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I. The importance of prayer.
II. How to pray.
III. God’s answer to prayer:
А. God promises to answer our prayer.
B. The power with which God answers.
C. The time in which God answers.
D. The way in which God answers prayer.
E. God’s goal in answering prayer.
IV. Barriers to prayer being answered:
А. Sin.
B. Idols.
C. Loving the world.
D. Asking evilly.
E. Not forgiving others.
F. Not being reconciled with our brother.
G. Doubts.
H. Problems between husband and wife.
I. Stinginess.
J. Not listening to the word of God.
K. Not keeping God’s commandments.
L. Pride.
M. Coldness.
V. A few important matters requiring our prayer.
Prayer, like reading the Bible, is a practice that Christians should not lack. In a Christian’s spiritual life reading the Bible is like eating, and praying is like breathing. A person can go for several days without eating, but he cannot live even a few minutes without breathing. If a Christian does not pray, his spiritual life will be deadened, and he will not be living and strong. Breathing is necessary for the human body. If a person wants an active body, his breathing must be healthy. In the same way, prayer is a necessity for a Christian’s spiritual life. If a Christian wants to be fresh in spirit and strong in life, he must pray.
The life within every Christian is a praying life, and every life has a capacity and a desire to function in certain ways. The life within us has a praying capacity that enables us to pray and that also causes us to desire to pray. This inward capacity requires us to pray and causes us to have a desire to pray. If we respond to this praying capacity and pray often, this capacity will be developed, and its desire will be satisfied. Then the life within us will be strengthened to grow, and it will not be grieved. If we do not obey this life, it will be impossible for it to grow. Therefore, we must pray and practice praying.
Let us carefully look into different aspects of prayer according to the record of the Bible.
1. “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Matt. 26:41).
The Lord Jesus’ command in this verse shows the importance of prayer. Prayer keeps us from temptation. While we live in the world today, the devil tempts us with many things. He has the opportunity to tempt us in matters related to food and clothing, occupations, money, marriage, and many other matters. He is constantly looking for an opportunity to tempt us. If we want to avoid his temptation, we must pray. We must pray constantly concerning every matter. Whatever we do, we must pray. Whether our actions involve making friends, getting married, spending money, working, or dealing with friends and relatives, we must pray and diligently seek the Lord’s will. We must ask God what we can do and what we cannot do. We should also ask how we should do something and to what extent we should do something. We must have this kind of prayer in everything. We must pray even when we write a letter. We should ask God whether or not we should write and what we should write. If we watch and pray in every matter, we will be preserved by the leading of God and will not enter into the temptation of the devil.
When a ship sails on the ocean and encounters fog, it sounds a foghorn. On the one hand, this sends out a warning, but on the other hand, it receives an echo, which directs its course. Today we are sailing in the vast ocean of this world. Sometimes we come across a patch of fog that makes it difficult for us to know the direction that we should take. At these times we should pray, as if we are sounding a foghorn, so that we can avoid danger and know how to move forward. If we do not, we will become lost in the fog, leave the proper course, and fall into error and danger.
2. “Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil...by means of all prayer and petition” (Eph. 6:11, 18).
The devil, our enemy, always attacks us. We need to stand against him. We must put on the whole armor of God and have much prayer and petition to stand against him. We must rely on the armor of God to stand against the enemy through prayer and petition. Prayer and petition are the way to utilize the armor of God and to cause the armor of God to have an effect upon us. In order to withstand the enemy, we must put on the armor of God by means of all prayer and petition.
The devil is the enemy of God. However, God does not deal with the devil by Himself; He wants us to deal with him. He wants us to pray and ask Him to deal with the devil. God deals with the devil according to the prayers that we pray. God deals with the enemy to the extent of our prayer. If we do not pray, God will not and cannot deal with the devil. Therefore, the devil fears our prayer and hates our prayer to the uttermost. Brothers and sisters, the devil is afraid of our prayer! Our prayer causes the devil to tremble because our prayer can bind him and cast him out. When he sees us bend our knees to pray, he trembles in fear. He dislikes, even hates, our prayer to the uttermost. Therefore, he uses every means to block our prayer and to disturb us while we pray. Many times he takes away our interest in prayer and even depresses our heart of prayer. He makes us unable to pray and causes us to have no desire to pray. He knows that once we pray, he will be dealt with and suffer loss. We should see through his stratagems and stand against our indifference, our depressed spirit, and any outward distractions in order to pray and petition so that he would be bound and suffer loss.
The work that God wants us to do on the earth today, whether it is preaching the gospel, saving sinners, building the church, or building up the saints, involves casting out the devil. In order to be effective, these must be carried out with much prayer and petition. We must pray to deal with and cast out the devil so that we can carry out these works for God. Spiritual work requires spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare must be fought through prayer in order to be victorious. Prayer is necessary for spiritual warfare; it is also necessary for spiritual work.
3. “Everyone who asks receives”; “You do not have because you do not ask” (Matt. 7:8; James 4:2).
These verses speak of a principle: He who asks receives, and he who does not ask does not receive. This shows the importance of prayer. Prayer is necessary for us to receive God’s grace and blessing. If we want something from God, we must ask God; we must pray.
