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Ask God: Effectural prayers are more than a request. It is a relationship with God. It is knowing of His presence.

Good Evening Reader,

Praying is a personal relationship with God. It is getting to know God and knowing what He desires you do. God wants us to have faith in Him and to depend on Him. Your dependence allows God to guide you into all good.

May God bless you and keep you in His love.

All Glory to God.

Elvin

What are Effectual Prayers?

What do you think about when you think about praying effectually?

Is it knowing that God hears you?

Or is it getting the answer you want from God?

Or is it about building a relationship with God?

One of the beautiful things about our God is that He longs to hear from us. He is never too busy to listen. His heart is not reluctant but receptive. He is our loving Father, and He desires to have a relationship with His children through prayer.

Jesus spent much time in prayer to the Heavenly Father, approaching God with an attitude of love and obedience. Jesus saw God’s attitude toward prayer as personal. In Matthew 7:7-11: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” He compares God to an earthly father who delights in giving good gifts to his children. If flawed human fathers can be generous, how much more will our perfect Father respond to our needs?

God Answers Prayer

A beautiful example of God hearing prayers is found in 1 Samual 1. Hannah’s heartfelt prayer reveals the deep pain and passion of a woman longing for a child, for she was barren. This condition tormented her and brought her deep sorrow, so much so that she could not eat.

In her anguish, she went to the house of the Lord and poured out her soul in silent prayer, weeping before God. “She made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life” (1 Samuel 1:11).

She prayed so intently that Eli, the priest, mistakenly thought she was drunk. Eli listened to her explanation and blessed her, saying, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition.”

Hannah’s countenance changed—she believed God had heard her. In time, the Lord remembered her, and she conceived and gave birth to a son named Samuel, who became one of Israel’s great prophets. It was Hannah’s faith and surrender that brought about a divine answer.

Throughout the Bible, so many prayers have been answered, in both the Old and New Testaments. God has not changed, and He continues to answer prayers today.

Are All Our Prayers Answered?

Using the Bible as our authority, we must understand that not all prayers—even those prayed in faith and obedience—will receive the request for which they are asked. God hears every prayer (1 John 5:14), but He answers according to His will, not merely that which we desire at the moment.

Have you ever wanted something very badly, only to later no longer desire it? You changed, and your desire for it also changed. God does not change and can see beyond your immediate desire. What may seem beneficial to you today may not be beneficial in the future. Only God can see into the future and know to deny your request.

Prayer is not a formula to get what we want; it is a way to align our hearts with God’s purpose. As we align with God’s purpose, we move toward those things which glorify God and accomplish His will.

Were Jesus’ Prayers Ever Denied?

Yes. In the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36–46), Jesus was distraught and sorrowful about the coming events. He prayed to the Father, “If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me.” The “cup” symbolized the suffering, separation, and wrath He would endure on the cross for humanity’s sins.

Though fully God, Jesus was also fully human and felt the weight of what lay ahead. Yet in perfect submission, He added, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” God did not remove the cup, but strengthened Jesus to fulfill His mission.

Jesus’ prayer was not denied out of cruelty. Out of love and answer in victory—Jesus went to the cross, bore our sins, and rose again, making salvation possible. His surrender brought eternal life to all who believe.

Here, we must look beyond the immediate to see God’s purpose. God had a purpose for Jesus just as He has a purpose for you and me. Seeking God brings glory to Him. He gives us the strength to do His will.

What Hinders Your Prayers?

God wants to answer our prayers, but often we get in the way of receiving God’s answer.

Sometimes, we unknowingly hinder our own prayers. One way is through unconfessed sin, which creates a barrier between us and God. Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”

For example, if a believer knowingly harbors bitterness against another person, his prayers may be blocked. Each person is a child of God, and bitterness separates us from our connection to God.

Lack of faith is another obstacle. James 1:6–7 warns that the one who doubts “should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”

Imagine someone praying for healing but secretly believing God won’t answer—it weakens the power of their prayer. “Without faith it is impossible to please God,” Hebrews 11:6. Faith is a fundamental requirement for having a relationship with God.

Wrong motives also hinder our prayers from being answered. James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” A person may pray for financial success, not to honor God, but to impress others. The motive is not pleasing to God.

Lastly, unforgiveness hinders prayer (Mark 11:25). God tells us to love our neighbor, and unforgiveness is not a demonstration of love. God desires a clean heart, one that is trusting and surrendered, aligning with His will.

The command to love our neighbor as ourselves was elevated by Jesus to a New Commandment in John 13: 34-35. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

Jesus loved sacrificially and unconditionally. He demonstrated this love by humbling Himself, serving others, and ultimately laying down His life on the cross (John 15:13).

Christian love is not based on feelings or worthiness, but on a choice to reflect Christ’s heart. It means forgiving those who wrong us (Ephesians 4:32).

It also means speaking truth in love and showing kindness even when it’s not returned. Loving like Jesus is not natural—it’s spiritual, flowing from a heart transformed by the Holy Spirit. It is this kind of love that marks believers as His disciples and becomes a living testimony to the world of God’s grace.

In Summary

Effectual prayer is more than a request—it’s a relationship rooted in trust, love, and surrender to God’s will. As we’ve seen through Hannah’s faith, Jesus’ submission, and God’s faithful character, the power of prayer lies not just in what we say, but in how we align our hearts with God.

Though not every prayer is answered in the way we hope, every prayer draws us closer to the One who knows what is best. By removing hindrances—like sin, doubt, wrong motives, and unforgiveness—and embracing the love Christ commanded, we open the door to God’s purpose. True prayer changes us and glorifies Him.

Elvin

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Growing Spiritually pleases God.

Ask God For Help

Christian faith

Reader,

Hosea said his people were destroyed for lack of knowledge. Knowledge give believers and non-believers a choice. When a person does not know, they cannot choose.

Feel free to forward this lesson to your friends and family.

Grow in the knowledge of God.

Elvin

Send your comments to elvin.aycock@AskGodForHelp.net and let me know what you think of the lessons.

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