Dead Prayers

Indeed, the LORD's hand is not too short to save, and His ear is not too deaf to hear. But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have made Him hide His face from you so that He does not listen. - Isaiah 59:1-2 HCSB

An old righteous man was convinced by friends to visit their church. The day of worship dawned, bright brisk and beautiful, as they all joyfully looked forward to fellowshipping with other believers and praising God’s holy name.

However, as the tzaddik approached the church, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. “I can’t go in there,” he told them.

“What do you mean? Why can’t you?” they wondered out loud.

He searched for words for a minute as he gazed into the building, “I can’t fit in there. There’s no room for me.”

“That doesn’t make sense!” they exclaimed. “It’s a huge building and there are still lots of seats left!”

He cried out, “You don’t understand! It’s full of prayers.”

They laughed, “Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?”

“No,” he answered “These are all dead prayers. The prayers of these people are stillborn, totally unable to rise to heaven and they are crammed floor to ceiling, layer upon dead layer in there.”

If Hashem gave you the power to see your prayers, what would they look like?[1] As children of God, we have the right to advance boldly into His throne room to make our requests.[2] We have been given the Holy Spirit who intercedes on our behalf with unspoken groanings when we are at a loss for words.[3] This is why we should at all times pray in the Spirit and stay alert to the Spirit’s presence and needs.[4] A large part of our confidence lies in the fact that the Spirit has sealed us for the day of redemption, granting us peace of heart concerning our salvation. However, the Holy Spirit can be grieved and this can interfere with our prayer life.[5]

What sins particularly interfere? The first that comes to mind is prideful hubris as exemplified by Job’s friends.[6] Selfish and narcissistic prayers are always still-born.[7]

When we maintain malice in our heart, the Lord does not listen to us[8] so we’ll find our worship hindered when we leave unattended sin in our relations with other believers.[9]

Our spousal relationship is particularly crucial to our prayer life. We must be careful to take good care of our spouses lest Satan find a toe hold in that relationship.[10] Husbands who do not properly treat their wives with honor will soon find their prayers hindered.[11]

If we avoid these sins, our prayers should generally be answered. The answer may be delayed by factors out of our control,[12] but our Lord promised:

Again, I assure you: If two of you on earth agree about any matter that you pray for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven.[13]

[1] Psalm 141:1-2; Revelation 8:3-4
[2] Hebrews 4:16
[3] Romans 8:26-27
[4] Ephesians 6:18
[5] Ephesians 4:30
[6] Job 42:8
[7] James 4:3
[8] Psalm 66:18
[9] Matthew 5:23-24
[10] 1 Corinthians 7:5
[11] 1 Peter 3:7
[12] Daniel 10:12-13
[13] Matthew 18:19