4. “In everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6).
In both large and small matters, we should let our requests be made known to God by prayer and petition. This implies that we must pray and petition concerning everything and for everything. We should fellowship with God, touch God, and seek His will concerning everything. We should touch God and His will in everything. Therefore, prayer is necessary in everything.
5. “Come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help” (Heb. 4:16).
As children of God living on earth today, we need God’s mercy and grace for timely help. We must come to the throne of grace frequently through prayer to obtain this grace and mercy. Timely help is help that arrives when it is needed. If we want to receive timely help from God, we must come to the throne of grace and contact God frequently. We can receive God’s mercy and grace for timely help by frequently touching His throne and contacting Him in our spirit. Praying at all times is important for receiving grace and mercy.
6. “Praying, and I saw in a trance a vision” (Acts 11:5).
As we pray, we see visions. When Peter was praying in the city of Joppa, he saw a vision and knew that God wanted him to go and preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Today we often see spiritual visions and receive revelation while praying. It is difficult for people who do not pray much to see visions and receive revelations. Visions and revelations are of God. Therefore, if we continually contact God, it will be easy to receive visions and revelations. Prayer has a special function in the matter of receiving visions and revelations.
7. “Call unto Me, and I will answer you and tell you great and hidden things” (Jer. 33:3).
When we call unto the Lord — when we pray — we not only receive an answer, but He also tells us great and hidden things. We can be directed by the Lord concerning a great and difficult matter, one that is not easy to understand, if there is sufficient prayer. When we have problems, we must pray to receive the Lord’s direction. When we pray, the Lord will direct us.
8. “Be watchful at every time, beseeching that you would prevail to escape all these things which are about to happen and stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).
Prevailing to escape the things which are about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man refers to escaping the coming tribulation and being raptured to the Lord. According to the Lord’s word, great tribulation will come upon the people of the whole earth at the end of the age. If we are watchful and beseeching at every time, we will be positioned to escape the coming tribulation on the earth and be raptured to be with the Lord. Watching and praying are very much related to our future; therefore, we should realize the importance of prayer and pay attention to it.
9. “Beware, be alert; for you do not know when the time is” (Mark 13:33).
Praying is important in our watching and waiting for the Lord to return. In the Bible the Lord clearly tells us that He will return, and He solemnly commands us to watch and wait for His coming. No one knows the day and the hour, so we must be watchful to wait for His coming. Prayer causes us to be watchful. Only a praying person can be watchful and wait for the Lord. If we want to be watchful and wait for the Lord, we should not be short of prayer.
10. “The end of all things has drawn near. Therefore be sober-minded and be sober unto prayers” (1 Pet. 4:7).
This verse tells us that the end of all things is near, so we must be sober unto prayers. The world and the things of the world that people rely on will pass away. They will all come to an end. Since the end of all things is near, we must be sober unto prayers in order not to be entangled and bewitched by the world and the things of the world that are passing away. Without prayer, we will not be able to come to the Lord, hope in the Lord, or wait for the Lord. Brothers and sisters, the end of all things is even closer; therefore, we should be more sober unto prayers. We must realize that as the end of the world and the things in the world draw nearer, they will entangle and bewitch people even more. Do we not see the influence of the world and the things in the world upon people today? People in the world are entangled and bewitched as never before. We can overcome this condition only by being sober unto prayers. Being sober unto prayers is especially important given the entangling and bewitching influence of the world and the things in the world.
11. “Continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).
The ministry of the word requires accompanying prayer. Prayer comes first and then the ministry of the word. Without this order, the ministry of the word cannot be powerful. If we have not prayed, we cannot truly minister the word. If we minister the word without prayer, it will have no power or authority. If we want the ministry of the word to be with authority, we must pray. Prayer is especially important to the ministry of the word.
12. “Beseech the Lord of the harvest that He would thrust out workers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:38).
If we want God to thrust out workers into His harvest to save sinners, we need to pray and beseech God. If we pray concerning this matter, God will thrust out workers to harvest souls through preaching the gospel. If we do not pray, God will have no way to do what He desires. There must be some who pray to open the way for God to carry out His work.
13. “I will be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them; I will increase them” (Ezek. 36:37 see also Jer. 29:10-14).
Ezekiel 36 not only speaks of God’s determination to increase the number of the house of Israel but also of the house of Israel’s need to inquire of Him in order for Him to accomplish His desire. Jeremiah 29 speaks of God’s determination that the captivity of Israel would last for seventy years and of how He would care for them and cause them to return to their own land. However, they had to pray in order for Him to accomplish this. These two passages of the Word reveal a principle: Even when God determines to do something for man, man still must pray before God will act. Whatever God does among man and for man comes out of His determination, but it must pass through man’s prayer. God’s determination alone is not enough; man’s prayer must be added. Therefore, when God determines to do something, His determination is anointed through the Holy Spirit into those who love Him and draw near to Him. Then His determination becomes a burden in them that can be turned into prayer. When His determination becomes man’s prayer, He hears and accomplishes it. If it does not become prayer, He cannot act.
