There has been times in my life when
I have been up and down, times when prayer seems to come easy, and times when prayer doesn't come easy at all. There is something, I think, in man that makes it hard to pray, but what is it? Why should anyone have difficulty in praying?

Is it because we think that God will not hear us? That's a possibility. I've heard people speak about getting on their knees to pray and having the feeling that their prayers were bouncing off the ceiling, going no higher than the ceiling, that nobody was hearing it but them. They don't think God is actually hearing what they are saying.

They may feel that way because they
feel unworthy, or because they feel God is down on them. They may feel that God has somehow shut them up and won't listen to them.

Is it because we don't think it will change anything? And if that's the case, is it because we just don't believe? Or that we believe that God is going to do what He's going to do regardless of what we ask? “What's the point in praying about this? I'm going to pray and I'm going to ask God to do this, but God already knows what's best, and He's going to do what's best, and I'm going to say 'Thy will be done,' and what's the
point in asking because His will is going to be done anyway?” Maybe we don't pray a lot because we think it isn't going to change anything. God will just do what he's going to do whether we ask Him to do it or not.

SOLUTION;
Luke 11:1-2, "And it came to pass,
that, as he was praying in a
certain place, when he ceased,
one of his disciples said unto
him, Lord, teach us to pray, as
John also taught his disciples.
And he said unto them, When ye
pray, say…"

Now, most people can, without reading their bible, can site what Jesus said about how you are to pray. So, Jesus gives what is called “the Lord's Prayer,” but he continues, he's NOT THROUGH TEACHING THEM HOW TO PRAY! The “Lord's Prayer” is not all he said in response to the question, “Lord, teach us to pray.”the Lord prayer was just like an idea on what to say when praying , the next verse gives us the right attitude;continue;

Luke 11:5-7, "And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is
come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give
thee."

"Jesus' listeners would have considered the response of the man who was in bed absolutely unconscionable"

Luke 11:8, "I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet BECAUSE OF HIS IMPORTUNITY he will rise and give him as many as he needeth."

What's going on here? Well the man's
not going to go away! He's going to
stay down there; he's going to keep
on knocking on the door. He's going to
say, “get up and get me some bread!
I'm not going to let you sleep until you get up and come out here and give me three loaves of bread.

The word for “importunity” in the Greek literally means “SHAMLESNESS.” Without shame. I think that's absolutely fascinating, because a modest man would say, “Gee. I asked and he didn't give me any bread. Well, I guess I better go away now because I must be causing
him a lot of inconvenience.” No, he is
shameless!

THERE ARE THREE EXAMPLES OF IMPORTUNITY;
EXAMPLE ONE
Luke 18:1-8, "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for
a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; YET BECAUSE THIS WIDOW TROUBLETH ME,I WILL AVENGE HER,LEST BY HER CONTINUE COMING SHE WEARY ME. And the Lord said,
Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily."


Here is a judge that was fearless, and
would not avenge this widow's
adversary. But she kept asking him
OVER and OVER and the judge finally
gave in to her requests, lest she
weary him by her continual coming.

EXAMPLE TWO:
Luke 18:35-39, "And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And
they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before REBUKE
HIM, that he should HOLD his peace…"

They rebuked him. They told him to
shut up and be quiet! To stay out of
the way.BUT

Luke 18:39, "...but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me."

What happens to this man if he shuts
up? He's not healed. Yet, there were
people there who were trying to talk
him out of it, telling him to hush. He
didn't hush, he kept yelling. He cried
out!

Luke 18:40-43, "And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I
shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: THY FAITH HATH SAVED THEE. And immediately he received his sight, and followed
him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God."

What's faith? Is it a feeling? Is it a
mood? An emotion? Faith is a
persistence, a boldness. It was his
boldness and persistence that got this
man his eyesight. It's not a mood, it's
not a feeling. Think about it. Jesus
said his bold, persistent, aggressive
faith has saved him!

EXAMPLE THREE:
Matthew 15:22, "And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my
daughter is grievously vexed with a devil."

This is a Gentile woman, and Jesus
did not answer her a word. Didn't say
a thing to her, just ignored her! Actually, strange women weren't supposed to be talking to strange men like this. Jesus' manners may seem rude to you, but they were the norm for this time.

