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170 | Are My Prayers Hindered? Biblical Answers to Your Questions
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You've been submitting prayer questions throughout this series, and I'm answering them in this Q&A episode! From liturgical prayers to praying when you don't see results, from women praying in church to dealing with wandering thoughts, we're covering the questions you've asked on Instagram and via email.
If you've been following along with this prayer series, thank you. I hope these episodes have equipped you to pray with more confidence, biblical clarity, and intimacy with God. Don't miss the next few episodes where I interview some incredible women about praying through anxiety, chronic illness, and praying Scripture over your family.
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Transcript
Pride, Repentance, and Prayer's Impact
00:00:00
Speaker
And so what hinders your prayers? Pride. Pride hinders your prayers. Here's the beautiful thing. You can repent. You can repent. And God turns his face to you.
00:00:11
Speaker
The truth of the matter is when you no longer feel motivated to pray, but you pray anyway, that's faith.
Introduction to the Podcast and Series Overview
00:00:22
Speaker
Hello, friends. Welcome back to Verity Podcast. I'm Felicia Misenheimer, your host and the founder of Every Woman a Theologian. We are getting close to the end of our series on prayer. And as we wrap up everything that we've studied and talked about over the course of these last few months, I wanted to conclude by answering some of your questions.
Listener Engagement and Gathering Questions
00:00:44
Speaker
So we asked on Instagram, our everywomanatheologian account, for any questions that you still had regarding prayer. And we're going to jump into some of those in this episode.
00:00:55
Speaker
Now, there are a few questions that have to do with topics that we've already covered in this series. And so I will call out what episodes you can watch to get an answer to these questions. So if you're listening to this Q&A episode and you want a deeper answer to one of these, I will refer to those episodes and you can go back and listen.
00:01:15
Speaker
So we're going to dive right in here. um And before I jump into the first question, I do want to say that you can still submit your questions to our team at Felicia at FeliciaMasonheimer.com. This is our main email inbox.
00:01:31
Speaker
I and my assistant Kayla go through that inbox every week. And so even though it takes us a couple weeks to get back to you, sometimes we do read and reply to those emails as much as we can. um And that's where some of these questions came from. So yes, a human being actually monitors that inbox and we actually do read through what you send.
00:01:51
Speaker
So we're going to go through the Instagram questions and then I will go through some of our email questions as well.
Liturgical Prayers and Biblical Traditions
00:01:58
Speaker
All right, let's start with this one.
00:02:03
Speaker
I need proof where in the Bible liturgical or repeated prayers are instructed to be done in church. All right, so we did a whole episode on this. Are liturgical prayers biblical? And you can head back and listen to that. I highly recommend that you do so that you get the full biblical precedent for this. But the short answer is that just because something isn't officially instructed in the Bible does not mean that it's not biblical.
00:02:30
Speaker
So, for example, the Trinity is a core doctrine of Scripture, but that word is never used in the Bible. And liturgical prayers are repeated Scripture-based prayers that the church would pray as a part of their worship to the Lord.
00:02:52
Speaker
Where do we get this? We get it from the Jewish practice of praying the Psalms. And actually, most liturgical prayers that you'll see in churches that are Anglican or Methodist or Orthodox or Catholic or whichever liturgical church you're familiar with are based on scriptural passages from the Old Testament, from the New, and from the Psalms.
00:03:11
Speaker
And so the Psalms were prayed by Jewish believers in the pre-Christ era as a part of festivals, as a part of prayer times, as a part of synagogue worship, as a part of temple worship. And so this is a precedent that was a part of Jesus, you know, Jesus' tradition, his Jewish life and practice of worship. And then the New Testament believers carried that forward into the early church era. And so you're not going to see a command specifically that says you must pray liturgical prayers, but liturgical prayers were such a norm in Jewish and early Christian culture, you wouldn't even think to command it. In fact, in Acts, it says that they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching to breaking of of bread and the prayers. What are the prayers?
00:04:05
Speaker
Most likely the Psalms.
Does Prayer Change God's Plans?
00:04:07
Speaker
All right. um Why pray if my prayers won't change his will? Or at least this is what it feels like. Okay, so this is actually ah similar to two other questions that we got. One says, if God knows all and we aren't changing his actions, why do we ask him for things?
00:04:23
Speaker
And then another question says, interceding, it doesn't change God's mind. So what are we really doing when it comes to praying? I would highly encourage that you go back and listen to my episode, Why Pray If God Is Sovereign, but then also listen to the episode on praying God's will. Take the time to listen to these two because I want you to get the full biblical basis for why we pray. But one of the assumptions that all three of these questions reveals is that the person asking the question believes that God has preordained all human choices and all events.