For example, if God determines to save a particular person, but cannot find someone to pray for him, His desire to save will be frustrated. But if someone comes to God and contacts Him, His Spirit will anoint God’s will into him and cause him to have a feeling and a burden to pray for this person’s salvation. When he prays, God will listen and save the person whom He has determined to save and who has been cared for through prayer. This is a great principle of how God works for man. When God works for man, He works according to His heart’s desire and determination. He causes His heart’s desire to become the feeling and burden of those who are close to Him. He causes them to pray for the matter that He has determined in His heart, and then He hears their prayer and accomplishes the matter. This shows the importance of prayer. If God is going to do anything for man today, there must be some who are praying. God’s determination must be matched by man’s prayer before it can be accomplished.
14. “I sought a man...who would build up the wall and stand in the breach before Me” (Ezek. 22:30).
God sought a man among the Israelites who would stand in the breach before Him for the children of Israel. It is the same in the church. Those who are standing in the breach before Him for His people are those who are praying for His people. Only those who pray before Him can stand in the breach among His people. Many times a breach between the brothers and sisters, such as a problem in the church, requires prayer in order for the breach to be filled. Prayer fills the breaches in the church and solves the problems in the church.
15. “Concerning My sons, / And concerning the work of My hands, command Me” (Isa. 45:11).
This verse speaks of commanding God concerning His sons and His work. Commanding God is the highest kind of prayer. This kind of prayer is the highest right that we enjoy before God. God needs us to exercise this right and pray, commanding Him for His work on His children. When God wants to work on His children, He needs people to command Him to do what He desires according to His heart’s desire and determination. Prayer that commands God concerning His work can and should be practiced by those who know Him and His heart’s desire. Often this kind of prayer is necessary for God’s work.
Concerning any matter, we need to pray. Now let us consider how to pray.
1. “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).
We must ask the Lord to teach us to pray because none of us can pray. When we come to the Lord, we should not pray according to our own determination or idea or according to our own heart or tendency. We should place ourselves before the Lord and quietly wait for the Lord through His Spirit to teach us how to pray. While we wait, the Spirit will lead us and give us an inward sense about how we should pray and the content of our prayer. We should then pray according to this inward sense. When our inward sense is according to the Spirit’s leading, our prayer will be according to the Lord’s teaching and leading.
2. “In My name” (John 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23-24, 26).
We must pray in the Lord’s name when we pray. This does not mean saying “In Jesus’ name” at the end of our prayer. We may say this at the end of our prayers, but to pray in the Lord’s name is not a matter of saying a phrase. It is a matter of being one with the Lord. Only a person who is one with the Lord is in the Lord’s name. Therefore, praying in the Lord’s name means that in the matter of prayer, we are one with the Lord; the Lord’s affairs are our affairs, and our affairs are the Lord’s affairs. This is similar to my writing a check, signing my name, and then asking someone to go to the bank to withdraw the money. Thus, my business becomes his business, and his business is my business. In this matter he is one with me, so he can withdraw money from the bank in my name. When he goes to the bank to withdraw money, he is withdrawing money in my name. In order to withdraw my money, he cannot be in his own name; he must be in my name. He must do it in my name. At that time the bank regards him as if he were me. He is in my name because he and I are one. Similarly, when we pray in the Lord’s name, we are one with the Lord in prayer. We must be one with the Lord in the matter of prayer and allow the Lord’s affairs to become our affairs and our affairs to become the Lord’s affairs. Since this kind of prayer matches the Lord’s will, the Lord willingly answers and accomplishes it.
3. “Abide in Me” (John 15:7).
If we want to pray effectively, we must abide in the Lord. This is related to praying in the Lord’s name. These two matters are part of the Lord’s teaching in John 14 through 16. Praying in the Lord’s name is a result of abiding in the Lord. If we want to pray in the Lord’s name, we must abide in the Lord. In John 14 through 16 the Lord speaks of abiding in Him, and He also speaks of praying in His name. Abiding in the Lord is based on being one with the Lord and fellowshipping with the Lord. It is the practical experience of being one with the Lord. When we abide in the Lord, fellowship with Him, and are one with Him practically in our experience, we spontaneously pray in His name. The prayer that comes out of the Lord spontaneously through our abiding in Him matches His heart’s desire; therefore, He will answer and accomplish what we ask. We must eliminate the separation between us and the Lord and fellowship with Him constantly in order to be up to the standard of the Lord and His heart’s desire.
4. “Praying in the Holy Spirit”; “Praying at every time in spirit”; “The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Jude 20; Eph. 6:18; Rom. 8:26, see also v. 27).
To pray is to contact God and touch His heart’s desire. Only the Spirit of God knows the things of God (1 Cor. 2:11). Therefore, prayer must be in the Holy Spirit and in our spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in our spirit and is mingled as one with our spirit. When we pray in our spirit, we also pray in the Holy Spirit. When we pray with our spirit, we pray by the Holy Spirit. Praying in spirit and with our spirit means to pray according to the feeling of our deepest part, not according to our thoughts, opinions, or determinations. Praying according to our thoughts, opinions, and determinations is to pray with our mind. We pray with our spirit only when we pray according to the feeling of our deepest inward part, because the feeling in our deepest inward part is of our spirit and from our spirit. If we pray according to the feeling of our deepest inward part, we will also pray in the Holy Spirit and by the Holy Spirit. This kind of prayer easily contacts God, touches His heart’s desire, prays forth His will, and receives His answer and accomplishment.
