Prayer is often criticized by people who don’t pray. Part of the criticism comes from unbelief and an unwillingness to see value in unseen things. But part of the criticism comes from the perception that people pray as a cop-out. Instead of doing something, they ‘pray about it.’ I think the criticism is well-founded. But the problem isn’t with prayer; it’s with a passive approach to prayer that asks God to adjust His behaviour when we’re not willing to evaluate our own. When we pray, we should ask whether our prayers have legs, in other words, whether we’re willing to do our part and examine our behaviour. Sometimes, God may ask us to be the answer to our prayers. He may also reveal actions and attitudes that are hindering our prayers. Rightly understood, prayer is active, not passive. Consider the way the Bible describes the connection between our prayers and our actions.
1. Speaking to God without listening to God hinders our prayers.
It may feel sometimes as if prayer is one-way communication. But God speaks to us through His word and also through people and circumstances. When we talk to God, He expects us to listen to Him. It’s a relationship that He’s seeking with us not a laundry list. That’s why Proverbs 28:9 warns, “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” If we’re unwilling to listen to God’s Word, we shouldn’t presume His eagerness to listen to our words. Listening to God involves both obedience to His will as well as a willingness to let Him guide our response to the thing we’re praying about. When you pray, listen to God through His Word and look to Him to guide you.
2. Unresolved sin hinders our prayers.
Because speaking to God involves listening to God, unresolved sin in our lives will hinder our prayers. That doesn’t mean that an unanswered prayer is necessarily a result of sin, but sin does get in the way. The psalmist recognizes this when he says, “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalm 66:18). Peter says something similar in the context of marriage. He urges husbands to be understanding and gracious to their wives, “so that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7). The picture is of a husband asking God to deal with some things and God, in turn, confronting the husband about some things he needs to address first. That doesn’t mean that we have to be sinless before we can pray, but we should confess and repent of sin as a part of prayer.
3. Selfish motives hinder our prayers.
Sin can hinder our prayers but so can wrong motives. When we pray, we’re not just evaluating our lives for things we may have done wrong. Prayer also involves examining our prayers. It’s healthy to ask, ‘Why am I asking God for this?’ James warns, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:3). Some of the things we ask God for are just selfish. But, sometimes, our selfishness is more nuanced. What we’re asking for may sound spiritual but be a way for us to feed our pride, greed or bitterness. Time spent in prayer, if we are listening to God and examining our hearts, will cause us to sift our motives and, in some cases, abandon some prayers as wrong.
Prayer is the struggle to learn to want what God wants and join Him in seeking it.
As we look at all the Bible says about the connection between our prayers and our hearts and actions, it becomes clear that prayer isn’t just about asking for stuff. It isn’t passive. It’s not a cop-out. Prayer is the struggle to learn to want what God wants and join Him in seeking it. That’s what we learn from Jesus’ prayer in the garden. He prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). He brought His needs and concerns to the Father in prayer, but He submitted those needs and concerns to the will of the Father. In prayer, He confirmed God’s will and found the strength to commit Himself to it. Jesus’ prayer had legs that carried Him all the way to the cross.
Let’s not be passive in prayer. Instead, let’s invite God to reveal His will and examine our actions, even as we express our will and try to understand His actions. And let’s join Him in working toward the fulfilment of our prayers and the accomplishment of His purposes. May God give our prayers legs!
In awe of Him,
Paul