00:04:58
Speaker
That God doesn't just know what's going to happen, he's actually causing it to happen, and that we can't change the events that are going to unfold in the future. So why bother praying?
00:05:10
Speaker
And i would challenge that viewpoint. In fact, there are many biblical scholars who would challenge it as well throughout church history and today. There are certain subsects of Christianity that do believe that God is determining all human actions. He's ordaining all human actions, including sinful ones. he's He's using those for his glory, and therefore he's not liable for the sin, but he's still ordaining it. But there are many more Christians who believe that God, while all-knowing and all-powerful, does not cause human free will choices.
00:05:49
Speaker
And so there are things happening in the world that the Holy Spirit wants to influence and that he is actively influencing. He's actively pursuing people for the gospel. He's actively reaching people for Christ, offering them ah a way out of temptation.
00:06:07
Speaker
And by interceding and by praying, you partner with his spirit to accomplish that work. So you are waging war in the spiritual realm when you pray in accordance to the Holy Spirit's leading.
00:06:25
Speaker
This is one of the most powerful things about prayer and one of the reasons that we're commanded to pray because the spiritual realm is real. Spiritual warfare is real. And when we intercede for people, we are battling in the spiritual realm for them and with them.
00:06:43
Speaker
And we don't always see what that impact is. We don't see what's going on, but we pray by faith that the Lord is at work in their lives and that the Lord will continue to work in
Prayer as Partnership with God
00:06:57
Speaker
their lives. And our prayers are strengthening, supporting, and praying in alignment with his will. Again, you can go back to that episode. So God knows all, and it's not necessarily his actions that we're trying to change.
00:07:12
Speaker
We aren't trying to change God's mind. We're not trying to change God at all. That's not what prayer is for. Prayer is partnering with God to change the world.
00:07:23
Speaker
to bring people to Christ, to lead people out of addiction and out of temptation, to partner with his spirit, with our spirit, and to offer up our prayers as a part of his sovereign will to change the lives around us and to change our life too.
00:07:47
Speaker
So as we do this, as we pray in alignment with the Lord, We learn his will. We learn how to submit to his will, and we learn how to better pray his will.
Pride in Prayers and Cultural Context
00:07:59
Speaker
More on that in the episode on praying God's will. Okay, how do you know if your prayers are hindered? I've heard that certain things block our prayers. So there's a specific passage, i think it's in 1 or 2 Peter, where it talks about how if a husband does not love his wife, his prayers will be hindered.
00:08:20
Speaker
And this makes some people feel kind of scared, like if I sin in any way that God won't hear my prayers. But contextually, what was happening here is that that this was a time in culture, and I mean, this still happens, where husbands had many more rights or freedoms than their wives. And around the globe, this kind of culture still exists, not in America, but in, you know, other countries and and other um cultural contexts where women have, you know, many fewer rights than men and are even oppressed by their husbands. So as these families come into
00:09:01
Speaker
the Christian church, they have to kind of undo their way of seeing the world and their way of seeing um marriage. And husbands who were oppressing their wives, who were not loving their wives as Christ loved the church, but were, you know, performing this holiness and involved in the church and acting like they were righteous and that their prayers were being heard are being corrected by Peter, who says, if you can't even obey God in this area, do you think that God's going to hear your prayers? You are arrogantly praying as if God hears you while oppressing your family at home.
00:09:40
Speaker
And this happens whether you're a man or a woman. And it can happen in, again, any cultural context where we are praying these prayers and living as if we're holy, but our family and friends know the reality of where our hearts are actually at. And so what hinders your prayers?
00:09:59
Speaker
Pride. Pride hinders your prayers. Here's the beautiful thing. You can repent. You can repent. And God turns his face to you. So can your prayers be hindered? Yes, absolutely. But if you're afraid of your prayers being hindered, you are not the person in view here. The person in view here is someone who thinks that they are all that and a bag of chips and God better listen to them. So pride is the issue here.
Are Silent Prayers Heard by God?
00:10:27
Speaker
um Do our prayers have to be out loud to be heard in the spiritual realm? Short answer is no. They don't have to be out loud. In fact, um I would use one example being in and the book of um Samuel where Hannah says,
00:10:43
Speaker
comes to the tabernacle and she's praying and Eli thinks she's drunk because of how she's praying. She's, she's moving her lips, but there's no sound. And Eli says, you know, get out of here. You're drunk. And she says, Oh no, I'm not drunk. I'm, I'm, I'm very burdened in spirit and I'm praying. So she was praying silently.
