A Prayer Key

Prayers! Prayers!! Prayers!!! I come from a country where prayers are not taken lightly. Churches organise breakfast prayers, vigils and all sorts of prayer programmes. This is indeed encouraging because we are commanded to ‘pray without ceasing’.

However, my concern has always been that how come ‘these prayers’ are not getting the intended results as expected? Anybody can pray, be it believer or unbeliever but it is not all prayers that are heard and when God does not hear, surely there won’t be answer.

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men-extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.

I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess’.

And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!.

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted”.

                                                                            Luke 18:10-14 NKJV

 The Pharisee was a man of prayer. He even offered prayer of thanksgiving to God aside his faithfulness in tithing and fasting which are powerful acts that can open heavens and change difficult situations (John 6:11-12; Malachi 3:10; Matthew 17:21). Despite his actions, God did not regard him. However, the tax collector (the disregarded by men) went home justified. Why? He humbled himself.

Humility is a key to answered prayers. No matter how your commitment to a church is, without humility, it could amount to fruitless efforts in prayers.

If my people who are called by My name will HUMBLE themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven... (2 Chronicles 7:14). To be humble is to empty oneself of his/her self esteem and surrender wilfully to grace through Christ Jesus. It is to always admit that without Christ one is NOTHING. In humility there is no self justification, everything is poured out before God, be it fears, secret sins, self glorification and inadequacies of man. God is not only interested in the prayers alone but also in the vessel offering the prayers. If we, His people can humble ourselves before Him, then God’s response to us will be as that of Elijah (1 Kings 18:30-38). Indeed we can do nothing on our own, without God we are nothing. Let us be humble enough to acknowledge Him in our supplications.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.

                                                                                 1 Peter 5:6 NKJV