Often the Holy Spirit gives us a burden, but our mind cannot understand the meaning of the burden. It cannot translate the burden into words that can be prayed. At such times the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. Thus, the groanings in our deepest inward part often are a kind of spiritual prayer. Sometimes we have a heavy burden within, but we cannot utter anything in prayer to God; we can only groan. After groaning within, the heavy burden is gone. This kind of groaning comes from the Holy Spirit’s abiding in us. The Holy Spirit’s groaning is according to the will of God, so God listens to this kind of groaning prayer. We must not lightly value, interrupt, or suppress this groaning. We should go according to our inward feeling and allow the Spirit to groan within us. Thus, we will pray freely in the Holy Spirit, out of the Holy Spirit, and through the Holy Spirit.
5. “According to His will” (1 John 5:14 see also Matt. 26:39).
Prayer that is truly spiritual asks God to accomplish His will. Therefore, we must not pray according to our own will but according to God’s will. The Lord prayed in this way in the Garden of Gethsemane. Our prayer should also be according to His will. In order to pray in this way, we must abide in the Lord and pray in and by the Holy Spirit.
6. “Ask in faith”; “Believe that you have received them” (James 1:6; Mark 11:24).
Prayer asks for things not yet seen; therefore, it must be in faith. We should not only pray in faith but also pray until we have faith, until we believe. We should not only believe that we will receive an answer but even more that we have received an answer. When we pray to the point of believing, to the point of having faith, we will give thanks and no longer ask. Continuing to ask causes our faith to depart and to ask in vain.
7. “Enter into your private room, and shut your door and pray” (Matt. 6:6).
The Lord’s word in this verse indicates that we should not make a show of our prayer before others. We should come before God in a hidden place. Showing off our prayer before others is hypocritical and false; it is prayer for people to see and hear. Hidden prayer before God is honest and true; it is prayer for God to hear and see. Therefore, according to this principle, we should not pray as a show before others; we should pray honestly before God.
The Lord’s word here may also indicate that when we pray, we should not allow anything to distract and disrupt our prayer. Even if our circumstances do not allow us to be in a hidden place, we should not allow outside things to affect our concentration in prayer. This is why we close our eyes when we pray.
8. “Prayer...to God” (Acts 12:5).
To pray is to ask of God; therefore, our prayer should be to God. No matter what person or thing we pray for, our heart should not be directed toward the persons or matters of our prayer. Our attention should not be on them but on God.
9. “Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart hastily utter” (Eccl. 5:2 see also John 12:27-28).
We should not hastily utter anything in prayer or pray anything loosely. We must quietly wait and open our mouth to speak according to the feeling that God gives us in our spirit and in our inward understanding of His will. When we pray, we should be accurate in how we address God and in our words. In Matthew 15 a Canaanite woman begged the Lord, calling Him Son of David, but the Lord did not answer her. The Lord as the Son of David was for the chosen race of Israel and was not related to a Gentile Canaanite woman. Finally, she prayed based on the word dog, which came from the Lord’s mouth, and stood in the position of a Gentile dog (v. 27). She called Him “Lord” and “Master,” and the Lord answered her immediately. The titles and words that we use in prayer are one of the secrets of prayer, and they can cause our prayer to be answered. This is similar to being careful about how we address and speak to a person in our dealings with him. We must pay attention to this matter.
10. “Pouring out my soul” (1 Sam. 1:15 see also Lam. 2:19).
Prayer must come from our heart. We must pour out our soul. We cannot pray shallow words. Only honest prayer that is not perfunctory can be heard by God.
11. “Persistence”; “Earnestly” (Luke 11:8; 22:44).
Prayer must be out of an honest heart and must be persistent. If prayer does not move you, it will not move God.
12. “With strong crying and tears” (Heb. 5:7).
Sometimes when we pray, a burden can press us to the point of strong crying and tears. If we have never prayed with tears, there is a shortage in our experience of prayer.
13. “Do not babble empty words” (Matt. 6:7).
The words of our prayer should be brief and to the point. Although we can repeat our words as the Lord did in the Garden of Gethsemane, we should not babble empty words.
14. “Entreated the Lord three times” (2 Cor. 12:8 see also Matt. 26:44).
In order to break through in a matter, we often need to thoroughly and clearly pray several times. Both the Lord Jesus and Paul prayed in this way.
15. “Ask...seek...knock” (Luke 11:9).
Sometimes asking in prayer is not enough; we must seek. Sometimes seeking in prayer is not enough; we must knock. We should ask for the Lord’s blessing, seek the Lord Himself, and knock to enter into the presence of the Lord. In prayer we should initially ask for the Lord’s blessing, then gradually seek the Lord Himself, and finally, knock to enter into the Lord’s presence. Prayer should always move from the Lord’s blessing to touching the Lord Himself and then to entering into His presence.
