Steve Kroening writes for Success Magazine and wrote the following regarding prayer:
Have you ever grown frustrated with your prayer life because it just doesn't seem like God is answering your prayers? Does it sometimes feel like God just doesn't hear anything you pray for? Maybe you even think He doesn't care about your prayers. I know I've been there. Many of us have.
But what you're about to read is what I believe is the number one reason our prayers fail. And what you can do to help bring success to your prayers.
Remember, your only priority is God. And that one priority determines how you treat everything else in life. When you love your spouse, it is because it's God's priority for you to love him or her. When you work hard, it is because it's God's priority for you to do so.
The same truth applies to prayer. When most of us pray, we have our priorities as the main topic of discussion. We ask for things that we want, that we hope for, that we need. However, few of us have learned to pray according to God's priorities.
If you notice the Lord's Prayer, the first request is for God's name to be proclaimed holy (hallowed be thy name). And then it requests His Kingdom to come and His will to be done.
The key here is that the Lord's Prayer is focused on God's priorities. First, that His name be proclaimed holy. Second, that His Kingdom come. And, third, that His will be done.
All of those are God's top priorities. And, so, they need to be our top priorities in prayer.
Of course, we are part of God's priorities. We aren't neglected in the Lord's Prayer. In fact, we are told to pray for our basic needs, forgiveness and the ability to forgive, and our righteousness. These are all God's priorities for us. And we should pray for these.
So any time you see a priority of God in Scripture, start praying that He would manifest that priority in your life. When you see that the greatest commandment is to love God, ask Him to enable you to love Him. You should also pray that He would enable you to love your neighbor. And, while you're at it, ask for help to love your enemies.
God's purposes will always succeed, and His priorities are based on His purposes. So when we pray according to His priorities, we are guaranteed success.
