PRAYING AMISS: AVOID DIFFICULT PRAYERS

Scriptures: James 4:3, John 5:1-8

Topic: Praying Amiss: Avoid Difficult Prayers

"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss…" 

                                                                                            James 4:3

Unfortunately, many Christians ask God for things He cannot give them. God does not answer prayers that have gone amiss. Praying amiss means that you pray unacceptable, unsuitable, inappropriate, inadmissible, unallowable, unsatisfactory and impossible prayers. God will not do things which are against His principles. There are several ways you can avoid praying amiss. 

4. Avoid difficult prayers.

Once Jesus visited a hospital. There were multitudes of sick people there. However, He prayed for only one person.

"After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk."

John 5:1-8

Why did He not pray for the other hundreds of people who needed help? Jesus operated in these very steps to getting one hundred per cent results. He only dealt with cases He knew He would get positive results!

It may be God’s will to heal everybody. Perhaps the circumstances under which everyone became ill were different. Perhaps in God’s plan, it was not yet time for certain healings to manifest.

Jesus knew that it was difficult to get involved in things that God was not doing. Jesus explained why He prayed for only one sick person when there were hundreds who needed a miracle. He said, “I do what I see my Father doing.” In other words, if it is not something that God is actively and presently involved in, I will not even bother to pray about it. It may be legally right to do something, but it is very difficult to succeed in something if God is not presently involved with it. If Jesus did not pray difficult prayers, why should you bother?

"Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but WHAT HE SEETH THE FATHER DO: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise."

John 5:19

If you do not use these principles, you will come up with a theory that God has three answers to prayer: “Yes”, “No” and “Wait”. Dear friend, it is very possible to get only a “Yes” answer from God for all your requests, if you can diligently practice the principles of prayer outlined in the scriptures . Obviously, God will have to say “No” when you ask Him for things which are impossible for Him to do. Take for example Joab, the army commander of King David. Joab killed an innocent man and David cursed him. King David cursed Joab’s family forever. He said,

"Let it rest on the head of Joab, and on all his father’s house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth on the sword, or that lacketh bread."

2 Samuel 3:29

If you study the details of this curse you will find out that sickness was to be a permanent part of Joab’s family. Anyone who found himself praying for Joab’s family would find himself praying a difficult prayer. It would be difficult, though not impossible, for the Lord to revoke the curse on Joab’s family. This curse is different from God’s curse on Adam and Eve, in that it was pronounced by a man. Adam’s curse was pronounced by God himself and obviously carries more weight.

Perhaps some of Joab’s relatives were at the hospital that Jesus visited. Perhaps that is why God directed Jesus to pray for only one person. Jesus explained that God had led Him to pray for only one person. Perhaps God was not ready to undo the curse on some people’s lives. Perhaps God does not have sufficient reason to undo a legal curse that is on certain people and their families.

"…Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do…"

John 5:19

Allow yourself to be led whenever you are praying. Do not pray amiss (unacceptable, unsuitable, inappropriate, inadmissible, unallowable, unsatisfactory and impossible prayers)! Be like Jesus and have 100% answers to your prayers. 

Credit: Excerpt from

100% Answered Prayer

Bishop Dag Heward - Mills