Some believers surprise me. Let me be brutally honest today.
Here is what I have observed; some believers want God to help them. They know they need to pray. They actually pray. But while praying, they keep complaining about how God does not answer them.
I’m going to share with you a harsh lesson I learned about prayer. The lesson was a big wake-up call for me.
That lesson led me to have great success in my prayers. To this day, that lesson is deeply engraved in my prayer life.
Don’t run away from the truth. Listen and live.
The Mistake of Many Believers
As I said before, many believers can pray. But why would you pray while complaining that God doesn’t answer prayer?
When you pray to God while complaining that God isn’t answering your prayers, God will answer you according to your many complaints.
When such believers fail to get answers, they assume God hates them.
Because of their lack of faith in what they are doing, they anger God.
Obviously, I don’t want you to drown in this endless cycle. That’s why I’m putting in effort to share this lesson today.
If you are affected by this mistake, take heed and save yourself today like a bird caught in a snare.
Solution Context
Let’s start by outlining some important scriptures here.
First scripture; Numbers 14:27-29.
“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord , ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.
This was God speaking, and as you can tell, He wasn’t laughing that day.
Before I explain this scripture fully, let me give you other complementary scriptures.
The second scripture comes from Isaiah 29:13.
Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
In this scripture, God is definitely disappointed. I’ll come back to it shortly.
Now, let’s move on to the last scripture which is from Isaiah 1:18-20.
“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord , “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
These are very piercing scriptures. But they are in the Bible for a reason. Let’s get into that reason…
The Revelation
The first verse we read from the book of Numbers tells us of a time when God was furious with the children of Israel, who kept complaining against Him. As a result, He decided to answer them according to their complaints.
This brings me to the first important point; no matter what prayer you make to God, if you complain, God will ignore your prayer, and answer you according to your complaint.
Brutal but true. I learned it the hard way.
In the second scripture, the Bible again tells us of a time when God was disappointed by how the people of Judah were approaching Him. Externally, they did things that were pleasing to God, but internally, their hearts were not there.
This brings me to the second important point; the truest feelings of your heart have to be perfectly aligned with what your mouth is saying, for God to answer your prayer. There’s no partiality, and God is never fooled by sweet, empty words.
Lastly, in the same book of Isaiah, God invites the people of Judah to reason out with Him about their sin. He then promises that if they heed His call, they will be forgiven, but if they don’t, they will fall by the sword.
This brings me to the last important point; God is ready to help you when you style up. But in the same manner, He is ready to punish you if you harden your heart.
Now that I’ve told you these harsh realities, what should you do about it?
Well, here is what you need to do going forward…
Practical Implementation
There are a million things to complain about, but don’t fall for the temptation to complain to God. Instead, praise God for what He has done. If you can’t praise, describe your situation to God, and ask for help without going into complaints.
Secondly, always make sure the words of your mouth represent the feelings in your heart every time you speak to God. That is the gold standard of prayer.
Last but not least, in the spiritual realm, God is a judge. If you do what is right, He will reward you. If you mess around, He will punish you. It’s not hatred, it’s justice. Embrace it and live a disciplined life.
Don’t sit there like a potato, pray that God helps you.
God bless you!