Message #17 (of 20) from the PrayerPower radio series
"Jesus' Teaching on Prayer"

by Kaye Johns

Effective prayers are those prayers that are answered, either now or later. Some of our prayers will always be answered "no," because they don’t represent God’s best or because we’ve somehow asked with a wrong motive. Some of our prayers will always be answered "wait," because it takes time to set up the circumstances or to change someone’s heart. But on balance, if we are praying specific prayers every day, we ought to be experiencing a steady flow of answered prayers, because it is our Father’s heart to provide in answer to our prayers [Matthew 7:11].

And if that is not happening, if it seems as though God is simply not listening to any of our prayers, something is amiss, and we must return to the basics of what Jesus taught about prayer in Matthew 6. We are to worship, surrender, ask for what we need and confess our sins [Matthew 6:9-12].

How often is confession the problem? God’s Word tells us that a deliberate choice to cherish sin in our hearts will cause God not to hear our prayers [Psalm 66:18]. But that is such a simple thing to deal with! "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." [1 John 1:9]

We connect that truth with James’s statement: "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" [James 5:16], and we see both the problem of unanswered prayer and its solution.

Pray with me now -- Father, may answered prayers be the pattern of our life, in Jesus’ name, amen.

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