A dear sister who has an amazing prayer ministry spoke with me on June 11 this year. She testified of the various things happening through the ministry, but she was bothered about those she has prayed for to be healed and were not. She was almost flogging herself on this matter. As far as she was concerned, she would want to empty the hospital beds of sick patients. I had to help her see things in the right perspective. Several things go into making our prayers effective. One of them is righteousness. God does not hear sinners, the Bible says emphatically. Those who want to make good their prayer life have no business with a sinful lifestyle. Faith is also an essential for effective prayer. James wrote that those who lack wisdom (or anything whatsoever) should ask the Father, but it must be done in faith.

There are times when the sovereignty of God comes to play…A child of God should be assured that if something is withheld, it is because Heaven has a better thing in store.

Even when we are found blameless and exercise our faith, the outcomes may not always align with the specific answers we envisioned in prayer. There are times when the sovereignty of God comes to play. Jesus lived a spotless life. His level of faith was unmatched. Yet, in the garden of Gethsemane He prayed that the cup be removed from Him. Three rounds of prayer were not enough to take the cup away. Paul also complained of a thorn in his flesh. On three different occasions he prayed for it to be removed. Rather than remove it, God assured him of His sufficient grace. A child of God should be assured that if something is withheld, it is because Heaven has a better thing in store.