The devil has a strategy to deceive believers and make them doubt the faithfulness of God in answering prayer. Satan would have us believe that God has shut his ears to our cry and left us to work things out for ourselves.<\/p>\n
I believe the greatest tragedy in the church of Jesus Christ today is that so few believe in the power and effectiveness of prayer. Without meaning to blaspheme, multitudes of God\u2019s people can now be heard complaining, \u201cI pray, but I get no answers. I\u2019ve prayed so long, so hard, without any results. All I want is to see a little evidence of things changing. Things go on as usual; nothing happens. How long must I wait?\u201d They no longer visit the secret closet because they are convinced that their petitions, born in prayer, are miscarried at the throne. Others are convinced that only Daniel, David, and Elijah types can get their prayers through to God.<\/p>\n
In all honesty, many saints of God struggle with thoughts like, \u201cIf God\u2019s ear is open to my prayer, and I pray diligently, why is there such little evidence of his answering?\u201d Is there one certain prayer you have been praying for such a long time, and as yet it has not been answered? Have years gone by, and still you wait, hoping, yet wondering?<\/p>\n
Let us be careful not to charge God, as Job did, with being slothful and unconcerned about our needs and petitions. Job complained, \u201cI cry out to you, but you do not answer me; I stand up, and you regard me\u201d (Job 30:20, NKJV)<\/em>. Job\u2019s vision of God\u2019s faithfulness was clouded by his difficulties. He ended up accusing God of forgetting him, and God rebuked him soundly for it.<\/p>\n It\u2019s time we Christians took an honest look at the reasons why our prayers are aborted. We can be guilty of charging God with neglect, when all along our own behavior is responsible. \u201cWait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off\u201d (Psalm 37:34)<\/em>.<\/p>\n