God listens to all prayers but He doesn't answer all prayers. He searches the heart of men to know what is devised in their hearts. God said something in Isaiah 65:24 and it says, "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." This shows that God has already decided on the kind of prayers He will answer.
These are the kinds of prayers God will not hear:
• Prayers of the wicked (Proverbs 15:29)
• Prayers of the proud (Luke 18:10-14)
• Prayers of the faithless (James 1:6-7)
• Prayers of the unrighteous (Proverbs 15:29)
• Prayers of sinners (Proverbs 28:9)
There are more but we will stop here. Let's talk about Prayers that God answers.
1. Prayers according to His will (1 John 5:14)
2. Prayers of the upright (Proverbs 15:8)
3. Prayers in faith (Matthew 21:10)
4. Prayers in love (1 Corinthians 13:1-2)
5. Prayers that are backed up with the Word of God (Matthew 4:4)
Case Studies
* Jesus
* Hannah
* David
* Moses
* Job
* Jacob
* Hezekiah
* Peter
* Paul
* Esther
There are lots of other case studies but I decided to choose these few. Now we have an idea as to the kind of prayers God answers and the kind of prayers He doesn't answer.
The book of Haggai 1:6-7 says, "Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages, earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways."
Every time something goes wrong in our spiritual life, the Bible advises that we should consider our approach.
Look at what the Bible says again in James 4: 3, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." We can add this to the list of prayers God does not answer.
Everybody who prayed correctly was taught to pray. It is not an issue of prayerlessness but an issue of praying amiss. That's why one of the disciples said, Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples (Luke11:1).
If prayer works for you, you will not leave it. The Bible has advised us that men always ought to pray and not faint (Luke 18:1), that's why Jesus when He was on earth always retreat to a place to pray.
If Prayer isn't necessary, God wouldn't have made it compulsory.
What then is the importance of prayer? For what are we praying for?
That takes us to our next topic which is The Four Major Assignments Of Prayer In The Life Of The Believer.