Hearts Attuned to God

We talk about prayer as if God hears us regardless of what our relationship is to him. Never say that it is not God's will to give you what you ask. Don't think and give up but find out the reason you have not received; increase the intensity of your search and examine the evidence. Is your relationship right with your spouse, your children, and your brothers and sisters in Christ? Are you a "good child" in those relationships? Do you have to say to the Lord, "I have been irritable and cross, but I still want spiritual blessings?" You cannot receive and will have to do without them until you have the attitude of a "good child." We refuse to look at the evidence that clearly indicates where we are wrong. Have I been asking God to give me money for something I want, while refusing to pay someone who I owe him? Have I been asking God for liberty while I am withholding it from someone who belongs to me? Have I refused to forgive someone, and have I been unkind to that person? Have I been living as God's Child among my relatives and friends?

–Oswald Chambers

Jesus said, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-34). To obey is better than to sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). Our hearts are what matters most as we pray. Are we ‘all in’? Or are we selfishly motivated? I believe this is one of the reasons we’re told, “everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup” in 1 Corinthians 11:28, it’s a matter of coming with to commune with all our hearts. When we come wholehearted, we can expect our prayers to be most effectual to God’s good ends!