Although God delights in our prayers, not all prayers are answered. Different reasons may account for why prayers go unanswered. Prayer from a deceptive heart and vain lips is of no consequence. Those who want to relate with God must purify their hearts from all sins and keep their lips from speaking guile. Prayer borne of unbelief is of no consequence either. Jesus taught that whatsoever we desire and pray about, believing, will be done. Faith in God’s ability is an important requirement for getting answers to prayers. Our text suggests another reason why prayer may be futile, when it is amiss. The word “amiss” means badly, either physically or morally. That brings us to a pertinent question: How do we ensure that our prayer is not amiss? This is where we come again to the good book.

God’s word can be described as a prayer book…there is no better way to pray than to plead the promises of God.

For all intent and purposes, God’s word can be described as a prayer book. Using the Bible as a prayer guide can greatly enhance our prayer life. To begin with, there is no better way to pray than to plead the promises of God. Reminding God of what He has already promised is a great way to pray. Remember, in our previous meditation we noted that the Bible is a custodian of exceedingly great and precious promises. In addition, the Bible recorded hundreds of prayers made by God’s saints both in the Old and New Testaments. Those prayers can be a guide for us as we seek to better our lot in communing with the Lord.