Matthew 15:23-26, "But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, SEND HER AWAY; FOR SHE CRIETH AFTER US. But he answered and said, I am not sent
but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, HELP ME. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to
cast it to dogs."


First he ignores her, and then he
insults her! “This is not for you, you
dog! This is for the children. You Gentiles are not in that category of God's children.BUT SHE KEEP ON PRESSING ON:

Matthew 15:27, "And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."


This is similar to what happened to a
man named Jacob when he wrestled,
physically, with God, and who put
God in a hold and said, "...I will not
let thee go, except thou bless
me" (Genesis 32:24-30). He wrestled
all night long and said he would not let him go until he blesses him! God even put the hollow of Jacob's thigh out of joint, and he still wouldn't let him go! These people would stand up to God, believe it or not. This woman continued to persist in the argument. And what happened?

Matthew 15:28, "Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, GREAT IS THY FAITH : be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole
from that very hour."

What's he talking about? He's talking about her boldness, her persistence, her drive, her energy, her willingness
to hang in there and not give up on her daughter's sake. Sometimes we can find more faith for our children than we can for ourselves. This woman certainly did. Notice Jesus' response when he saw this kind of faith, this kind of persistent boldness. He said, “I'll give you anything you want!” And her daughter was made
whole from that very hour. And Jesus
told her that her bold, persistent, aggressive faith has saved her daughter.

Continue from the Lord prayer;

Luke 11:9-10, "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened
unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

One thing you can say for sure is that
a man who doesn't ask is not going to
get it, a man who isn't looking for it isn't going to find it, and a man who doesn't knock on the door will never get it open.

Luke 11:11-13, "If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he
shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"

You need to understand, the point that is being made here is not that God is a bad neighbor, the point is that if you expect to be heard of God you're going to have to knock and you're going to have to be persistent in what you do, and you are going to have to be shameless.

CONCLUSION;
Well, the scriptural doctrine of faith is an ACTIVE , persistent, bold approach to God. We seem to think that faith is a PASSIVE virtue; that it's a set of BELIEFS or a way of THINKING , whereas in scripture it's a way of acting!
That's where, possibly, the difference
may come in.

Good!
Educative!
Faith stimulating!
God bless you.

talkingtruth:
Good!
Educative!
Faith stimulating!
God bless you.

God bless you too.

SUMMARY OF WHAT OP SAID is 1)YOU have to be PERSISTENT in the place of prayer to achieve results. 2)You must have that "NEVER-GIVE-UP" when praying... When you pray and you are yet to get results,you need to continue praying. SELAH

Employ any strategy, the simple truth is that prayers was never and will never get any answers.

Whether you agreed or not

menesheh:
Employ any strategy, the simple truth is that prayers was never and will never get any answers.

Whether you agreed or not

..


LUNATICS BEEN EXISTING SINCE THE DAYS OF FATHER ABRAHAM..
Like they always say..seeing is believing.I have gotten a lot of results in the place of prayer..

Nice write up Op. This is very timely! These are days when some are giving up the faith because God failed to be the ATM/Vending machine they were erroneously taught He was. God is a Father Who has our best at heart and knows if what we ask will be the best in the long run. Importunity and persistence is a proof of our faith. Though the duo may not be required all the time, simple faith will prevail then.

sportsmaster:
..


LUNATICS BEEN EXISTING SINCE THE DAYS OF FATHER ABRAHAM..
Like they always say..seeing is believing.I have gotten a lot of results in the place of prayer..

Will never belittle myself replying you irrationally with abuses; but you know whashu doing?

Consolation consoling yourself of the harsh
conditions of man's existence here, accident, earthquake, sickness, death of loved ones etc in order to forge ahead in your miserable life here on earth.

False hope trying to forge hope in other to console yourself with prayers that never get any answers. Those claims of prayers getting answer are mere coincidents, praying for would have happened things or events.

Feeling belonged the false hope of prayers makes you think there is a great power out there that cares for your wellbeing but look back at your short fallings.

Because you are told because you are told that prayers get answered not actually that in your sincere conscious convictions that your prayers get any answers.

Be mindful of abusing others that buys not your ideas and beliefs.

Lol.

The fact that you felt the necessity to open this thread, to write this op, is all the proof that prayer is merely wishful thinking,.. aloud.

