Q&A with Jennifer Kennedy Dean about Heart's Cry
Why do we pray? What does prayer do?
God has set up the cosmos (the created order, including both heaven and earth) so that prayer is the conduit through which His intervening power and His provision flow from heaven to the circumstances of earth. He has chosen to engage His people in everything He wants to do on the earth, first through prayer, then through obedience. Prayer activates the specific will of God in earth’s circumstances. Jesus prayed, “Let Your will be done in this circumstance on earth in the same way that Your will is in effect in heaven.” (My interpretation of Matthew 6:10). See Chapter 7 of Hearts Cry.
How can I know God’s will?
When you enter into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, God’s Spirit has access to your mind and heart. He can speak to you, and He knows the mind and the will of God. Paul, speaking of those things that we can’t know by our physical sense or by human knowledge, says, “God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor 2:10).
God uses Scripture to reveal His will to you. He speaks the truth of His Word to you by His Holy Spirit and causes His Word to live—take up residence— in you, progressively transforming your thoughts so that they come to echo His. “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John 15:7-8). See Chapter 5 of Hearts Cry
Isn’t God going to do His will anyway?
To me, the most amazing thing about prayer is that God has ordained it for His purposes and has established it to be the conductor of His power and provision. In the big picture, nothing that God plans will be thwarted. His purposes stand firm through all generations. Yet, He makes it clear in His Word that “You do not have, because you do not ask God” (James 4:2). He is never without faithful intercessors somewhere whose prayers are the circuits conducting His provision and plan into the earth. On the other hand, there is power and provision available for every detail of your life that is left untapped because of lack of prayer. See Chapter 7 of Hearts Cry.
How much of God’s will can I know? For what purpose does God reveal some element of His will to me?
God reveals to you that which you need to know to pray effectively and to live in obedience. He does not become your personal fortune-teller. He does not speak to satisfy your curiosity. He speaks to author prayer and to awaken faith. See Chapter 11 of Hearts Cry.
What about when God doesn’t answer my prayers?
God never withholds good from you. Sometimes we think we know best what God should do and how He should answer our prayers, but true faith in God rests on our confidence in God’s wisdom and love. Often, when you think that God has not answered your prayers, the truth is that He is answering your heart’s cry.
If you find that you rarely experience answers to prayer, then consider whether God is speaking to you about sin and disobedience in your life that is clogging up the flow of His provision and diminishing your ability to hear Him. See Chapter 1, 3 and 4 of Hearts Cry.
What difference does my obedience and purity make in the power of my prayers?
Since prayer is a conduit through which God’s power flows, if that conduit is clogged, then the power flow is diminished or even blocked. See Chapter 3 and 4 of Hearts Cry.
Is it selfish to pray for things for myself?
God invites us to ask Him for everything we need, big or little.
Why do we ask other people to pray for us?
Scripture makes it clear that there is multiplied power in multiplied prayer. Deuteronomy 32:30 says that one can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand to flight. Multiplied power. See Chapter 9 and 10 of Hearts Cry.
Why do we pray in groups?
God wants His people to live in unity, so He has set up the dynamics of prayer to accomplish that end. “I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matt 18:19-20). In the context of group prayer, the Holy Spirit can reveal and teach through the group. We feed each other’s faith and stand firm when another is faltering. See Chapter 9 and 10 of Hearts Cry.
Why do I need to be part of a body of believers?
God does not intend that an individual believer’s prayer life will reach its full potential outside the context of the church. See Chapter 10 of Hearts Cry.
When should I pray? How long should I pray?
The discipline of prayer should not become a legalism. There is no set time or no prescribed length of time. Most people who take prayer seriously find that early morning is the best time to be alone for an extended period. The main thing is to find a time daily that works for you and stick to it. See Chapter 12 of Hearts Cry.
Do you have a question about prayer. Ask Jennifer, she may incorporate your question and answer into an upcoming column or FAQ's. Email your question to questions@prayinglife.org