In recent years there have been studies done on the effects of intercessoryprayer for the sick. One study says thatthe people who were prayed for actually did worse than those who were notprayed for.
According to a study done by Harvard Medical School, “In a clear setback for those whobelieve in the power of prayer, their prayers were not answered. Prayersoffered by strangers did not reduce the medical complications of major heartsurgery. Not only that, but patients who knew that others were praying for themdid worse than those who did not receive such spiritual support, or who did,but were not aware of receiving it.” [i]
So does this settle the question, “Does prayer reallywork”? Should this prevent us frompraying? We cannot expect God to fitinto the limitations of a scientific study.
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one ofhis disciples said to him, “Lord, teachus to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1) They could have asked Him anything. They could have asked, “Lord, teach us how toturn water into wine” or “Lord, teach us to raise the dead.” Instead, they asked Him how to pray, and whatHe did was teach them how to build a personal relationship with God. Then and only then could they be ready tolearn how to pray as a group with an understanding of what a solemn assembly isall about.
Many people do not really believe in the power of prayer. Thisis sad, because God has many blessings He would like to grant us through faithand prayer, but we have to believe in prayer in order to have the prayersanswered. There are preachers who teachthe health, wealth, and prosperity gospel today, but this is not scriptural. God does not teach that all blessings in theBible have to do with finances and not everyone is healed.
What is often neglected in these ministries is that the emphasisin the context of these Scriptures is not on the kind of faith or the amount offaith, but on abiding with Christ and asking according to the will of God. As we pray Scripture, and as we prayconversationally with God, we can know that He is informing and guiding andrefining our prayer requests, and so we pray according to the will of God as wegain awareness of the presence of God.
Did you know that most promises for answered prayer in the Bibleare conditional? Some people would likeprayer with no conditions. They wish Godto be a celestial genie who, when summoned by prayer, must grant any requestthey make. They find a measure ofencouragement in the fable of Aladdin and his lamp, aspiring to that level ofcontrol over God’s power in their prayer life. But the biblical fact is that prayer hasconditions. It’s true that Jesus said, “If you believe, you will receive whateveryou ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:22) But, even in that statement, we have onecondition to prayer, faith.
As we examine the Bible, we find that there are other conditionsto prayer, as well. If you want answersto your prayers, then you must meet the conditions for prayer. Even though God answers prayer, we shouldnot believe that God is going to answer every prayer exactly the way wewant it answered. I firmly believe thereare three probable answers to every prayer: yes, no, and wait.
I like to pray God-size prayers, because we serve a big God. It is up to Him to determine how and when toanswer our prayers. There are manyprayers that I am still praying because I have not yet received an answer. Several years ago our pastor at Grace BaptistChurch in Toccoa, Georgia told us how he prayed for 30 years that his fatherwould be born again. It finally happenedshortly before his father past away.
I know God listens to my prayers, because I have had many other prayersanswered. The Bible says, “You do not have, because you do not askGod.” (James 4:2b) So don’t beafraid to pray, unless the prayer is a selfish prayer.
Here are some conditions we have to meet, borrowed from R.A.Torrey’s book “How to Pray,” [ii] inorder to receive answers to prayer:
1. All knownsin should be confessed to the Lord.
a) “If I had cherished sin in my heart, theLord would not have listened…” (Psalm 66:18)
b) “Surelythe arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. Butyour iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden hisface from you, so that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2)
2. We shouldnot pray selfish prayers.
a) “When you ask, you do not receive, becauseyou ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”(James 4:3)
3. We shouldnot harbor unforgiveness in our hearts.
a) “And when you stand praying, if you holdanything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgiveyou your sins.” (Mark 11:25)
4. Husbandsand wives should treat each other biblically.
a) “Husbands, in the same way be considerate asyou live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner andas heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinderyour prayers.” (1 Peter 3:7)
5. We haveto have enough faith to believe God will answer our prayers.
a)“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to allwithout finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he mustbelieve and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blownand tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything fromthe Lord: he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” (James 1:5-8)
6. We mustpray according to the will of God. Perhaps He does not want to heal anindividual because it is time for them to die.
a) “There is a time for everything, and aseason for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die…”(Ecclesiastes 3:1-2b)
b) “Just as man is destined to die once, andafter that to face judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27)
If you knew that ours was the last generation before the coming ofChrist, how would you live? When youstand before the throne of God, will you know Him intimately as your friend orwill you be a stranger? Are you goingthrough the routine of your Christian walk without experiencing friendship withHim? Through Spirit-led prayer, youreyes will be opened, and you’ll have an indescribable, rich, and fulfillingrelationship with God.
In “Experiencing Prayer withJesus”, Henry Blackaby writes, “How deep is your relationship with theLord as you pray? Do you pour your heartout to Him with complete confidence and trust in His help, because you’ve cometo know and experience His love? Ittakes time, like any relationship. Themore time you spend with Him, the more you’ll come to understand His ways, Hisheart, and His will as you pray.”
[i] William J. Cromie, Harvard University Gazette,April 6, 2016
[ii] R.A. Torrey, How to Pray, Whitaker House,1983, pages 63-73
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Republished with permission from Blogs.crossmap.com, featuring inspiring Bible verses about prayer.