Repeating the same acts , over and over, while expecting a different outcome each time, is the clinical definition of insanity.

I know another area of life where unrelenting faith, persistence and patience also have a chance of paying off eventually.
This is the gambler's anthem.

Prayers, or should I say, the chances of you getting what you prayed for stand with the same odds as any other gambling endeavor.

And again, since we are on this prayer issue, malvisguy, kindly explain to us the difference between prayer and special prayer. Please, I beg.

Scholar8200:
Nice write up Op. This is very timely! These are days when some are giving up the faith because God failed to be the ATM/Vending machine they were erroneously taught He was. God is a Father Who has our best at heart and knows if what we ask will be the best in the long run. Importunity and persistence is a proof of our faith. Though the duo may not be required all the time, simple faith will prevail then.

God bless you my good friend.

malvisguy212:
God bless you my good friend.

Thank you. GOD bless you too.

plaetton:
Lol.

The fact that you felt the necessity to open this thread, to write this op, is all the proof that prayer is merely wishful thinking,.. aloud.

Repeating the same acts , over and over, while expecting a different outcome each time, is the clinical definition of insanity.

I know another area of life where unrelenting faith, persistence and patience also have a chance of paying off eventually.
This is the gambler's anthem.

Prayers, or should I say, the chances of you getting what you prayed for stand with the same odds as any other gambling endeavor.

And again, since we are on this prayer issue, malvisguy, kindly explain to us the difference between prayer and special prayer. Please, I beg.

you are an atheist, you cannot understand it because your canal mind would not let you, there are no special prayer, but we do need the prayer of a man who is grounded in the FAITH;

James 5:14-15, "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the PRAYER OF THE FAITH shall save the sick,"

God says the prayer of faith shall save the sick. Whose faith? Well, certainly the one who comes to pray for you must be someone of faith.

menesheh:
Employ any strategy, the simple truth is that prayers was never and will never get any answers.

Whether you agreed or not

that how you feel when you are once in the faith, this quote is from the op;

Is it because we think that God will
not hear us? That's a possibility. I've
heard people speak about getting on
their knees to pray and having the
feeling that their prayers were
bouncing off the ceiling, going no
higher than the ceiling, that nobody
was hearing it but them. They don't
think God is actually hearing what
they are saying. And there could be
many number of reasons why
someone may feel that way.

malvisguy212:
you are an atheist, you cannot understand it because your canal mind would not let you, there are no special prayer, but we do need the prayer of a man who is grounded in the FAITH;

James 5:14-15, "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the PRAYER OF THE FAITH shall save the sick,"

God says the prayer of faith shall save the sick. Whose faith? Well, certainly the one who comes to pray for you must be someone of faith.

2000 yrs of faith surely should have generated enough faith power to cancel the need for hospitals and clinics. Don't you think so.

plaetton:

2000 yrs of faith surely should have generated enough faith power to cancel the need for hospitals and clinics. Don't you think so.

and the doctors will run out of job? Not all believe in God meaning even if All believers pray for healing the devil will find loopholes in the unbelievers to carry out his evil plan.

The last time I take a medicine is around 1995 uptil today I have not visited the hospital as a patience. Glory be to God.

Lalasticala emusmith, OAM4J

@pleatton. You are an atheist, but you can't just ignore our mythical nonsense, according to u. You are everywhere putting ur mouth in our affairs, just like ur master satan, always coming uninvited wen the sons of god are meeting. There's no god, no answers to prayers. Now move along and leave us in our delusion. If God didn't answer my prayer with undenyable proves, I won't be here today. I was sick to dead, I needed a surgery urgently, but prayers were offered for me before being taken to the hospital, because my folk thought I could die before we got there. I who could not sleep, fell asleep while the prayer was still going on. I had a dream of a tall slim man dressed in all white, wheelling me out from the theatre. The surgery was done. My folk were there waiting for me. People in that hospital lined up to tell me congratulations. When I woke up, I was as sound as every normal person. I was to still be taken to the hospital, I told them the dream. Till this moment am typing this, no reoccurance. Pls pleatton, give my ears peace, u don't believe it doesn't mean its not true. Ur parents did a very poor job raising u.

.

