Craig Groeschel

There are actually a lot of reasons in the Bible why he doesn't always answer prayer. Sometimes, literally, there's a verse that says, if you're disrespectful to your wife, your prayers are hindered. Isn't that... That's in there.

Right? Yeah.

Right? Yeah.

Well, okay. So if I am to love the Lord God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength, and if I'm to love my bride as Christ loved the church, and if I'm being a jerk to her, imagine I've got two kids and they're fighting and hitting each other and say, "'Dad, will you take us to get donuts?' Like, no, you're being a jerk to each other. You gotta be nice to your brother."

Well, okay. So if I am to love the Lord God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength, and if I'm to love my bride as Christ loved the church, and if I'm being a jerk to her, imagine I've got two kids and they're fighting and hitting each other and say, "'Dad, will you take us to get donuts?' Like, no, you're being a jerk to each other. You gotta be nice to your brother."

Okay, so if I am a stronger physical being and I am using my power, my influence to be unkind to my bride, God says that hinders your prayers.

Okay, so if I am a stronger physical being and I am using my power, my influence to be unkind to my bride, God says that hinders your prayers.

That's in the Bible, right? There are other reasons. If you're praying for something that's not God's will, like literally a lot of times I'm praying for my will. If you're praying with the wrong motives, like when I was a new Christian, there was a really pretty girl that was really far from God. And I was like praying that she gets saved. I didn't care about her salvation.

That's in the Bible, right? There are other reasons. If you're praying for something that's not God's will, like literally a lot of times I'm praying for my will. If you're praying with the wrong motives, like when I was a new Christian, there was a really pretty girl that was really far from God. And I was like praying that she gets saved. I didn't care about her salvation.

I just wanted to date her. And that's not praying with the right motives. And a lot of times we pray with the wrong motives. And so there's a lot, like we may have, the Bible says this, that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. And that means if I am unrighteous, meaning maybe I've got unconfessed sin, or I'm just, maybe I'm living with

I just wanted to date her. And that's not praying with the right motives. And a lot of times we pray with the wrong motives. And so there's a lot, like we may have, the Bible says this, that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. And that means if I am unrighteous, meaning maybe I've got unconfessed sin, or I'm just, maybe I'm living with

an ongoing problem and saying, well, that's okay, God, just deal with it, then that may be actually hindrance to my prayer. The Bible says God honors your faith. So if I have no faith at all, then that may hinder my prayer. So all that to say, those are just some little things to look at when we're praying, and there's more.

an ongoing problem and saying, well, that's okay, God, just deal with it, then that may be actually hindrance to my prayer. The Bible says God honors your faith. So if I have no faith at all, then that may hinder my prayer. So all that to say, those are just some little things to look at when we're praying, and there's more.

And yet, the beautiful thing is God says that if you have faith like a mustard seed, like just a little bit of faith, that He'll hear your prayer. And so... Through a lot of praying, a lot of searching scripture, a lot of miracles where God has answered prayers like unbelievably miraculous. And other times, devastatingly, He didn't. And I knew He would.

And yet, the beautiful thing is God says that if you have faith like a mustard seed, like just a little bit of faith, that He'll hear your prayer. And so... Through a lot of praying, a lot of searching scripture, a lot of miracles where God has answered prayers like unbelievably miraculous. And other times, devastatingly, He didn't. And I knew He would.

I have discovered that, kind of what you just said, that prayer does not exist for God to do what I want Him to do. Prayer exists to conform my heart to His heart so that I'm actually doing His will. And so now, more than just coming to Him with my wish list, I often go to him with a blank page and says, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. So your will be done in my life.

I have discovered that, kind of what you just said, that prayer does not exist for God to do what I want Him to do. Prayer exists to conform my heart to His heart so that I'm actually doing His will. And so now, more than just coming to Him with my wish list, I often go to him with a blank page and says, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. So your will be done in my life.

God, help me know your heart and your will.

God, help me know your heart and your will.

And it doesn't mean that I don't get frustrated when he doesn't do it. It doesn't mean that I'm not asking him to do it. There's so many times I don't understand. And his ways are higher than my ways. And I only see in part in one day. We'll see in full when we're with him.