is extremely common for someone to say this. However, have you ever stopped to think about how many people actually pray when they say this? How many times do you suppose people lie when they say this but never actually do it? Furthermore, of even more importance, who do you suppose they are praying to?
These words have become such an empty phrase in our society, that we forget the implications of such a statement. Aside from what we have mentioned above, we do have to remember that there is POWER in prayer as God listens and answers to our prayers:
God ANSWERS prayers:
1 John 5:15 - "And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."
John 16:24 says, "Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."
However, there are a few things the Bible says regarding prayer and some of them are requirements for God to hear us. For example, one of the requirements is that we must SEEK Him with ALL our heart.
Jeremiah 29:12-13; "Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
God is merciful and full of Love, but God desires an intimate relationship with his children. How can we expect for Him to hear our prayers when we DON’T seek Him?
Another one of these requirements is that we MUST do his will; we have to be godly:
John 9:31 - "We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will."
Psalm 66:17–20: 17 I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on1 my tongue.2 18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. 19 But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. 20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!
1 Peter 3:12 - "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
How can we expect God to respond to our prayers if we live in sin? How do we expect to know His will if we don’t seek him or spend time with Him and His word? These questions will most likely shed some light to the title of this blog.
We encourage you to go to your secret room, pray to the Lord, seek Him, read His word so that you can have an intimate relationship with you Savior. He will be there for you, the question is, do you want to be with Him?
