“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss…” James 4:3
Have you ever felt like your prayers aren’t working? We have all experienced times when prayers seem like a
one-sided conversation and seem to disappear somewhere in the vacuous cosmos and evaporate forever. Sound
familiar?
There is a solution! The Bible says (above) that when we pray and don’t receive, we’re asking amiss. That
means we’re either praying the wrong kind of prayer for that particular need, or, we have the wrong motive;
meaning, we need to crucify our flesh and renew our minds.
Ephesians 6:18 says, “Praying always with all prayer…” Other translations say, Praying always with all kinds of
prayer.” The Bible teaches several kinds of prayer, and they each have a purpose and application for different
needs in life. I Timothy 2:1-2 list four kinds of prayers, but there are more besides these.
Let’s look at the Prayer of Faith: James 5:15 tells us that the prayer of faith will heal the sick. We know
from the scriptures that it is always God’s will to heal the sick, and the prayer of faith moves in the authority of
the Name of Jesus, and simply calls for the healing that was provided in the Atoning Work of Jesus (1 Peter
2:24), and declares, “Be healed!” That is the prayer of faith.
The Prayer of Consecration is used to dedicate ourselves to God’s Will when we’re not sure of His will. This
is how Jesus prayed in the Garden before His crucifixion, when He prayed, “O my Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” This is the only time Jesus
ever prayed this way, and it was for the purpose of consecrating Himself, and surrendering Himself to the
Father’s will. This type of prayer is not for healing, provision, or any of the other benefits of Redemption. It’s
for Consecration and Dedication.
The Bible also mentions the Prayer of Supplication. This kind of prayer uses scripture as a foundation to
SUPPLY a request. Typically, this prayer is used when other people are involved. The Bible doesn’t give us
authority over other people, but we can go to God with a prayer of supplication. The prayer of Supplication lists
a request(s) and includes the scriptures that address our request and leaves it in God’s hands. This way God
can work out the request in the best interests of everyone involved, whether it be a work situation, the sale of
property, legal matters, government decisions, and things of that nature. The prayer of supplication is powerful
because it’s based on scripture, and God watches over His Word to perform it (Jer. 1:12), and – God’s Word will
not return to Him void of accomplishing His purpose and pleasure (Isa. 55:11).
If you’re having difficulty with prayers being answered, the Bible offers answers, and for those who seek those
answers, they will find them. One thing we can be sure of though, we need to pray effectively (James 5:16),
which means, praying the right kind of prayer for the right situation. God tells us these things to help us pray as
effective as possible. We do have an enemy who likes to hinder our prayers. But God’s ways always equip us to
cut right through the opposition and bring us the answers we desire of God.
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power
that worketh in us, knowing that “All the promises of God in Christ, are Yes! and, Amen, unto the glory of God
by us! (2 Cor. 1:20)
With Love,
Pastor Tom