00:11:02
Speaker
And she was praying for a child. And the Lord hears that prayer. So that's just one example um of praying internally. But no, our prayers do not need to be out loud to be heard in the spiritual realm. I mean, it's the spiritual realm. So I talked about this earlier. The enemy, the devil and demons, they cannot...
00:11:21
Speaker
read your mind. However, the Lord can and the Lord hears and it's the Holy Spirit ultimately who is defeating the enemy and who is is doing the warfare. It's it's the Lord and and the powers of light and goodness that are doing that work. You are partnering with them. So it's not as if it's on you to defeat the enemy by praying out loud or saying certain words or anything like that. um Pray according to how scripture has outlined it, and you will be doing exactly what the Lord wants.
Praying to the Father vs. Son or Spirit
00:11:56
Speaker
Okay, is there any significance about who we pray to in regard to the Trinity, Father, Son, or Spirit? So I used to say no, there was no significant difference in how you, you know, who you pray to. But I was talking to a mentor of mine, and she pointed out that the precedent in scripture is to pray to the Father. And that's actually how Jesus models it as well. He prays to the Father. And in the New Testament, we see prayers to the Father um sealed in the name of the Lord Jesus, um led by the Spirit. And so,
00:12:34
Speaker
ah While I don't think the Lord is going to reject someone's prayer for praying to Jesus or praying to the Holy Spirit, the precedent that we see in Scripture is to pray to the Father. um So that tends to be the way that that I have chosen pray.
00:12:49
Speaker
to pray All right.
Women’s Role in Church Prayers
00:12:52
Speaker
Emmy Lou asks, is praying considered teaching women not allowed to pray aloud in congregation because of Timothy 2?
00:13:00
Speaker
two So let's look at 1 Timothy 2. two instructions on worship. So this particular section, and starting in verse 8, says, therefore, I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds appropriate for women who profess to worship God. a woman should learn in quietness and full submission I do not permit a woman to teach or assume authority over a man. She must be quiet.
00:13:38
Speaker
He goes on to talk about that. Now, we're not going to get into this passage here. There are people who've done whole videos on this. I think Mike Winger has a 12-hour video just talking about this, and there are quite a few other people who've who've talked about it as well. Dr. Sondra Glahn has done a lot of work on this. So if you want to learn more about women and ministering and this passage in particular, check out their perspectives.
00:14:02
Speaker
What we are going to talk about is a woman praying in a service. So the two things, according to 1 Corinthians, if we zoom over to 1 Corinthians 11 through 13, there are specific instructions given for women to pray and prophesy in the church. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 11, it talks about head coverings in church, which I view as a cultural um contextual command, um specifically instructing on women covering their heads while praying and prophesying in the church body.
00:14:41
Speaker
So Paul would not have given these instructions if women were not allowed to pray and prophesy in church. specifically he's giving instructions not on whether or not they can pray or prophesy he assumes they can he's giving instructions on how they are to behave while they pray and prophesy which by the way prophecy is the primary spiritual gift of women in the bible it's the the main one that we see women have and this is the articulation of scripture for the upbuilding of the church
00:15:13
Speaker
That's a spiritual gifting, not a role or function. um But women had it in the Old Testament and in the New. Again, story for another day. The issue of praying in church is... seems as if this was accepted, encouraged, and normative among um the apostles and the early church, and we know that it was as well throughout um the first three centuries and on.
00:15:39
Speaker
All right, next question is, how do I stop cussing at God in my angry prayers?
Language and Culture in Prayer
00:15:45
Speaker
Okay, So in the book of Psalms, we see something called imprecatory prayers. And and these are prayers where they're lament. they're They're stating things that are kind of harsh and they're a very raw look at um being honest with God. And we know that we can be honest with God. But it sounds like you know that cussing at God in your prayers is not something that you should continue.
00:16:11
Speaker
And that's true. While I think God is gracious for new believers and those of us who are, you know, coming to the Lord in this honest way, if every time you're angry, you're cussing at God in prayer, i think the Lord is inviting you to align with what scripture says about your words, to let no obscene talk come out of your mouth. And I'm saying this as someone who myself struggles with my words in a variety of different ways.
00:16:37
Speaker
In the past, I've even struggled with cussing. So I get it. However, this question reveals that you're feeling the conviction of the spirit. So how do you stop cussing at God in your angry prayers? Well, first you choose to stop.
00:16:50
Speaker
You say, I'm going to stop. You commit to stop. You don't say, well, this is who I am or this is just how how I was raised or this is my tendency. No, you're a new creation in Christ. You are holy. Your mouth is holy.
