Jehovah God requirements regarding prayer requires that we must lead lives in harmony with our prayers. Our course of action must please Him; otherwise, we cannot expect Him to consider our petitions and supplications with favor.
This is an aspect of prayer that is overlooked by most of those in Christendom, even as it was overlooked by the apostate Israelites in Isaiah’s day. That is why Jehovah had his prophet represent Him. See Isaiah 1:15-17. If those Israelites wanted God’s favor, they had to act in a way that pleased him. As has well been said: “If you would have God hear you when you pray, you must hear Him when He speaks.”
[SUP] In fact, Jehovah God repeatedly found it necessary to remind his people Israel of these truths. Read Proverbs 28:9; 15:29. Because of this situation, Jeremiah mourned: “You [Jehovah] have blocked approach to yourself with a cloud mass, that prayer may not pass through.” (Lamentations 3:44) Truly, the warning that Micah was inspired to give was fulfilled: “They will call to Jehovah for aid, but he will not answer them. And he will conceal his face from them in that time, according as they committed badness in their dealings.”-Micah 3:4; Proverbs 1:28-32. Consider Genesis 27:41; chapters 32, 33; 2 Samuel 15:31-37; 17:1-14; 18:6-8; Nehemiah 4:9, 16.
[/SUP]For our prayers to be heard by Jehovah God, not only must we be morally and spiritually clean but we must also prove the sincerity of our prayers by working at what we pray for. Prayer alone is not a substitute for honest, intelligent effort. Jehovah will not do for us what we can do for ourselves by earnestly applying the counsel of his Word and following the guidance of his holy spirit. We should be willing to do all we can in this regard so that he will have a basis for answering our prayers. Thus, we ‘should not be asking for more than we are willing to work for,’ as someone has well put it.
Some may be asked: “Why pray if we have to work at what we pray for?” We should pray for at least two good reasons. First, by our prayers we acknowledge that all good things come from God. He is the Giver of every good and perfect present. (Matthew 5:45; Acts 14:16, 17; James 1:17) Second, whether our efforts are successful or not depends upon Jehovah’s blessing. Read at Psalm 127:1. Making the same point are these words of the apostle Paul at 1 Corinthians 3:6, 7.
Jesus also counseled us to ask his heavenly Father for His holy spirit. As Jesus assures us, God is more willing to give us the holy spirit than earthly parents are to give good things to their children. (Luke 11:13) But we cannot expect Jehovah God to impart his holy spirit to us miraculously, without any effort on our part. We must do everything we can to receive holy spirit. In addition to praying for it, we need to feed diligently on God’s Word. Jehovah God does not give his holy spirit apart from his Word, and we cannot hope to receive holy spirit if we ignore the earthly channel Jehovah is using today, “the faithful and discreet slave.”-Matthew 24:45-47.
In the final analysis, it is knowledge of God’s will that governs the contents of a person’s prayers, for the supplicant must realize that, if his request is to be granted, it must please God. Knowing that the wicked and those disregarding God’s Word have no favor with Him, the supplicant obviously cannot request that which runs counter to righteousness and to God’s revealed will, including the teachings of God’s Son and his inspired disciples. (John 15:7, 16) Thus, statements regarding the asking of “anything” (John 16:23) are not to be taken out of context. “Anything” clearly does not embrace things the individual knows, or has reason to believe, are not pleasing to God. See 1John 5:14; compare James 4:15.
Acceptable prayer must be made to the right person, Jehovah God; on right matters, those in harmony with God’s declared purposes; in the right manner, through God’s appointed way, Christ Jesus; and with a right motive and a clean heart. (Compare James 4:3-6.) Along with all of this, there is need for persistence. Jesus said to “keep on asking, seeking, and knocking,“ not giving up. (Luke 11:5-10; 18:1-7) The seeming delay on God’s part in answering some prayers is not due to any inability nor to a lack of willingness, as the Scriptures make clear. (Matthew 7:9-11; James 1:5, 17) In some cases the answer must await God’s “timetable.” (Luke 18:7; 1 Peter 5:6; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 6:9-11) Primarily, however, it is evident that God allows his petitioners to demonstrate the depth of their concern, the intensity of their desire, the genuineness of their motive. (Psalms 55:17; 88:1, 13; Romans 1:9-11) At times they must be like Jacob in his wrestling a long time in order to obtain a blessing.-Genesis 32:24-26.
