Acceptable Prayer

"If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (Ps 66:18). This does not mean that a person has to be perfect before he can pray. Over and over again, God invites sinners to call upon Him. But it does mean that unless we are sorry for our sins and are willing to be free from every evil thought, word and deed, our prayers will not be effective.

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save: neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear" (Isaiah 59:1,2). Sin separates man from God. Like dirt in an electrical connection, it stops the flow of power.

Nor does He answer prayers of a purely selfish nature. "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions (James 4:3). A prayer asking to win $100,000 or a TV will not have a very high priority in the courts of heaven!

We must pray in the name of Jesus. "Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it" (John 14:13,14). This means more, of course, than merely saying "in Jesus' name" or "for Christ's sake" at the end of a prayer. It suggests a desire to glorify God by asking only those things that are pleasing to Him and will be helpful to His cause.

Here, then, are the conditions for successful praying, follow them, and your prayer experience will take on a new richness and beauty. Answers will begin to come. God will surprise you with the swiftness and greatness of His responses.

Remember Paul's experience. After being struck down on the Damascus road by a light "brighter than the sun" he suffered severely from "a thorn in the flesh" from which he sought deliverance: "Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me" (2 Corinthians 12:8). But it did not leave him. Instead, he was given this message to sustain his spirit: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (v 9).For some reason known only to God, it was best for Paul to bear this trial, so his prayer was not answered.

So it could happen with you. If so, do not lose heart. Hold fast your faith in God: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end: they are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. `The Lord is my portion', says my soul, `therefore I hope in him'" (Lamentations 3:22-24).

Bro Alfred Wanyonyi centre with two of his friends

Bro Alfred Wanyonyi (Bungoma, Kenya)