Overview:

In her column, Shewanda Riley discusses the importance of praying with sincerity and a pure heart, referencing the biblical example of Hannah in I Samuel 1. Riley emphasizes that our prayers must be prayed with the right attitude, and not just the right words, and that we must rely on God’s grace when we need it the most. She reminds readers that our relationship with God is not performance-based, and that He answers prayers out of His grace, not because of what we do or do not do.

Dear reader, this year marks the 25 th year I’ve been writing for the Dallas Weekly. It’s been a privilege and an honor to write as a columnist as well as a reporter for the most respected publication covering Dallas’ African American community. Throughout this year, I will revisit some of my favorite columns that I call “Preserved by Purpose Classics.” This week’s column is one I wrote in 2021 about the importance of sincere prayer. Enjoy!

In one of my favorite plays, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, there is a pivotal scene in Act 3 where King Claudius appears to be praying to heaven for forgiveness of his heinous act of killing his brother and then marrying his brother’s wife. As he attempts to pray, he says the words:

“My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go.”

Even though he is a fictional character, he appears to understand something that we Christians seem to have forgotten: in order for our prayers to be heard and answered, they must be prayed with sincere faith and with a pure heart. Claudius knew that his prayer was not sincere and would not be answered.

One biblical example of this is the Old Testament’s Hannah who after years of earnest prayer and being cruelly taunted by her husband’s other wife, she still found herself childless.

I Samuel 1 shows Hannah crying out to God in anguish:

“…O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of
his life….”

Although struggling with disappointment, she still believes as she prayed for God to allow her to be a mother. Her sincere prayers are ultimately answered. Though the chapter doesn’t mention grace specifically, it appears as though she is a perfect example of how relying on God’s grace can give you strength as you wait for unanswered prayers. Her prayers were answered partly because of her sincerity.

Because of disappointments, we may be frustrated (even though we are afraid to admit it) because God hasn’t given us what we wanted and when we wanted it. In the end, we become frustrated by those unmet desires.

When we need to rely on grace the most, we seem to be grace-less because we’ve allowed ourselves to become oppressed by disappointment. Our prayers don’t seem to be making an impact primarily because they are prayed with the right words. but with the wrong attitude. We want to have hope but must admit that we no longer have hope that things will change.

Even though many people are thankful, others might be struggling because of unanswered prayers. It is not a season of rejoicing but a season of regret and frustration. We have to be reminded of 2 Corinthian 12:9:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness….”

We may also make the mistake of believing that somehow we’ve not done enough which is why God has not answered our prayer. Our relationship with God is not performance based. Only God knows when your prayer will be answered. God doesn’t answer prayers because of what people do or do not do. He answers them simply because of his grace, which is the foundation on which he does his best work for us.

Shewanda Riley is a Fort Worth, Texas based author of “Love Hangover: Moving From
Pain to Purpose After a Relationship Ends” and “Writing to the Beat of God’s Heart: A
Book of Prayers for Writers.” Email her at preservedbypurpose@gmail.com or follow
her on Instagram @shewandawrites.

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