00:17:05
Speaker
View yourself through the truth. Then you can ask the Holy Spirit to give you the strength. But remember, the strength comes as you obey. You're going to be praying and maybe you feel that impulse to swear. And in that moment, you have a choice to do it and follow your old habits or to submit to the Spirit's conviction. And each time you submit to the Spirit, you're being moved the direction of strength.
00:17:35
Speaker
And you're stronger the next time you're tempted. So don't give up if you make mistakes. But at the same time, I think the Lord's inviting you to greater holiness and greater purity in this. And the more you submit this area of your life to him,
00:17:53
Speaker
the more freedom that you'll find in this area. And to be honest, I think that if we get too comfortable, you know, cussing in prayer, the truth of the matter is that we will also have a tendency to do this in other areas of our lives. Another thing to look at would be, are you consuming music and media where this is common? Because that will desensitize you to it and it will make it harder for you to stop.
00:18:17
Speaker
All right. um How to keep motivation for long-term prayers that seem to go nowhere.
The Importance of Persistent Prayer
00:18:23
Speaker
There is an episode coming a little later in this series. So we only have three more episodes in this series, but we're doing an episode with Olivia Gerber, who wrote the book Hold Hope on Praying Through Chronic Illness.
00:18:35
Speaker
Highly encourage you listen to that episode because she's going to talk about this exact thing. How do you keep praying for something when you don't see an answer quickly? How do you keep the motivation? And a great passage to read on this is Luke 18, the parable of the persistent widow. And Jesus tells a story of a woman who keeps pestering a judge for justice until he finally gives in. And then Jesus says, look, that was an unjust judge. Can you imagine the just judge of God, your father?
00:19:04
Speaker
being unwilling to listen to you, he is hearing you. But then he ends the parable with, but when the son of man comes, will he find faith in the earth? And the truth of the matter is when you no longer feel motivated to pray, but you pray anyway, that's faith.
00:19:21
Speaker
Feelings aren't faith. Feelings might come alongside faith, but feelings are not faith. So you don't need to feel motivation to keep praying. You just choose to do it. And you don't have to feel good about it.
00:19:33
Speaker
You don't have to feel like your prayers are great, but you keep showing up and persevering in prayer because that's what faith does. It's faith in who God is, not in outcomes.
00:19:46
Speaker
Okay, let's go to our last few questions here.
Staying Focused in Prayer Amid Distractions
00:19:51
Speaker
My mind wanders. Something horrible when I pray. How do I keep focused? Writing doesn't work for me.
00:19:58
Speaker
Okay, so i would be curious if you have tried writing your prayers consistently. if you've only tried it a few times, I would say that you're not going to see the fruit from it.
00:20:10
Speaker
And when you're writing your prayers, remember that it helps to write scripture-based prayers because then your mind is focused on turning the scripture to a prayer versus just wandering around thinking about things. So this is a really big problem for a lot of us today when it comes to prayer because of our culture and the fracturing of attention. So if you're on social media a lot, if you're watching TV, if your if your phone is with you while you're praying, you're going to struggle. Guaranteed.
00:20:41
Speaker
I struggle. If my phone is visible in the room, I can feel that my attention is split. So I would start by removing the phone from your room. Something I have to remind myself.
00:20:51
Speaker
I would set a timer. Five minutes, ten minutes to start. And I would try again at writing your prayers. I would suggest instead of just writing whatever comes to mind, take some passages of scripture, turn them into prayers. And i ah we have an episode about praying scripture.
00:21:09
Speaker
One is coming. And I also did one on how to turn scripture to prayer. So head back and listen to that one. um It will help you. or if you want additional help, you can head to the Every Woman a Theologian shop, and we have a prayer journal still in stock. We partnered with Valmarie Paper as a prayer journal that is really helpful for that. And we have a step-by-step praying the Psalms guide, which actually gives you a passage, teaches you how to turn it into a prayer that might be helpful for you as well.
00:21:39
Speaker
Okay, friends, these are some really great questions. So grateful that you sent them in. I hope that this series has been encouraging to you and helpful. If it has, please share with others. We love reaching new people with the truth of scripture and what it says about prayer.
00:21:55
Speaker
Also, it helps us so much if you leave a review If you're watching on YouTube, if you subscribe um and comment, we do read through those. i try to respond to them as much as I can. And on iTunes and Spotify, when you leave reviews, that really helps other people find Verity Podcast as well.
00:22:14
Speaker
Don't miss the next few episodes where I interview some amazing women to talk about praying through anxiety, praying through chronic illness, and praying scripture over your family. You're going to love these interviews. And as you know, we don't do a ton of interviews on Verity Podcast, so this is a really cool opportunity to get to hear some other voices.
00:22:32
Speaker
As always, thank you for following along, and I'll see you next time on Verity Podcast.