16. “Fasted” (Acts 13:3 see also 14:23).
When we encounter a desperate situation, we should fast and pray. The principle of fasting is that we are willing to endure physical suffering before God and give up our rightful enjoyment in order to pray for a particular matter. Sometimes we need to pray this way.
17. “Always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1).
Our prayer needs to be constant; we should not pray intermittently. Furthermore, we need to hold out to the end in our prayer and not lose heart.
18. “Pray in every place, lifting up holy hands” (1 Tim. 2:8).
We should pray in every place, and we can pray in every place. This requires a holy living. We must have a holy living to have holy hands that can be lifted up in every place. Lifting up our hands is a gesture of sincerity to God. In our prayer we should be able to lift up holy hands to God in every place, praying sincerely.
19. “By means of all prayer and petition, praying at every time in spirit and watching unto this in all perseverance” (Eph. 6:18).
Prayer also needs to be at every time, by means of all prayer and petition, and with watching in all perseverance. We should not pray for just a moment or pray in only one way. We should pray at every time by means of all prayer. Furthermore, we should watch in all perseverance in order to pray at every time by means of all prayer.
20. “Unceasingly pray” (1 Thes. 5:17).
Prayer is as essential for our spiritual life as breathing is for our physical body. It cannot cease. Our spirit of prayer can pray spontaneously at any time in any place. In any situation we can spontaneously pray. Unceasing prayer is like the spontaneous blinking of our eyes.
21. “Anticipated the dawn and cried out” (Psa. 119:147 see also Mark 1:35).
The morning is a quiet time, and our soul is alert, so it is the best time for prayer. Therefore, we should anticipate the dawn to get up and pray.
22. “Three times daily he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave thanks before his God” (Dan. 6:10 see also Psa. 55:17).
Daniel prayed three times daily on his knees before God. David prayed to God in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. We should pray at least three times a day to God. Furthermore, if it is convenient, we should kneel before God, praying respectfully and sincerely.
23. “Call out all day long” (Psa. 86:3).
We should pray daily. We should call out, especially when we are in great and heavy danger or difficulty.
24. “Went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12).
This verse speaks of the Lord Jesus’ prayer. When we go to a mountain to pray, our heart can be free, and we will feel closer to God than when we pray in our home. When we pray at night, our heart and spirit also can be quiet, and we can touch God more deeply than when we pray during the day. Sometimes, we should pray in this way, and sometimes we should spend the whole night in prayer.
25. “Prayer and petition with thanksgiving” (Phil. 4:6).
We should not only pray but also petition with thanksgiving. Prayer is general, and petition is specific. Sometimes general prayer is not enough, so we need specific petition. In addition to these, we should add thanksgiving. We should thank God for caring for us, giving us the authority to pray, and hearing our prayer.
26. “The word which You have spoken...Do as You have spoken” (2 Sam. 7:25).
Prayer is best when we ask according to God’s word. If we grasp God’s word and pray to Him, He will accomplish His word for us.
27. “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33).
The most important point of prayer is to care for God’s rights and God’s will. Therefore, we should seek His kingdom and His righteousness. Seeking His kingdom and His righteousness is to care for God’s rights and God’s will. If we do this, He will accomplish what we seek.
28. “Command” (Isa. 45:11).
Our prayer can be so high that we command God. Sometimes we should not merely pray. We can petition, offer thanksgiving, and also command God. God has committed Himself to us in His Word; He wants us to command Him to do the things that we agree with according to His desire. We should command God to do things according to His Word, or His will. We should command our circumstances to change, our troubles to retreat, and our sicknesses to leave. Moses commanded the Red Sea to part, and the Lord Jesus commanded the wind and waves to be calm. When our prayer arrives at this highest peak, we can command, and it becomes a command. We should exercise to arrive at this level of authoritative prayer.
1. “Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find” (Luke 11:9).
If we ask, the Lord promised that it shall be given to us. Therefore, our prayers are answered, not because we cry until the Lord softens His heart and responds. Rather, He answers us because of His promise. His promise is the basis for our prayer.
2. “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do” (John 14:13).
The Lord’s promise concerning prayer is very broad. As long as we are abiding in the Lord and praying in His name, He will do whatever we ask.
3. “You will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you” (Jer. 29:12).
If we call upon God and pray to Him, He will listen to us. This is His word of promise. We should be full of faith, boldly call upon Him, and pray to Him because of His promise.
4. “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it” (Psa. 81:10).
This great promise speaks of God’s desire for us to pray. According to His promise, He will fill our mouth if we open it wide. This should cause us to pray to God in great measure with assurance.
All of these verses show that God promises to answer our prayers. Since He has given us such promises, it is easy for our prayers to be answered.
1. “To Him who is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power which operates in us” (Eph. 3:20).
God answers our prayer by His power. God’s power is two-sided. One side is according to His life; the other side is according to His arm. The power of His life is within us, accomplishing our prayers concerning spiritual matters of life. The power of His arm is outside of us, accomplishing our prayers concerning environmental matters and things. His two-sided power is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think.
