I attempted to pray before establishing a relationship with God, but it did not seem to go anywhere. “Did He hear me?” “How can He hear me and billions of other people simultaneously?” “Am I just talking to myself?” I was deeply convinced that there was a God in heaven, but this “prayer thing” was new to me. I had an urgent need; I thought I got a girl pregnant and back in the 1980s, that was a big deal. I prayed earnestly that it would not be mine. The thing was, I participated in sinful activities that contributed to the potential of me being the baby’s Daddy. She had the baby, but it wasn’t mine. Answer to prayer? I’m not sure; whose baby was it, though?!? But I do know this: when I drew near to God, he drew near to me, and I got saved amid that dramatic time in my life.
Prayer Defined
Have you ever considered what prayer is? In Greek, it is defined as “prayer; an oratory; the root word means to supplicate.” Supplicate in Merriam-Webster Dictionary is defined as “to make a humble entreaty; to ask humbly and earnestly.” In Hebrew, it is the same; “intercession; supplication.” In other words, it is speaking with God. Sometimes we speak with an earnest urgency. Other times, it is simple fellowship. The great thing about having a relationship with God is that he desires to hear from and speak with us.
In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, “If any man hears my voice, and open the door, I will come into him and will sup with him, and he with me.” Sup means to dine or fellowship with someone. God desires our fellowship. As songwriter C. Austin Miles described so eloquently in his hymn:
“I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.”
Prayer Inclined
We can walk and talk with him throughout our lives. While carpet-sucking, horns-of-the-alter-grabbing prayer has its place, what God wants from us is a moment-by-moment fellowship. So many times, I find myself buried in work or trying to solve a problem. And before you know it, I’m frustrated. It is only then that I pray. Friends, this is backward. He desires us to pray first, ask for direction and wisdom, and walk with him through the trial.
If we prayed more, we would persevere more. More prayers would yield more Godlikeness. Why? Because we tend to become who we “sup” with the most. Birds of a feather flock together. To know a man’s character, learn who his friends are. Who does he hang out with? What type of music does he listen to? What kind of TV shows or movies does he watch? What kind of books does he read? What kind of words does he use? A man becomes who he follows, watches, and admires. Do you want to become more like Jesus? Follow Him. Watch Him in His Word! Speak with and listen to Him; you will become more like Him.
Prayer and Prayerlessness
Show me a man who walks in sin, and I’ll show you a man that walks in prayerlessness. Conversely, show me a man who walks in prayer, praise, and worship, and I’ll show you a man of prayer. Can a man sin while in prayer? It would be tough to do so (unless you neglect God’s direct command). Can a man’s mind be occupied with sinful thoughts while his mind is occupied with the Word of God? Praying, meditating on, and memorizing Psalms 119:11 will no doubt go far with occupying a man’s mind with the prayer of, “thy word (oh Lord) have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” How much effort do we put forth in our pursuit of prayer?
We find time to pursue work, sleep, do chores, exercise, and entertain ourselves, but how much time do we carve out to spend with Jesus? Yes, we need to work and sleep; exercise and relieving our stress is beneficial. But isn’t prayer even more effective? James thinks so in James 5:16, where he states, “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” So, why not pray? What hinders us from pursuing our creator, from fellowshipping with the Father?
Prayer Hindered by:
Things – Matt 6:25-34 describes it well. Don’t concern yourself with things but seek the kingdom of God first, and things will be added to you. Get it right; seek Him first, not things. In the parable of the Sower, do you know what happened to the seed that fell among thorns? Per Luke 8:14, they were choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of this life and brought no fruit to perfection. Things prohibit God’s seed from taking root in a man’s life. What things are getting in the way of your time with Jesus? Facebook? YouTube? TikTok? TV? Movies? Video Games? All this will perish, and all this will be useless on the day of judgment, friends.
Doubt – As in Matthew 13:58, Jesus may not be doing anything in your life because of unbelief. You doubt that he hears you, and you doubt that he responds to you. You may even doubt that he is risen from the dead and heals people today—all this doubt; no wonder you don’t speak with him. I remember praying over my 6-year-old son that was having a significant seizure. I prayed; he continued to seize. He got so bad that he was hospitalized and induced into a ten-day coma. This hurt; I wanted my son healed, but he got worse (so I thought). Thankfully, he recovered, but I backslid. Why didn’t God answer me? Why didn’t I see an immediate miracle? The answer is simple: I don’t know. But this I do know; my faith was weak, and this trial revealed a chink in my armor. He has since answered numerous prayers, and I know he answered the prayers I prayed on that day. [Fact: even if he never answered another prayer, he is worthy to be served.]
My evil heart of unbelief caused me to depart from the living God. What about you? Is your heart hardened because of doubt and unbelief? Hebrews 3:7-19 speaks about the children of Israel doing precisely that. They were delivered from Pharoah’s army while being pinned against the edge of the Red Sea. They wandered in the desert for over 40 years, yet God fed and protected them. He provided them with heat at night and shade during the day. He invented food out of nowhere (manna). He made water flow from rocks and preserved their clothes, yet they complained. Many wished they had stayed in Egypt. Why? Why did they prefer slavery over freedom? Because their lack of faith favored the predictable over walking by faith. What about you? Do you have a hard time walking by faith? Are you entertaining an evil heart of unbelief?
Pride: Many feel they don’t need God. I have shared the gospel in the United States with thousands in my lifetime. Of all people groups, older, white, grey-haired Americans are the hardest to reach. Why? Because they are the most secure (financially) and feel they have need of nothing. They generally walk by with a smirk and give smug responses. This is nothing but pride. “I did it! What good is God when I have successfully created my own secure kingdom?” “When I needed God, He wasn’t there!” “When I prayed, He didn’t answer me!” Rather – He was there, and he did answer. He didn’t provide you with the answer you were looking for. Tip: He isn’t Santa in the sky. He is Lord, and He is Holy. He doesn’t serve you; instead, you should serve Him.
The Solution
What is the answer? How do we fix this? 1 Peter 5:6-7 sums it up: Humble yourself and cast all your care upon Him for he cares for you. That’s right; just do it. Repent from your pride and self-sufficiency. Repent from your idolatry (If you think God is a puppy that you can demand obedience from, you don’t know Him; rather, you serve an idol you made up). Repent from your evil heart of unbelief. Repent of your pursuit of things. Cast all your cares, stress, and preconceived ideas of what your life should look like upon Jesus. He cares for you; always seek Him. Paul admonished us to “pray always.
Friend – there is no shortcut. Discipline yourself in prayer. It’s time to grow up. 1 Corinthians 16:13 says, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” In other words, stop being a wimp and act like a godly man. It’s time to grow up.
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