GOD will definitely bless you for these write up.The holy spirit directed you to write these.I am blessed by these.i am praying now foe many things to happen in my life but it seems nothing is happening but my spirit keep on telling me to continue praying and asking and that is exactly what i am doing.Thankgod i saw these write up.it has encouraged me more to keep on praying until i am answered.GOD bless you.

ozogula1010:
GOD will definitely bless you for these write up.The holy spirit directed you to write these.I am blessed by these.i am praying now foe many things to happen in my life but it seems nothing is happening but my spirit keep on telling me to continue praying and asking and that is exactly what i am doing.Thankgod i saw these write up.it has encouraged me more to keep on praying until i am answered.GOD bless you.

thank you my good friend. God is not bound to keep our time,That
which does not come in your time, will be hastened in his time, which is always the more convenient season. He will
perform his word, honour our faith, and
reward them that diligently seek him. bible liken the patience and strength
of a man as Eagle,why? Because if an
eagle want to die he will flew to the
top of the mountain waited patiently
until his time is up. An eagle only weight 4kg but can lifts and object of 20kg, His strength comes from his MIND. bible say;

Habakkuk 3:17-19
17
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
19
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.
Thank you God bless you.

ozogula1010:
GOD will definitely bless you for these write up.The holy spirit directed you to write these.I am blessed by these.i am praying now foe many things to happen in my life but it seems nothing is happening but my spirit keep on telling me to continue praying and asking and that is exactly what i am doing.Thankgod i saw these write up.it has encouraged me more to keep on praying until i am answered.GOD bless you.

Inspired by God to say this to you..
let me just tell you some key things you need to stick to.
Words give direction to the power of God..if you read PSALM78,the whole chapter you will see that the children of israel God tempted with their TONGUES and their actions,vs41 emphasizes something important," they limited the HOLY ONE of Israel ".
They limited God with their tongues,
So use your words very well.

Faith gives direction to the power of God..to receive from God,one has to be in faith..
In the place of prayer(when you are praying) there is always that confidence that you will get results,but after praying all those MORALE seems to fade..It happens to almost everyone..A word of advice for U..
When u have finished praying,always SPEAK FAITH-FILLED words.
E.g Maybe you are praying as touching a sickness or healing,..after praying,you should speak the ff words
1)I am healed of God
2)the power of God heals me
3)By his stripes i am healed..
you need to keep saying this kind of words..U speak FAITH-FILLED words..
You cannot stop bad THOUGHTS from coming to ur mind,but u can STOP if from DOMINATING your mind.
Never speak negatively even after praying..
I could have gone in detail but time will not permit me.

I would have love to show you the power of WORDS from the scriptures.

OP, because there is no one to answer the prayers. The miracles some think are as a result of prayers happen to even non-christian too.

All we experience is "time and chance" that happen to all, when these coincide with prayers, one might wrongly feel it is as a result of prayer.

franconian:
OP, because there is no one to answer the prayers. The miracles some think are as a result of prayers happen to even non-christian too.

All we experience is "time and chance" that happen to all, when these coincide with prayers, one might wrongly feel it is as a result of prayer.

thank you, there is someone ready to answer our prayer, but we are weak and cannot bear long suffering. Prayer do not come by luck, but by FAITH.faith in God. Luck do not need faith.

malvisguy212:
thank you, there is someone ready to answer our prayer, but we are weak and cannot bear long suffering. Prayer do not come by luck, but by FAITH.faith in God. Luck do not need faith.

LONGsuffering? Why would a prayerful individual suffer long in the first place?
While a prayerful individual is "Longsuffering", if a change comes along the line, it becomes an answered prayer, but if that "longsuffering" eventually kill that individual, it becomes an unanswered prayer and maybe "God knows best"

If you observe closely, you will see that both the prayerfull and the "prayerless" suffer thesame consequences.... None has fared better!

Do not relinquish your problem solving ability to any imaginary powerful being because if there is any, he sure don't care about you. Humans, just like other animals, are on their own!
Life is what it is: survival of the fittest!