1. “Before they call, I will answer; / Even while they are speaking, I will hear” (Isa. 65:24).
Sometimes God answers us before we pray, and He hears us while we are praying.
2. “From the first day that you set your heart to understand this matter...your words were heard” (Dan. 10:12).
On the first day that Daniel prayed, his prayer was heard by God, but he did not know of God’s answer until twenty-one days later, because the angel who was coming with the answer met with resistance from Satan’s angel. This shows that sometimes God’s answer to our prayer can be delayed by Satan. Like Daniel, we should endure in prayer to overcome obstacles from Satan so that we may see God’s answer.
3. “He remained...for two days” (John 11:6, see also vv. 3, 21).
When Lazarus was sick, Martha and Mary, his sisters, sent some to tell the Lord. When the Lord heard about Lazarus, He remained for two days before He came. Consequently, the two sisters felt that the Lord had come too late, that He had done something wrong. However, the Lord waited for two days because He had His own plan. He wanted to wait until Lazarus had died and was buried so that He would have an opportunity to express His resurrection power. Therefore, the Lord’s answer to prayer, whether early or late, is always according to His plan.
4. “Will not God...carry out the avenging of His chosen ones, who cry to Him day and night, though He is long-suffering over them?” (Luke 18:7).
Sometimes God waits a long time before answering our prayer. While we are waiting, it seems as if He is ignoring our prayer, but eventually He gives us an answer. The time that He takes to answer our prayer is in His hands. If He thinks that it is better to be quick, He will answer quickly. If He thinks that it is better to be slow, He will answer slowly.
1. “What man is there among you who, when his son asks him for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or also when he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?...How much more will your Father who is in the heavens give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matt. 7:9-11).
God’s wisdom means that He is never wrong when He answers our prayers. Sometimes we ask wrongly, but He still answers correctly. Sometimes we think a stone is bread and a serpent is a fish, and so we ask for them. But God still gives us bread and fish. He gives us the correct things, the good things. A brother who was going from a Western country to Africa to preach the gospel asked the Lord to give him a healthy body so that he could suffer in Africa. One day he fell and broke his leg. The break was so bad that it could not heal; eventually, he was given a wooden leg. He did not understand why the Lord allowed this to happen, but when he was in Africa, some natives saw him and wanted to eat him. When he could not escape their pursuit, he gave them his wooden leg to eat. When they tasted it, they let him go. Then he understood that God had answered his prayer by giving him a wooden leg that would save his life. Sometimes God’s answers to our prayer do not seem appropriate. We even think that He is wrong, but the subsequent facts prove that His answers are indeed appropriate and correct. Thank God, we may be wrong, but He is never wrong. We may ask wrongly, but He never gives the wrong thing.
2. “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup which I am about to drink?” (Matt. 20:22).
The mother of James and John asked the Lord for thrones for her sons. The Lord instead said that He would give them a cup of suffering. We often do not know what we are asking. But the Lord in His wisdom knows what we need, so He gives according to our need. We ask for patience, but He gives us suffering. He knows that sufferings bring in endurance. He does not answer our prayers according to our concept but according to His wisdom.
1. “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13).
God’s goal in answering our prayers is not our pleasure or joy. It is His glory, the expression of Himself, so that we might know Him.
1. “If I regarded iniquity in my heart, / The Lord did not hear” (Psa. 66:18 see also Prov. 15:8, 29).
The first barrier to prayer being answered is sin. If we regard iniquity in our heart, the Lord will not hear us. Regarded in Hebrew conveys a sense of being polite. If a person prays but regards, entertains, and is polite and deferential toward sin, rather than hating and refusing sin, God will not hear his prayer.
2. “Your iniquities have become a separation / Between you and your God, / And your sins have hidden His face / From you so that He does not hear” (Isa. 59:2 see also 1:15; 58:4; Micah 3:2-4; John 9:31).
Sin creates a separation between God and us and causes God to hide His face from us. If we do not forsake sin, God cannot answer our prayer.
3. “We have transgressed and rebelled... / You have covered Yourself with a cloud / That prayer might not pass through” (Lam. 3:42, 44).
Sin stirs up God’s wrath, and He covers Himself with a dark cloud so that our prayer might not pass through. If we live in sin, our prayer surely cannot reach God, be heard by God, or be answered by God.
False gods and idols provoke God’s jealousy, causing God to be unwilling to hear our prayer. We may think that we have left false gods and idols and do not have any false gods and idols, but we must realize that anything that usurps the place of God is a false god and idol in our heart. If this is our condition, God cannot be inquired of by us and, even less, answer our prayer.
1. “You ask and do not receive...Do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” (James 4:3-4).
The friendship of the world is enmity with God. Therefore, God will be unable to hear and answer our prayers if we are friends of the world and love the world.
1. “You ask and do not receive because you ask evilly that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3).
God will not answer prayers that ask inappropriately, that is, asking evilly so that we may receive for the sake of our pleasures.
1. “When you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone” (Mark 11:25, see also v. 26).
