There was an old hymn which carried the words, the world has lost the right of prayer and saints have failed to pray. In every stage of man’s existence upon the earth, communication with a higher power has been prevalent in the hearts of men. There is only one God and His name is not Allah. In the course of the development of human history man rejected the idea of the knowledge of the one true God and began to create gods from their own mind. Whether the stars, planets, sun, moon, animals, fish or some force of nature, history is filled with men affirming something beyond man for help.
Those who have come to know God from what is revealed, have maintained a communication with God called prayer. It is man affirming that it is not in man to direct his own steps (Jeremiah 10:23). Those who follow God and are therefore seen as righteous men bow their spirits, hearts and even sometimes their knees to speak with God about the contents of their heart. It may be a David declaring that God has heard his supplications and prayers (Psalm 116:1). It is Jesus on the ground in Gethsemane, saying to the Father, “…thy will be done” (Matthew 26:42).
The righteous man always comes to know that there can be no acceptable prayer that is not offered in faith (James 1:6). Faith as defined by God is a belief in the existence of God and the knowledge that God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). The person who chooses to live a sinful life should never be deceived to believe that God will respond to his prayers (John 9:31). All spiritual blessings are in the Lord and none outside of Him and His body, which is the church (Ephesians 1:3; 22,23). The one who lives a sinful life has no connection to God because of the abandonment of faith. At one time Paul spoke about the Gentiles before they found Christ. He said they were living in sin (Colossians 3:7).
We cannot live in sin and think such conduct increases the grace of God because it does not (Romans 6:1,2). Grace reigns in the heart of the Christian through righteousness (Romans 5:21). Righteousness is faith being acted on in one’s daily life before the world and his family (James 2:24). This is what God said and this is what I will do. Righteousness will not accuse a holy God of acting out of our best interest. God wants us to talk with Him so that our hearts stay focused on Who He is. If one ceases the practice of prayer, he begins to distance himself from God. God calls upon us all, to pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17).
Back to the old hymn why do people cease to pray and hence lose the right of prayer? Many reasons no doubt could be given. I choose this simple answer which will not be complete in the minds of everyone. My thinking is that people do not believe in the power of prayer. On one hand you have the “fake faith healers” trying to convince audiences that God still works today like He did in the first century. You have liberal brethren who have give up on the Word of God and believe they must have some kind of emotional demonstration to prove God is still working today.
God still works in our world today and the scriptures so affirm. It is not a case of God not working but rather “how” does He work. If God tells us He will never leave us or forsake us, then He must still be active (Hebrews 13:5). If God affirms that He is able to keep us from falling then God must still be active (Jude 24). If God gives us all that pertains to our life and godliness, then He must still be active (II Peter 1:3). If God supplies all our needs, He is still very active in our world (Philippians 4:19).
The problem people often run into is they want God to do something which goes beyond what God has revealed (II John 9). This passage in II John 9 speaks about individuals who keep going beyond what has been revealed, that is the doctrine of Christ. If they persist in that journey, John says, they do not have God. If one does not have God neither do they possess the right of prayer.
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