Help! I Can't Pray Series

One of the perplexing of all life's paradoxes is the fact that God

often answers our prayers by refusing to answer our prayers. One of

the greatest examples of this in history is that of Monica praying for

her son Augustine. All night in a sea side chapel on the North African

coast she pleaded with God to keep her son from sailing to Italy. She

wanted her son to be a Christian, and she could not endure the

thought of him going to licentious Italy with its manifold and alluring

temptations.

"Please don't let him go," she pleaded, and while she prayed the

ship set sail with Augustine on it. God in apparent cruelty had

ignored her earnest plea. In Italy, however, Augustine heard the

great preacher Ambrose, and was persuaded to become a Christian in

the very spot from which his mother's prayers would have kept him.

God denied her request that her prayer might be answered.

Sometimes the only way God can bless us is to ignore our prayers.

Paul knew what he was saying when he said we know not how to

pray as we ought. We can't depend upon prayer. We need to depend

upon God. Prayer is not the answer, but God is. Prayer can even be a

danger to the best in life. Prayer can be a curse because we are so

pathetically poor at praying. We do not know what is best for

ourselves, and the worst thing that can happen to us sometimes is to

get what we pray for. The Jews in the wilderness were not thankful

for their daily manna, and they complained for flesh. God granted

them their desire, and the result was a plague that killed many of

them. Psa. 106:15 says, "He gave them their request, but sent

leanness unto their souls."

What these people most needed was a good case of unanswered

prayer. What a blessing if God had only ignored their foolish desire,

but he gave them their request to teach them a lesson that what is

most wanted is not necessarily what is most wise. Thank God He does

not grant all foolish and dangerous requests. Thank God for

unanswered prayer. What this world needs is more unanswered

prayer which comes from the desires of men, and more answered

prayers which come from the impulse of the Holy Spirit who prays

always in accord with the will of God.

The point we want to make clear is that prayer, in and of itself, is

not necessarily good. There is a negative side to prayer, and it is

important that we become aware of this negative side. Awareness of

the negative will keep us from relying on our own weakness, and guide

us to rest in the positive strength of God's Spirit. In verses 26-27 Paul

speaks of both the negative and positive of prayer. He speaks of the

negative of self, and the positive of the Spirit, and we want to look at

these two sides of prayer. First-

I. THE NEGATIVE SIDE CONCERNING THE SELF.

Anyone who pretends to be an expert at prayer is deceived, for

Paul, the great Apostle of prayer, who urges us to pray without

ceasing, includes himself when he says, "We do not know how to pray

as we ought." Paul knew from personal experience that he did not

know how to pray for what was best. He asked God 3 times to heal

him and remove his thorn in the flesh, not knowing that it would have

been a curse to him had God answered that prayer. Paul needed that

problem to help him maintain his humility, and fight off pride. Paul

learned that he knew only in part, and could never know for sure what

was the best thing to pray for in the long run.

All Christians need to be aware of their limitations and weaknesses.

It is presumptuous on our part to think we can tell God what is best

for us. As long as we think we are wise enough, and self-sufficient

enough to determine what is best, we will never cry out to God-Help!

I can't pray! We need to recognize our need for help before we will

surrender to the help of the Holy Spirit. Blaise Pascal, the great

French scientist and theologian, revealed what the Christian attitude

should be when he prayed, "O Lord, I know that I know but one thing,

and that is, that it is good to follow Thee, and evil to offend Thee!

After that, I know not what is better or worse in anything; I know not

what is more profitable for me, sickness or health, wealth of poverty,

nor any other of the things of this world."

Ignorance is one of our major limitations when it comes to prayer.