In this post I want to address common problems in why your prayers aren’t being answered. Remember, God is real! He has real intelligence and real attitudes. There isn't some magical formula God is waiting for you to recite in order to answer your prayers. However, at the same time, God has set down an outline, a way of doing something in order to be appropriate.
Consider going into a courtroom: “Hey, Judge, what’s up? Look man, I don’t want to take up a bunch of your time, so let me just tell you that I did stop at that sign, that cop is crazy, know what I mean?” Obviously while this makes your point, you wouldn’t go into a courtroom and use such language.
Jesus gave us a clear outline on how to pray—not as a ritualistic chant, but as a pattern to follow. Yet, as history shows, people often turn sacred teachings into formulas, hoping to control outcomes. The Lord’s Prayer was never meant to be a mystical incantation to bend God’s will. Instead, it serves as a model for sincere, heartfelt communication with our Father—a guide to approaching Him with trust and reverence.
While I’m not going to dive into that in depth today, as you begin to learn to pray keep in mind the outline shown to us in the Lord’s prayer: 1-Greeting of respect, 2-worship and praise, 3-pray for the world around us, 4-prayer for ourselves, 5-acknowledgement of his power and praise.
I hear a common theme a lot when listening to prayer. People just don’t seem to know how to pray. And those prayers are ineffectual not because God refuses to hear them but because you’re not giving yourself any foundation. Praying to Jesus instead of in His name, repeating same phrases over and over again, counting yourself as unworthy to receive what you’re asking are only a few of the common things that should not be done during prayer.
One of the most powerful things God taught me about prayer was this. “24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. - Matthew 7:24-25 NIV
Now read this carefully and it will teach you how to pray! A wise man builds a house on a foundation. Learning how to pray is like giving your prayer request on a solid foundation. In other words, praying according to God’s word is like constructing your prayer on a rock. In your mind, and this is where the storms rage, where the battles are fought, praying on a solid foundation will keep you grounded when the storms rage around you.
Praying to the Father in the name of Jesus is what Jesus himself instructed us to do. 23 “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” - John 16:23-24 New International Version
Right there is your rock! Right there is your foundation! When you pray to the Father in the name of Jesus, you are praying on the solid foundation that means even though the storms are raging around you, even though the enemy is bringing out everything he can bear against you, your prayers are standing firm on the solid foundation of God’s word!
So how should you pray? “Heavenly Father, today I praise your glorious name and power. Let your will come to pass on earth just as it does in Heaven. Today I am asking for _______. In the Name of Jesus, I am asking that you grant this to me. For you are worthy to be praised as you watch over your Word to perform it.
Again, not so you use this prayer as some sort of magical spell. This is simply giving your faith something to focus on. Using your faith to get your needs met, the enemy defeated, your loved ones protected, your church built, your country revived and whatever else you are praying for requires a solid foundation!
There is nothing special about me. Yet I have seen bills paid, people healed, loved ones protected, miracles happen simply because I knew how to pray. And you can too. I am not bragging about how great I am. In fact, just the opposite. I can tell you that I am living proof that if God answers my prayers, He will answer yours as well.
Remember, God is real. He can listen to you right this moment. Approaching God is not like entering into some secret chamber where coded passwords and secret handshakes are needed. Praying in line with God’s word affects you and your faith, not God.
Please check out my newest project, Watching Bible Prophecy Come to Pass.
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