Prayer is not a means of bribing God. It is talking to/with God — a conversation between two, a superior and a subject or dependent.
Communication generally is effective between two to the degree of their relationship over time. Often, it is hard to get the attention of whom we never build any form of relationship with to listen to us. Even if we do by chance, we seem to doubt more our choice of decision than when similar discussions were to be between us and people we have built or enjoyed a relationship with over time.
God is not different in this regard. An ineffective prayer is a man talking to God without a relationship with God. God is kind but desires a relationship. God is loving but honours relationships greatly. A relationship is a door into the secret place of God: we know God's Will by relationship. Prayer is Good, but effective prayer is dependent on our degree of relationship with God through Christ JESUS.
"My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening. And if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours." (1 John 5:13-15 MSG.)
God is not just demanding relationships from us; He created us for it. Even when man fell short of God's Glory, He restored man to himself; He paid the cost by Himself. He paid for the loss of man/ humanity with the precious blood of His Son JESUS. In our relationship with God, it is not as if we are doing God a favour. He created us to relate with us. We are less in use, or we are not at all in use when we fail to run an intimate relationship with God, our Creator. We don't belong to ourselves, He made us for His pleasure and Glory. (See Rev. 4:11.) And it is the desire of God that we learn Him, and know Him, so we can relate more intimately with Him through the help of the Holy Spirit feeding us with the truth of the Word of God as we submit solely to Him daily. (Read Joshua 1:7-8.)
A man that has no reason to build a relationship with God has no business praying. When prayers become religious activities and chronological events, it is mere waste of time no matter how long or many times we put into the exercise.
Never enjoy praying because it is good to pray, pray because you know you are heard. (Read 1 John 1:1–7.)
Thanks for the gift of your time, I am John Ojoagbene!
Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!