This is an aspect of prayer that is overlooked by most of those in Christendom, even as it was overlooked by the apostate Israelites in Isaiah’s day. That is why Jehovah had his prophet represent Him. See Isaiah 1:15-17. If those Israelites wanted God’s favor, they had to act in a way that pleased him. As has well been said: “If you would have God hear you when you pray, you must hear Him when He speaks.”
[SUP] In fact, Jehovah God repeatedly found it necessary to remind his people Israel of these truths. Read Proverbs 28:9; 15:29. Because of this situation, Jeremiah mourned: “You [Jehovah] have blocked approach to yourself with a cloud mass, that prayer may not pass through.” (Lamentations 3:44) Truly, the warning that Micah was inspired to give was fulfilled: “They will call to Jehovah for aid, but he will not answer them. And he will conceal his face from them in that time, according as they committed badness in their dealings.”-Micah 3:4; Proverbs 1:28-32. Consider Genesis 27:41; chapters 32, 33; 2 Samuel 15:31-37; 17:1-14; 18:6-8; Nehemiah 4:9, 16.
[/SUP]For our prayers to be heard by Jehovah God, not only must we be morally and spiritually clean but we must also prove the sincerity of our prayers by working at what we pray for. Prayer alone is not a substitute for honest, intelligent effort. Jehovah will not do for us what we can do for ourselves by earnestly applying the counsel of his Word and following the guidance of his holy spirit. We should be willing to do all we can in this regard so that he will have a basis for answering our prayers. Thus, we ‘should not be asking for more than we are willing to work for,’ as someone has well put it.
Some may be asked: “Why pray if we have to work at what we pray for?” We should pray for at least two good reasons. First, by our prayers we acknowledge that all good things come from God. He is the Giver of every good and perfect present. (Matthew 5:45; Acts 14:16, 17; James 1:17) Second, whether our efforts are successful or not depends upon Jehovah’s blessing. Read at Psalm 127:1. Making the same point are these words of the apostle Paul at 1 Corinthians 3:6, 7.
Jesus also counseled us to ask his heavenly Father for His holy spirit. As Jesus assures us, God is more willing to give us the holy spirit than earthly parents are to give good things to their children. (Luke 11:13) But we cannot expect Jehovah God to impart his holy spirit to us miraculously, without any effort on our part. We must do everything we can to receive holy spirit. In addition to praying for it, we need to feed diligently on God’s Word. Jehovah God does not give his holy spirit apart from his Word, and we cannot hope to receive holy spirit if we ignore the earthly channel Jehovah is using today, “the faithful and discreet slave.”-Matthew 24:45-47.
In the final analysis, it is knowledge of God’s will that governs the contents of a person’s prayers, for the supplicant must realize that, if his request is to be granted, it must please God. Knowing that the wicked and those disregarding God’s Word have no favor with Him, the supplicant obviously cannot request that which runs counter to righteousness and to God’s revealed will, including the teachings of God’s Son and his inspired disciples. (John 15:7, 16) Thus, statements regarding the asking of “anything” (John 16:23) are not to be taken out of context. “Anything” clearly does not embrace things the individual knows, or has reason to believe, are not pleasing to God. See 1John 5:14; compare James 4:15.
Acceptable prayer must be made to the right person, Jehovah God; on right matters, those in harmony with God’s declared purposes; in the right manner, through God’s appointed way, Christ Jesus; and with a right motive and a clean heart. (Compare James 4:3-6.) Along with all of this, there is need for persistence. Jesus said to “keep on asking, seeking, and knocking,“ not giving up. (Luke 11:5-10; 18:1-7) The seeming delay on God’s part in answering some prayers is not due to any inability nor to a lack of willingness, as the Scriptures make clear. (Matthew 7:9-11; James 1:5, 17) In some cases the answer must await God’s “timetable.” (Luke 18:7; 1 Peter 5:6; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 6:9-11) Primarily, however, it is evident that God allows his petitioners to demonstrate the depth of their concern, the intensity of their desire, the genuineness of their motive. (Psalms 55:17; 88:1, 13; Romans 1:9-11) At times they must be like Jacob in his wrestling a long time in order to obtain a blessing.-Genesis 32:24-26.
and he works in mysterious ways. He knows what it's like to be a human, yet he still is an entirely different creature altogether.