For Prayer That Works You Need to Know Something
The Disciples Needed Prayer School and So Do You
Introduction to the 30 Thousand Foot Prayer – Part 4
Why are my prayers not being answered? You may not be aware and no one may have ever told you, there are reasons why a prayer goes unanswered. Just because you have a request in with God doesn’t mean you deserve to have it answered. Who do you think you are? If you had the power to command God, then you wouldn’t need Him to answer your prayer, you’d be answering His. Stop being “common”; that’s what the ordinary, average, ungodly person thinks. It’s time to grow up a little and find out how this thing really works. Prayer that is, specifically the thirty-thousand-foot-prayer. Let’s uncover why a prayer may not get answered. Knowing this will tell us what we can do or stop doing to change our outcome and get the answers we need. That is if you’re serious about praying to get an answer. I know it’s getting rough, but don’t change the channel.
There’s a difference in the definition that must be discussed.
I had this conflict and thought that goes something like this. I would hear people say all the time that their prayers wouldn’t get answered. As a result, I wondered what that meant because that’s not a challenge that I face. You see, my prayers get answered. In fact, I get more out I prayer than I ever expect. When God speaks, He always gives more than you expect because his thoughts are higher than ours, so are His plans and His ways. We’ll save that for another day. Why in the world wouldn’t God answer your prayer? What’s so different between you and me? Why would He decide to answer my prayer but choose to ignore yours? Finally, after a little digging it occurred to me that the definition of prayer is different between them and me, those who are normal and ordinary, and those who are uncommon and godly. There’s a difference that must be discussed.
You don’t know what you’re doing.
Do you really think you know how to pray? Tell the truth and shame the devil. People who truly pray to God get answers. They’re not praying for a miracle even though when you talk to God you can surely request one. Prayer is talking to God. It is not asking Him for your biggest breakthroughs or waiting until things are so bad before going to Him. Who prays for healing from cancer and have never prayed and received healing from the common cold? You’re fooling yourself.
The truth found in scripture is clear that even the disciples had to learn. They had to be taught how to pray. What makes you think you can just simply go to God and ask for something so great that you don’t have to learn how to ask Him. I bet you’re the type of person who wants a degree without spending the necessary time in the classroom or the person who wants a promotion without learning new skills. You’re not ready for prayer; prayer is an uncommon skill. Jesus took His students to school. He enrolled them in prayer 101.
Why prayers don’t get answered?
Here are a couple of general conclusions to answer this question. Of course we have a long way to go on this topic, but to set the stage, let’s take a look at these deductions.
- Most people (51% and greater) have been asking for their prayers to be answered but really what they’re asking is for something greater. They are asking for something bigger. They have the thirty-thousand-foot-prayer requests. They use phrases like this:
- Lord, give me a breakthrough.
- Restore my marriage.
- Get me out of a financial crisis.
- My home’s about to go to foreclosure.
- My automobile is being repossessed.
- Payoff my house or pay my bills.
- Heal my loved one from their incurable sickness.
Listen to these requests. They are huge. Large. These people have waited until their situations are so enormous before they open their mouths and talk to the creator of the universe.
- Most people (51% and greater) act as if they really don’t know why their prayer isn’t answered. Let’s camp here for a second. If you wait until your problems become enormous, I understand why you’re not seeing it answered. “No-reen!” My dad uses this term all the time. We couldn’t figure out whether no-reen was a member of our family who is only mentioned when something occurred that made sense or didn’t make sense. Aunt No-reen! Funny thing is no-reen really stood for “know the reason” and in this case for a prayer like you’re requesting, that you’re making to God, you need to know the reason why you should get an answer. There just might be no reason why you should get an answer. You got to give Him a reason to answer such a large request. Know the reason! No-reen! Why should He answer your request if that’s the only time you consider that a prayer or communication directed towards Him is necessary?
I actually understand why you say your prayers are never answered. There is absolutely no reason they should be answered.
You see most (51% or more) don’t even know the proper way, method, to even go into His presence, so how can you ask Him something, anything? How do you think you even get the request to Him if you don’t even know how to start the request in the first place? You may not think of it this way, but the Bible was written for a reason and I’m afraid you’re not going to be able to skip out on it just because you have an emergency request.
My dear aunt “No-reen” would say, I understand if you feel like your prayers aren’t getting answered. You’ve not prayed. Know the reason. If the guys sitting with Jesus asked him to teach them how to pray, what makes you think that you don’t need to learn how to yourself?
You see it is true “what you don’t know can hurt you.” It can keep you from getting answers to your prayers. When you need God’s help and can’t get it, that hurts. We’re going somewhere with this and I hope it’s opening your eyes because you will never be the same again. You’re becoming a next level person, uncommon, no-longer-common!
It’s been our honor and a privilege to share this content with you, share it with a friend and come back for more next week. Same place, same time.
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