Unanswered Prayers

In the Apostle James's open letter to the saints in the primitive Church of his day, he reminded them (and us) why our prayers sometimes go unanswered. 

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
--James 4:3

To ask amiss is to ask for the wrong things. God will not give us things He knows are harmful for us. If a child asks for a bottle of whisky, a wise parent will refuse to give it because of the harm it can do, despite the child's protestations that he thinks it would be fun to get drunk. "No" can be a loving, merciful answer.

In other places we are told to let the Holy Ghost guide our prayers. Without the Spirit's guidance, we may very well pray for things not in harmony with God's will. 

I am grateful the Lord is kind enough to ignore my misguided and self-centered prayers. I am reminded of Garth Brooks's lyric, "thank God for unanswered prayers."

Nothing Wavering

The Apostle James wrote an open letter to the ancient Church in his day with counsel for the saints. Those in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are very familiar with verses 4-5 because they triggered young Joseph Smith to inquire of the Lord and receive the visitation from the Father and the Son that inaugurated the Restoration. We do not as often read verse 6, which contains an important element of effective prayer: 

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.
--James 1:6

I may doubt what I know, but I ought not doubt that I can get an answer. I must be firm and unwavering in my desire to receive knowledge. The Lord may pause in His answer to let me feel the need more keenly, so that I may prize the answer more fully when it comes, but He will always answer a sincere request. 

Faith is a belief in things unseen and unknown. I demonstrate my faith when I persist despite the void of evidence that I have been heard. Faith grows as I carry on in what I believe is right even when my efforts seem futile. 

God's primary goal is to increase my faith. In His wisdom and love, that may mean that He must delay His response. "Faith worketh patience," which is a critical virtue. In patience I will find my answers.

Where and Who I Am

The Apostle Paul taught his young apprentice, Timothy: 

I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
--1 Timothy 2:8

The message is simple—people everywhere should pray. My circumstances and surroundings have no bearing on whether or not I can pray and be heard. My inner circumstances, however, have everything to do with the effectiveness of my prayers. My hands should be holy, meaning my actions should be pleasing to God and in line with His will and doing His work. I should be at peace with those around me, not quarreling and disputing and bickering. The Holy Spirit cannot work on a heart that is full of anger or bitterness. So, where I am when I pray is not the issue, but rather who I am and how I am when we pray.

No Stopping

In Paul's letter to the saints in Thessalonica, the apostle listed in concise terms the way followers of Christ should live. Within his list is found this simple instruction. 

Pray without ceasing.
-- Thessalonians 5:17

It is a mystery to me how one can pray without ceasing, 24x7, and go about normal life. I am a single-minded individual with a one-track mind. Multi-tasking is not an option for me. I can do multi-switching, jumping from one track to another, but I am never on more than one track at a time. Switching, for me, is an inefficient process. I find myself expending more effort changing tracks and picking up the thread where I left off than I do getting the task done on either of the tracks.

I can pray in the gaps, however. Every day includes moments that are not occupied, minutes where I am not engaged in any particular task. Rather than wander in daydreams or look for some nonsense to occupy my thoughts, I can turn my neutral thoughts to prayer. 

For me, praying without ceasing means not giving up on prayer. Answers do not always come the way I want and in the time I want. Nevertheless, I must not stop praying.