Prayer busters: when God doesn't seem to hear

Until a few weeks ago, our phone reception was about as good as it was in the infancy of the telephone, meaning not very good. For some reason, every call came with STAAAAAATIC so bad it seemed the caller was trying to phone outside in a blizzard in Antarctica. Finally, a repair technician narrowed the problem to a faulty circuit in a box a couple blocks away. Once he replaced it, we were back to normal reception.

Our frustration with bad phone lines got me thinking about clogged prayer lines. I’ve heard people say, “I don’t seem to have God’s number,” “God doesn’t seem to be listening,” “God’s line is too busy for me,” or even “Prayer just doesn’t work.” Some find it easy to bail out on prayer, before they even consider that the problem might be on their end. Could any of these “prayer busters” belong to “U”?

Unrepented sin. “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalm 66:18). “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you” (Isaiah 59:2).

Unkindness toward spouse. “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Peter 3:7).

Unrighteous motives. “You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:2-3).

Uncaring about the poor. “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered” (Proverbs 12:13).

Unbending spines (pride). “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). “He does not answer when men cry out because of the arrogance of the wicked. Indeed, God does not listen to their empty plea; the Almighty pays no attention to it” (Job 35:12-13).

Unforgiving heart. “If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

Unbelief. “Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but you can also say to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew 21:21-22). “But when he asks [for wisdom], he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6).

Anybody besides me need the reminder of this list? Please feel free to leave a comment.