When carried out in proper context, prayer helps us in mortifying the deeds of the flesh. We observed yesterday that mature prayer is not self-focused; otherwise God is not obligated to pamper our carnal desires. Ironically, most prayers these days are such as have no spiritual value or the good of others at its core. The request that these two brothers made was of no value to God’s kingdom or the welfare of the brotherhood.

“Praying without being mindful of the will of God on the subject matter is an exercise in futility.”

In our text, the sons of Zebedee took the liberty of association for license. They were audacious in asking Jesus to make a commitment to grant whatever they would ask Him. Jesus did not make any commitment, but gave them leave to present their petition. It turned out that they were asking for chief seats on either side of Jesus in the Kingdom. Their idea of prayer was that God grants anything that appeal to our fancy. I think many believers still operate with this mindset. If we are going to make the most of the holy art of prayer, we have to remove self-promotion from the way. In addition, we must learn that the prayers that move God are the ones that aligns with His will. Praying without being mindful of the will of God on the subject matter is an exercise in futility.