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Prayer, And The Hindrances
By E. L. Bynum
God's Word
contains many encouragements to pray. Yet, there are many Christians who do not
pray regularly and effectively. Many pray and become discouraged, because they
see no answers to their prayers. If prayer is not answered, you may be sure that
there are reasons why this is so. We shall consider some of those reasons in
this lesson.
I.
ENCOURAGEMENTS TO PRAY
1. GOD
STANDS READY TO HEAR AND ANSWER THE PRAYER OF HIS CHILDREN.
Psa.
34:15-18, "15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are
open unto their cry. 16 The face of the LORD is against them that do evil,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry, and
the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
18 The LORD
is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a
contrite spirit."
I Pet. 3:12,
"For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto
their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil."
Psa. 34:6,
"This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his
troubles."
Psa. 91:15,
"He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in
trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him."
Psa. 145:18,
"The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon
him in truth."
Psa. 51:17,
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O
God, thou wilt not despise."
2. DO WHAT
YOU CAN AND ASK GOD TO DO WHAT YOU CANNOT.
Neh. 4:9,
"Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them
day and night, because of them."
Psa. 50:15,
"And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt
glorify me."
Psa. 55:22,
"Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never
suffer the righteous to be moved."
3. SEEK THE
LORD WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND.
Isa. 55:6,
"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:"
Psa. 14:2,
"The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there
were any that did understand, and seek God."
Psa. 32:6,
"For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou
mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come
nigh unto him."
Matt. 7:7-8,
"7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it
shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that
seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
4. SEEK
GOD'S MERCY AND BE THANKFUL FOR HIS GRACE AND MERCY.
Psa. 105:1-4,
"1 O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds
among the people. 2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his
wondrous works. 3 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice
that seek the LORD. 4 Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face
evermore."
5. WE ARE
ENCOURAGED TO SEEK HIS FACE.
Jer.
29:12-13, "12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me,
and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye
shall search for me with all your heart."
Jer. 33:3,
"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty
things, which thou knowest not." Isa. 65:24, "And it shall come to pass,
that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I
will hear."
II. HINDRANCES
TO ANSWERED PRAYER
1. IF WE
REGARD INIQUITY IN OUR HEARTS.
Psa. 66:18,
"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:"
Prov. 15:8,
"The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer
of the upright is his delight."
Prov. 15:29,
"The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the
righteous."
2. IF WE
REFUSE TO HEAR GOD'S WORD.
Prov. 28:9,
"He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be
abomination."
Zech.
7:11-13, "11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and
stopped their ears, that they should not hear. 12 Yea, they made their
hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words
which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets:
therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts. 13 Therefore it is come
to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I
would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:"
3. IF WE
WILLFULLY COMMIT SIN.
Isa. 59:1-2,
"1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither
his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated
between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he
will not hear."
Jer. 5:25,
"Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have
withholden good things from you." Micah 3:4, "Then shall they cry unto the
LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at
that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings."
4. IF WE DO
NOT FORGIVE OTHERS.
Mark
11:25-26, "25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against
any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your
trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is
in heaven forgive your trespasses." Matt. 5:23-24, "23 Therefore if thou
bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath
ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy
way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."
Matt. 6:15, "But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your
Father forgive your trespasses." Eph. 4:32, "And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath
forgiven you." Col. 3:13, "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one
another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you,
so also do ye."
5. IF WE
LACK FAITH OR DOUBT WHEN WE PRAY.
James 1:6-7,
"6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like
a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man
think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord."
Matt. 21:22,
"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall
receive."
I Tim. 2:8,
"I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without
wrath and doubting."
Heb. 11:6,
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God
must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek him."
6. WHEN WE
ASK AMISS FOR SELFISH PURPOSES.
James 4:3,
"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon
your lusts."
I John 5:14,
"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing
according to his will, he heareth us:"
7. IMPROPER
MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP.
I Pet. 3:7,
"Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving
honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together
of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered."
I Cor. 7:3,
"Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the
wife unto the husband." Eph. 5:33, "Nevertheless let every one of you in
particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she
reverence her husband."
8. IF WE DO
NOT ASK FOR THINGS THAT WILL GLORIFY THE LORD.
I Cor. 10:31,
"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the
glory of God."
Col. 3:17,
"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God and the Father by him."
9. IF WE
FAIL TO ASK IN CHRIST'S NAME.
John 14:13,
"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may
be glorified in the Son." John 15:16, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have
chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and
that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in
my name, he may give it you."
John 16:23,
"And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you."
Lesson 33 from
"Learning To Live By The Bible" by E. L. Bynum
Used with
permission
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