Prayer is more than asking God for things or seeking solutions to problems. This perception is what has made and is making many sceptics in a materialistic, grab-all-you-can-get age. Prayer is first fellowship with God. You dont suffer long in the presence of the One you love! Rather time flies! In fact sometimes, some things others cry and fast for get's added to you.(eg Solomon sought for wisdom to govern well and riches, victory etc were added)
Psalm 37:4
Delight thyself also in the Lord;
and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Note that this does not mean a sure satisfaction for our covetousness. One who truly delights in the Lord will find some of the things people run after thinking they will bring satisfaction, unnecessary. And when such things are given or added, they wont replace God.

i was here

franconian:


LONGsuffering? Why would a prayerful individual suffer long in the first place?
While a prayerful individual is "Longsuffering", if a change comes along the line, it becomes an answered prayer, but if that "longsuffering" eventually kill that individual, it becomes an unanswered prayer and maybe "God knows best"

If you observe closely, you will see that both the prayerfull and the "prayerless" suffer thesame consequences.... None has fared better!

Do not relinquish your problem solving ability to any imaginary powerful being because if there is any, he sure don't care about you. Humans, just like other animals, are on their own!
Life is what it is: survival of the fittest!

are you a christian?

Anas09:
@pleatton. You are an atheist, but you can't just ignore our mythical nonsense, according to u. You are everywhere putting ur mouth in our affairs, just like ur master satan, always coming uninvited wen the sons of god are meeting. There's no god, no answers to prayers. Now move along and leave us in our delusion. If God didn't answer my prayer with undenyable proves, I won't be here today. I was sick to dead, I needed a surgery urgently, but prayers were offered for me before being taken to the hospital, because my folk thought I could die before we got there. I who could not sleep, fell asleep while the prayer was still going on. I had a dream of a tall slim man dressed in all white, wheelling me out from the theatre. The surgery was done. My folk were there waiting for me. People in that hospital lined up to tell me congratulations. When I woke up, I was as sound as every normal person. I was to still be taken to the hospital, I told them the dream. Till this moment am typing this, no reoccurance. Pls pleatton, give my ears peace, u don't believe it doesn't mean its not true. Ur parents did a very poor job raising u.

Kai God is awesome. Thanks for sharing jare. God reigns forever

ozogula1010:
GOD will definitely bless you for these write up.The holy spirit directed you to write these.I am blessed by these.i am praying now foe many things to happen in my life but it seems nothing is happening but my spirit keep on telling me to continue praying and asking and that is exactly what i am doing.Thankgod i saw these write up.it has encouraged me more to keep on praying until i am answered.GOD bless you.

Keep praying. By the time it manifests,u would definitely know that God heard all along.

malvisguy212:
are you a christian?

Na only Christain dey pray?

Well, I was born into Christianity. I also took time to wander into some other religions. I'm gradually breaking free from all forms of religion indoctrination. I see partaking in religious activities as a waste of my youthful energy.

I believe there was a God, as to if he is still existing, I am not sure. But if he is still existing, he sure does not interfere in humans activities. Humanity is on its own, if it does not fight to sustain itself, it will one day go into exstintion just like the dinosaurs.

Txs op for the encouragement. I knw he neva sleeps or slumber...just that his timing is different from us. Nice write up Op

franconian:


Na only Christain dey pray?

Well, I was born into Christianity. I also took time to wander into some other religions. I'm gradually breaking free from all forms of religion indoctrination. I see partaking in religious activities as a waste of my youthful energy.

I believe there was a God, as to if he is still existing, I am not sure. But if he is still existing, he sure does not interfere with humans. Humanity is on its own, if it does not fight to sustain itself, it will one day go into exstintion just like the dinosaurs.

All other religion are man made, God invent man and man invent religion, but Christianity is a relationship with God.

God created Man for the express purpose of mutual relationship with him, but gave Man the power of choice and free will. Man chose to break that
relationship and has been trying to find
his own way by inventing religions and
cults of all kinds in an effort to replace
that void left by lack of relationship with
his Creator.
But relationship with God cannot be
found through religion. In fact, religion is the biggest roadblock to seeking a
relationship with God. Religion is simply
Man trying to reach out to God by doing
something that he thinks will please God.
“If I can do enough, say enough, pray
enough, give enough, sacrifice enough
perhaps God will show me favor”. Every
religion is based upon this “WORKS
theology”. Neither ceremony, liturgy,
creeds, sacraments nor money have ever
brought one soul into a reconciled
relationship to God.

https://www.nairaland.com/2206341/what-christianity-teaches-god-hate