Communication is the basis of any relationship, whether it be with a spouse, a parent, a child, a co-worker, etc.. Without effective communication, relationships break down. It is no different with our relationship to God. He has provided an avenue of communication, both He with us, and us with Him, and it is important that we seek to be better communicators with the Lord. Time and again, the Bible encourages us to be fervent in prayer (Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2). And yet, it seems that prayer is one of the greatest struggles among the servants of the Lord. Let us consider some basic principles about prayer, to the end that we might increase in faith and ability in prayer.

Pray in faith:
The Hebrew writer told us that "...without faith it is impossible to please Him [God]..." (11:6). It is absolutely necessary that we pray in faith, believing that God is able and willing to hear and respond to our prayers (Matthew 21:22). James speaks of petitioning God without having the faith that He will answer as hypocrisy (James 1:5-8), thus we must allow the Lord to communicate with us by His word, wherein faith will be developed (Romans 10:17).

Pray in harmony with God's will:
If our requests before the Lord are to be answered, we must pray according to His will (1 John 5:14-15). Our prayers should never be from greed or selfishness, as such attitudes and lack of spiritual insight will hinder our prayers (James 4:3).

Saying "Thank You":
One of the things conscientious parents teach their children from a very early age is the need to be thankful, and to express thanks when someone has done something for you, or given something to you. In our prayers before our heavenly Father, we need to reemmber to give thanks (Ephesians 5:20; Philippians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18). Too often, I am afraid, we approach God asking, asking, asking, and not often enough come to Him thanking, thanking, thanking.

Righteousness begets effectiveness in prayer:
James 5:16-18 intrigues me. Through the example of Elijah, we are taught that "...the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." We should not suppose that God will heed and answer our prayers if we are living contrary to His way. The Bible plainly teaches that the Lord's ear is not open to those who walk in unrighteousness (1 Peter 3:12; Isaiah 59:1-2). However, notice another point about Elijah. He "...was a man with a nature like ours..." It seems that often we class ourselves as different than men like Elijah, after all, he was a prophet. But the writer says we are alike. That tells me that we can, through fervent prayer, petition God as Elijah did, and if it is according to His will, He will grant our petition, no matter how great or how small. Never limit the power of prayer. Jesus said, "...if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there', and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20)

Understanding the answer:
It is easy to become discouraged in prayer, if we do not consider the different responses God may give to our prayers. Thus, as we conclude, let us consider the four general types of response we might receive.

"Yes" - sometimes, God will grant our petitions exactly as we asked of Him (1 John 3:22). What an occasion for thanksgiving, and opportunity for faith-building, when we can see the fulfillment of our prayers 'word for word'.

"Yes, but not yet..." - sometimes, God will grant our petitions exactly as we asked of Him, but not when we might expect Him to do so. He works things for our good in His own time (Ecclesiastes 3:1; Galatians 4:4). We must trust that God knows what and when is best.

"Yes, but not quite as you asked..." - sometimes, God will answer our requests, but perhaps not as we might expect Him to. For instance, if we ask for strength, God might provide us with adversity, and thus develop strength in us. Let's be careful not to hold God to fulfilling our request only in the way we think is best. He knows far better than we.

"No..." - sometimes, God's answer to us will be "No". First thing we might do, is see if our prayer was offered acceptably to the Lord. Did we ask in faith? Was our request in harmony with His will? Have we forgotten to be thankful? Are we living righteous? However, understand, sometimes God simply says "No". It is easy in such cases for us to interpret a "No" as a sign of disfavour. Certainly, that is not necessarily the case. Recall, He said "No" to His own Son (Matthew 26:39-41). When the apostle Paul petitioned the Lord regarding his "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7-8), the answer was "No". We must simply trust the Lord - He knows what will work best for our eternal benefit.

Click here for this week's Answering The Atheist
Did God's plague kill 24,000 (Numbers 25:9) or 23,000 (1 Corinthians 10:8)?