Times When Prayer Has No Power

Prayer is pouring our hearts out to God. For Christians, it is deeply personal and powerful. But there are times when prayer has no power at all. I'm not talking about the fact that sometimes we must wait for an answer to prayers. I mean, there are times when prayer is futile and worthless. 

It might come as a surprise to some that a Christian would say prayer can have no power, but consider these 6 times when that is a true statement.

·      There is no power in prayer when we do not pray regularly.  In Luke 18:1 Jesus told a parable to show that men “always ought to pray and not lose heart.”

·      There is no power in prayer when we put our faith in prayer but not in God.  Mumbling words to a “higher power” is not effective prayer.  “Thinking good thoughts” is not effective. Prayer itself is not effective.  It is only effective when the audience is the Almighty!

·      There is no power in prayer when we pray for our own lusts.  James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

·      There is no power in prayer when we pray for what is not God’s will. 1 John 5:14 states, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” For example, God wants to heal and forgive us, but He will NOT forgive simply because we pray to Him.

·      There is no power in prayer when we abuse our relationships with others.  1 Peter 3:7 warns, “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”

·      There is no power in prayer when we refuse to repent of our sins.  Three times Jeremiah was told, “Do not pray for these people” (Jeremiah 7:16; 11:14; 14:11).  This was because of the sins of the people.  They simply refused to change!  When Joshua was defeated at Ai, he went into the tabernacle and fell on his face before the Ark of the Lord asking why they failed.  God’s response was not to have him pray more.  He said, “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face?  Israel has sinned....Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies....Get up, sanctify the people...” (Joshua 7:10-13).  Sin separates us from God so that He will not hear us (Isaiah 59:1-2).

How's your prayer life? Need some help? I'd love to hear from you.

Can you add to the list of times when prayer has no power? Let's talk about it below.

Lamentations: Light in Dark Times

Even in destruction hope can be found.

Written by Jeremiah, the Book of Lamentations is a haunting series of funeral dirges mourning the destruction of Jerusalem.  It refers to the destruction that came from the Babylonians beginning in 606 B.C.  It is a touching display of the miserable conditions the people of Judah brought upon themselves by incessant disobedience to God.

One of the amazing characteristics of the book is its arrangement. It contains five poems which correspond to the various chapters. Each poem contains 22 verses, except the third chapter. The third poem (chapter) contains 66 verses. 

These poems are 22 verses long because they are arranged according to the Hebrew alphabet, with three cycles of the alphabet being used in the third poem. Each verse (with a few exceptions and except chapter 5) begins with the corresponding letter of the alphabet so that in one poem the entire alphabet is used. This arrangement is not unique, but it is rare. If we could explain it in our own way, we might say that these are poems showing the terribleness of the destruction from A to Z.

In times of sorrow look to God, the source of comfort. 

Two other unique characteristics of the book are that the poems work in a crescendo/decrescendo fashion and they work as parenthetical statements. In the first two poems there is crescendo with the third poem the climax, and then the last two poems serve as decrescendo. The design is such that the first and fifth poems are closely related, and the second and fourth poems are also closely related. 

The third poem contains its own similar fashion. The first part and the third relate to one another. All of the poems and parts of the centerpiece revolve around the second (and middle) section of the third poem. That middle section is the climax of a beautiful message couched in a sea of sorrow and despair. At the height of the misery of the poems comes a great paradox that shines with brilliance above all the turmoil listed in the surrounding verses. Note how the central part begins, the climax of the entire masterpiece:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in Him’” (Lamentations 3:22-24).

It might be difficult for some to realize the import of such words. The author notes the distress and misery and rises up above those circumstances. He pulls himself up like climbing a hill of trash and mud in a dump on a sad, rainy day. He pulls himself up above it all and releases a light for all to see: Hope for the distressed and a great proclamation of love for his God. Then, again, he retreats into the misery of the situation, having changed the outcome through realization of the central point: God is still in control. He is faithful. He will help us overcome. 

Even in sorrow we can find God's goodness.

Chapters one and five emphasize the destruction that came upon the city of Jerusalem and the city is personified as a woman crying out in pain and agony over her abuse. In the second and fourth poems the city is crying out but the emphasis is on the anger of the Lord who caused the destruction. The third poem relates to the personal distress Jeremiah felt while watching the destruction come against his own people. The nature of the poems also shows a natural progression of the outward, less personal events to the emotional, personal events, and then back out again. The closer to the middle of the book one travels, the more personal the message becomes. 

These are general observations and impressions the book made on me. I hope that I have encouraged you to read and contemplate the message of this and other books of the Bible. I’d love to hear your thoughts about this or other books of the Bible!

Winning Like A Baby

Have you ever seen anything uglier than a newborn baby?

Tap into the power babies have over us.

Think about it. 

• Most of them are chubby. 

• They have no teeth at all. 

• They can’t open their mouths without some kind of liquid coming out. 

• They are short and mostly bald--even the girls! 

• And they lie around crying all the time.

Yet we love them to death!

I’d say that is pretty awesome power. They have us wrapped around their stubby little fingers. 

What wouldn’t we do for them? 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to win hearts like they do? 

I’m not saying we should act like a baby, just win like one. Consider a few ways we can imitate babies and win hearts around us.

1. Be pure. 

Isn’t that the heart of what Jesus meant when He said, “Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3)?

We need purity of heart. Who doubts the intentions of babies? No one thinks a baby is secretly plotting to hurt others. We do not fear our words around them. They are harmless.

We’ve met people that we cannot trust. We guard our words and actions lest they have something to use against us. It is not a fun situation. Let us be extraordinary people that can be trusted never to intentionally do harm to others around us.

2. Be facial.

Have you noticed the way a baby’s face lights up when he recognizes someone? His face shines with excitement and we get a thrill knowing the child remembers and loves us. 

There are not many passages in the Bible that mention smiles, but there are plenty of passages that tell us to be pleasant to others. Proverbs 16:24 tells us that “Pleasant words are like honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.” So let us be pleasant and loving. Smile. Meet new people. Act like you are interested in others. Show it with your face.

3. Be vulnerable.

Babies are the most vulnerable people in the world. Not only are they incapable of self-defense. They cannot even recognize dangers around them.

Here we need balance. Vulnerability seems weak but is a key to developing relationships. Be open to others. Show love. Accept love. Do not live afraid of being hurt. Certainly you will be hurt at times, but love anyway. 

Consider how Jesus treated Judas, and follow His lead. Consider the Messianic prophecy of Psalm 41:9. “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has turned up his heel against me.” This shows us that Jesus trusted Judas even though He knew Judas would betray Him. On that last evening, Jesus even washed Judas' feet.

Be wise, and be open.

Win Like A Baby

Can you think of other characteristics that help us connect with others? Let's discuss them in the comments section below!