Friday, January 05, 2007

Prayer # 7

The Bible teaches very plainly that sin in the life of the petitioner hinders prayer. Where are you more likely to come to terms with personal sin than on your knees? If you are fighting with your wife, stealing from your boss, or lying about your neighbor, it stands to reason that your prayers will be hindered. The most likely reason is that you will not pray !

I might be going way out on a limb, but I believe prayer is hindered, not stopped. Can you imagine a man with a hangover from a night of drinking and gambling has ever cried out to God in desperation “God please give food for my family and I will never take another drink as long as I live”. And God in his mercy and grace sends a neighbor with food, or a church food pantry gives the family a sack of groceries, and the prayer is thus answered. Then Friday night the poor sinner is back at the bar just as last weekend had never happened. I believe like John Rice said in his book on prayer, “God is much more willing to answer, than we are to pray”. God wants to answer prayer. It is the method He set in place for His creatures to get things from Him.

Start asking!

2 comments:

Donna G said...

Great thoughts...we act sometimes like God don't already know whats going on in our lives....

He wants to help us through. We need to turn to him.

JP said...

Royce, fantastic series on prayer. "If you are fighting with your wife, stealing from your boss, or lying about your neighbor, it stands to reason that your prayers will be hindered. The most likely reason is that you will not pray !" Its too easy, in fits of anger or sinful behavior, not to pray at all. Pride tends to get in the way.