Prayer is fellowship with God, and fellowship with God requires God’s forgiveness. Sin without God’s forgiveness causes our fellowship with God to be broken. Therefore, if we want to fellowship with Him in prayer, we must obtain God’s forgiveness of our sins. His forgiving of us is based upon our forgiving of others. If we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us. If we do not forgive others, God cannot forgive us, and we cannot fellowship with God.
1. “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you...first go and be reconciled to your brother” (Matt. 5:23-24).
If we have a problem with a brother, we cannot fellowship with God. The offering of our gift at the altar refers to fellowship with God. If we remember that a brother has something against us when we want to fellowship with God, we should first go and be reconciled to the brother to correct this problem. According to the Lord’s word, if a brother has something against us, we must first be reconciled to him in order to clear up the problem. If we do not do this, we will not be able to fellowship with God. We will not be able to pray, and God will not listen to or answer our prayer.
1. “He who doubts...must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6-7).
A principle for prayers being answered is faith. Faith honors and glorifies God; doubts despise and humiliate God, making it impossible for Him to answer our prayers. Even when we ask for something from man, we must have faith. If we ask for something with doubt, a person will not want to do anything for us. This is the case even more when we pray to God. Doubting causes prayers to be unheard and unanswered. It prevents us from obtaining anything from God.
1. “In like manner, wives, be subject to your own husbands...Husbands, in like manner dwell together with them according to knowledge...that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Pet. 3:1, 7).
Wives must be subject to their own husbands. Husbands must dwell together with their wives according to knowledge. This is according to God’s ordination, and it pleases Him. If a husband and a wife do not live in this way, if there is a problem or separation, their prayer will be hindered. Any friction, quarrel, or discord between husband and wife makes it difficult for prayers to be heard and answered by God.
1. “Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor man / Also will cry and will not be heard” (Prov. 21:13 see also 1 John 3:17, 22).
Stinginess also causes prayers to not be heard or answered by God. If we do not listen to the cry of others, God will not listen to our cry. If we have the economic means to care for a brother’s lack but close our heart of mercy, how can God hear our prayers and cries? If we do not keep His commandment to love and care for the brothers, if we do not practice what pleases Him, how can He answer our prayers and cries to Him? Therefore, we must deal with our stingy heart according to God’s pleasure so that our prayers can be heard and answered by God.
1. “He who turns away his ear from hearing the law, / Even his prayer is an abomination” (Prov. 28:9).
If we do not listen to the word of God’s command, or if we hate the word of God’s command, He will not hear our prayer to Him. Our prayer will be an abomination to Him. Not listening to God’s word prevents our prayers from being heard and answered by God.
2. “As He called and they would not hear, so they called and I would not hear” (Zech. 7:13).
If we do not listen when God speaks to us, God will not listen when we speak to Him. Not listening to God’s word prevents our prayers from being heard by God.
1. “Whatever we ask we receive from Him because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22).
When we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight, we receive what we ask from Him. If we do not keep His commandments or do the things that are pleasing in His sight, we will not receive what we ask from Him. If we are not willing to keep God’s commandments, God will not be willing to answer our prayer. If we are not willing to do what is pleasing in His sight, God will not be willing to accomplish the things that we ask. Not keeping God’s commandments or not doing the things that are pleasing in His sight prevents our prayers from being answered by God.
1. “There they cry, but He does not answer, / Because of the pride of evil men” (Job 35:12).
God hates pride; pride prevents God from answering our prayer.
2. “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
God’s grace is given to the humble. The proud cannot receive God’s grace; they only encounter God’s resistance. Therefore, when the proud pray, they should not expect to receive God’s answer. Pride hinders us from receiving an answer to our prayers.
1. “He struck the ground three times then stopped. And the man of God became angry with him and said, You should have struck it five or six times” (2 Kings 13:18-19).
A cold heart, rather than a burning heart, can prevent our prayer from receiving an answer. The prophet Elisha told the king of Israel to strike the ground with some arrows. The king of Israel was not burning enough concerning this matter, so he struck the ground only three times. Elisha became angry with him and said that he should have struck the ground five or six times in order to completely defeat his enemy. Since he struck the ground only three times, he could strike the enemy only three times. Sometimes our prayers do not receive a complete answer from God because we are not burning enough and do not pray enough. God’s answer corresponds with our prayer. The extent to which we pray is the extent to which God answers. How much we pray determines how much God answers. Since coldness causes us to pray less, it also causes us to receive less of an answer from God.
1. “Clear me of my secret faults. / Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins... / May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart / Be acceptable before You” (Psa. 19:12-14).
We should pray for our condition before God and for our spiritual life. We should ask God to forgive us of our sins, especially our secret faults that have not even been exposed to us. We should ask God to keep us from sins, especially presumptuous sins. We should ask God to let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart be acceptable before Him. We should pray this kind of prayer daily. Newly saved brothers and sisters should especially pray this way every day.
2. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; / Try me, and know my anxious thoughts; / And see if there is some harmful way in me, / And lead me on the eternal way” (Psa. 139:23-24).
We should frequently pray for God to search us, to know our heart, and to try us and know our anxious thoughts. We should ask Him to see what evil is within us, what idolatrous way is there, and to lead us in the eternal way (in verse 24 the phrase harmful way can also be translated “idolatrous way”).
