Christians have spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3) and one of them is being able to approach the throne of our Almighty God through prayers. Through prayers, we are able to come before God to submit our petitions to Him, to give Him praise and thanksgiving, to intercede for others and to ask for the forgiveness of sins. Prayer is a time for us to speak to God with Jesus Christ as our intercessor. There is no longer a need for an earthly High Priest to intercede with God on our behalf for we have Jesus, the Son of God, as our High Priest and therefore, we can come boldly unto God’s throne of grace (Hebrews 4:14-16).
It is a privilege to go to God in prayer. There are times when we fervently petition to God in prayer. However, despite our continual pleading with God, our prayers are not answered. Does this mean that our prayers are futile?
Let us first consider Abraham and Sarah. God provided a three-fold promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. He also promised Abraham that he would have a son in his old age (Genesis 15:1-5, 17:1-2, 19). And Abraham believed in the Lord (Genesis 15:6) and God counted it to him for righteousness. This means that Abraham was deemed right in the eyes of the Lord because of what he did. However, Abraham’s wife Sarah was impatient and seeing that she was barren, took matters into her own hands and gave her handmaid, Hagar, to Abraham so he would have a child by Hagar (Genesis 16:1-3). However, this was not in accordance to God’s will and we can see the consequence of it when Hagar subsequently despised Sarah because she was barren (Genesis 16:4). Thus, it is essential that God’s will PREVAILS and one needs to TRUST in Him and His promises because such a person will be considered righteous.
Consider Hannah who fervently prayed to God for a son (1 Samuel 1). She was barren and as a result, she was continually provoked and mocked by Peninnah, her husband Elkanah’s other wife. Peninnah had children but Hannah was still without a child. In addition to praying fervently, Hannah TRUSTED in God and continued to WORSHIP God (1 Samuel 1:18-19). She did not forsake God even though she was in distress and of a sorrowful spirit. She acknowledged that God is sovereign and above all things – principalities, powers, angels (1 Samuel 1:11). Indeed, because Jehovah God is the Lord of hosts, all the more she had this great faith in Him that He is the right person to go to in her anguish and pain. God was her refuge just as God was king David’s refuge (Psalm 46:1). Notice her humility in coming before Jehovah God. She referred herself as a handmaid- one who was a bondservant or slave. In addition, notice her tone and language in acknowledging God, in asking humbly “If thou will indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid and remember me and not forget thine handmaid”. Hannah was humble.
I believe that Hannah’s prayer was answered because of the humility and trust with which she approached God and most importantly, it was in accordance with God’s will. Hannah did not forsake God in her sorrow but continued to remain faithful. I am sure she was deemed righteous before God.
Finally, let us consider Jesus. Jesus devoted His life to doing God’s will (John 4:34). He went about teaching, healing the sick, casting out devils and tended to the needs of the lost. He was falsely accused but He did not speak much in His defence, because He knew He had to do God’s will. Before being taken away for His ‘trials’ and crucifixion, Jesus was extremely sorrowful (Matthew 26:38). “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus asked for deliverance from God the Father. However, He still went to the cross and fulfilled God’s will by dying on the cross for the salvation of mankind. He was innocent but yet He went through the whole ordeal because He trusted in God and did what pleased God. It was God’s will for Jesus to go to the cross and His will must prevail. Let us just picture this. Will we sacrifice our lives and die for someone who is an evildoer or did harm to us? Jesus did that! He did not get what He prayed for despite being righteous and pleasing to God (Matthew 3:17). He was humble in His approach to God in prayer, righteous and trusted in God. But yet, Jesus’ prayer was not answered because God’s will had to be done. Was Jesus’ prayer futile? Of course not!
If you have walked a righteous life before God and submitted your petition to God fervently but your prayers went answered, do not be discouraged. There are reasons why this may be so. Sometimes, it may not be the appropriate time yet, or sometimes it may just not be God’s will. In all situations, we have to continue to trust that God knows what is best for us. For example, if a young 18 year-old has just gotten his driving license and prays hard that he will be able to purchase a car soon but his prayer request does not seem to be answered, it may just well be that God knows due to his youth, he may be reckless. Thus, having a car will put him in greater danger of losing his life.
We must also remember of the necessity to be faithful and walk in accordance to God’s commandments. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:17b). It is not the prayers of everybody or anybody that will be answered but that of a RIGHTEOUS person. The psalmist also wrote that “the eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry” (Psalm 34:15). One is righteous when he is approved of God. We are a new person after baptism. We are no longer slaves to sin but slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:18). The apostle John wrote “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother” (1John 3:10). We are God’s children and so there is a need to practise righteousness, which means doing what God wants us to do and submitting to Him in obedience like what Jesus did.
“There is no point in praying” and “Praying is of no use as God does not answer prayers”. Such statements or thinking are not edifying and neither are they true. God cares for His children and we have the comfort in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). Having our prayers unanswered does not mean that praying is futile. It may mean “No”, “not now”, “wait”, “something else” or “Have I been faithful and walking righteously before God?”. As Jesus prayed regularly to God, we should also do the same. “Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1Thessalonians 5:17-18). Be not discouraged brethren! “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:” (1John 5:14).