The lack of forgiveness among Christians is, without doubt, the biggest reason that so many Christians are living a life of ineffectiveness. This is certainly true in their prayer lives.
D. L. Moody said: “I believe this (forgiveness) keeps more people from having power with God than any other thing; they are not willing to cultivate a spirit of forgiveness. If we allow the root of bitterness to spring up in our hearts against someone, our prayers will not be answered. It may not be an easy thing to live in sweet fellowship with all those with whom we come in contact, but that is why the grace of God is given to us.”
The “Lord’s Prayer” says that God will not forgive us if we don’t forgive others. This is the only part of the Lord’s prayer that Jesus explained.
There has been much written on how to pray. If you are unsure how to approach God in prayer, look at the great men of prayer, such as Daniel or Paul. Both men relied on prayer as the source of their strength and on doing the will of God.
Prayer in public is good, but it is when we are alone with God that prayer can take us even closer to the Almighty. At this time, prayer should not be a one-sided conversation; it should also be a time for quiet communion, meditation, listening to the Spirit, and praising God. It is a time of looking to God, the source of our help and strength. Let the Holy Spirit lead you.
As Christians, we want to pattern our lives after the life of Christ. We pray to be more like Him. We sing songs about being more like Him. There is nowhere where we should emulate Christ more than His prayer life.
Christ prayed to His Father for everything. Prayer preceded every great event in His life on earth. He prayed at His baptism (Luke 3:21-22). He prayed on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-29). He prayed all night long before choosing the twelve disciples, whom He deemed apostles (Luke 6:12-16). And of course, He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, the night He was arrested before being crucified (Luke 22:39-44).
Is not praying a sin, or is it just a weakness? We have so many excuses for not praying. We are so busy, there just isn’t time, and then there are so many distractions in our lives, not to mention the interruptions that happen. We can come up with all kinds of reasons for neglecting fellowship with our Lord.
“Prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” (James 5:15 NIV)
Without getting into the full meaning of this passage, we note that faith is one of the main ingredients of effective praying. There are others, of course (praying in God’s will, no unconfessed sin, unselfish motives, etc.), but all these must be “mixed with faith” to be effective (Hebrews 4:2).
There are many such exhortations to pray in faith. Jesus said, “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:22 ESV).
Another example: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:5-6).
And another: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24).
Every Scripture passage must be viewed in context, including the context of the entire Bible. The “faith” we must exercise is not only confidence that God will answer, but also faith in God who created all things and can do all things, and in Jesus Christ who hears our every prayer. James warns any man without genuine faith, “That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” (James 1:7-8).
True Biblical faith is faith in God as the omnipotent Creator (Hebrews 11:3), faith in Christ as our redeeming Savior (John 3:16-18), and complete faith in the revealed Word of God (Romans 10:17). Then we can believe in confidence that God will indeed answer our prayer of faith.
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2)
“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)
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