3. “The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the endurance of Christ” (2 Thes. 3:5).
We should ask the Lord to direct our hearts into the love of God and into the endurance of Christ so that we would have the love of God and the endurance of Christ.
4. “Give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:13).
We should particularly ask God to give us the Holy Spirit. Although we have already received the Holy Spirit, we should ask God to give us more of the Holy Spirit so that we can experience the Spirit more.
5. “That...the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him, the eyes of your heart having been enlightened, that you may know” (Eph. 1:17-18).
This is a very spiritual prayer that we should pray. We should ask God to give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him and to enlighten the eyes of our heart that we may know the hope of His calling, the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.
6. “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, that Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth are and to know the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:16-19).
This is a very spiritual prayer that we should pray. We should ask God to grant us, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, that Christ may make His home in our hearts through faith, that we may be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints the breadth and length and height and depth, having tasted His love and being rooted and grounded in love, and that we may know the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ in order to be filled unto all the fullness of God.
7. “That you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding...by the full knowledge of God, being empowered with all power, according to the might of His glory” (Col. 1:9-11).
We need spiritual wisdom and understanding to know the will of God so that we can walk worthily of the Lord to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and growing by the full knowledge of God, being empowered with all power according to the might of His glory unto all endurance and long-suffering with joy. We should thoroughly pray for this and ask God to give us this experience.
8. “That you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God” (Col. 4:12).
Understanding and keeping the will of God are the most important matters for a Christian. Therefore, we must pray that God would enable us to stand mature and fully assured in all His will.
9. “Perfect you in every good work for the doing of His will, doing in us that which is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ” (Heb. 13:21).
God causes us to do His will through Jesus Christ by doing in us that which is well pleasing in His sight. We should pay attention to this matter, pursue it, and even more, pray for it.
The previously quoted verses relate to our condition before God and to our spiritual life. We must pay attention to these matters in our prayer. These are the prayers that we should pray related to ourselves. However, we also need to pray for the kingdom of God and His work, for the church and the saints, for all men, and for Israel, and so forth. These matters are considered in the following verses.
10. “Your name be sanctified; Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth” (Matt. 6:9-10).
This is the prayer that the Lord taught us to pray. It is the greatest prayer in the Bible. This prayer touches God’s eternal plan: It asks that God’s name be sanctified on earth; it asks that the kingdom of God come to earth to rule, and it asks that the will of God be done on earth. We must realize that these three matters are not a problem in heaven; heaven does not need our prayer. However, these three matters are a big problem with man and the earth because Satan captured man and usurped the earth. We need to pray that these three matters would be on earth as they are in heaven.
11. “Beseech the Lord of the harvest that He would thrust out workers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:38).
The condition on the earth today is in desperate need of God’s thrusting out of workers into His harvest. We see this problem before our eyes, and according to God’s principle, we must pray. The degree of our prayer is the degree of God’s work. The extent to which we pray is the extent to which God will work. I hope that many among us will pray to the Lord concerning this matter.
12. “Petition concerning all the saints, and for me, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth” (Eph. 6:18-19 see also Col. 4:3-4).
We must pray for the saints and the apostles. To pray for the saints is to pray that the saints would know God’s plan for the church in Christ as recorded in Ephesians, to know the salvation that God gave the church through Christ, and to grow up and mature by this knowledge to the fullness of the stature of Christ so that we can express Christ and deal with the enemy, Satan. To pray for the apostles is to pray for God’s workers and to ask God to give them utterance so that they can clearly speak the mystery of the gospel. This opens the door of the gospel so that they can preach the mystery of the gospel. We should have many among us who pray for these two matters. May the Lord truly raise up such praying ones among us.
13. “That the word of the Lord may run and be glorified” (2 Thes. 3:1).
We should pray for the word of the Lord. We should ask the Lord to open a door for His word so that His word may run and be glorified in order to spread His kingdom.
14. “Concerning My sons, / And concerning the work of My hands, command Me” (Isa. 45:11).
We should have desperate and high prayers for the children of God and for His work. Our prayer should be so desperate and high that we command God in specific things.
15. “Revive Your work” (Hab. 3:2).
We should pray for a revival of the Lord’s work, asking God to revive His work.
16. “Turn us back to You... / Renew our days as before” (Lam. 5:21).
We should pray for God to turn the church to the way of His recovery and to renew the days of the church so that the church may be as the church in apostolic times.
17. “Keep them in Your name...that they may be one” (John 17:11).
We should pray for the oneness of the church.
18. “Petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men; on behalf of kings and all who are in high position” (1 Tim. 2:1-2).
We should pray for all men, asking God to save them. We should also pray for those who are in high positions in the government, asking God to bless them and give peace.
19. “My petition to God for them is for their salvation” (Rom. 10:1).
We should especially pray for the salvation of the Jews. They are God’s chosen people and are loved by God. He desires that they repent and be saved. We should be sympathetic to God’s heart and pray much for them.
20. “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).
This is the last prayer in the Bible, and it should be our final prayer: “Lord Jesus, I want You to come quickly!”
