Isaiah 59:1
"Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:"
The location of the church I attended as a youth was located in the hills of California. The church was located outside of the city limits, and in order to get water we had to drill a well. We set up a 10,000 gallon tank to be sure the church had plenty of water and that the fire department had plenty of water in case of a fire. Connected to this well was a pump that pumped the water into the tank. Having a 10,000 gallon tank didn't matter much if you couldn't pump water into it.
On several occasions it seemed as though we couldn't get water to the church. We would go down to the tank and investigate why the church could not get water. Connected to the tank was a little box on the pump that had contacts that opened and closed to turn the pump on and off. We would open the casing over those contacts, and every once in awhile we noticed that a pincher bug got between the contacts which kept the power from the pump. We would remove the pincher bug from those contacts which allowed the pump to begin to pump water into the tank and up to the church.
The problem was not that there was no power to the tank. The problem was not that the well had gone dry. The problem was that something came between the power source that kept the water from getting to the church. Just an annoying pincher bug kept the pump from having the power to pump water to our church.
Just like that pincher bug hindered the pump from having power, many Christians have allowed little sins to come between them and God which keeps them from getting their prayers answered. The verse above plainly shows us that God's power is not the problem. He says, "Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save..." God's hand is as long as it always has been. His hand can reach to you no matter where you are. God says that His ear can hear like it has always heard.
What is the problem if our prayers are not being answered? The answer is found in verse 2 when it says, "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." Notice, just like the pincher bug was between those contacts, our iniquities have separated us from God. It is our sin that keeps God from answering our prayer. The problem is not the powerlessness or indifference of God, but the problem is our sins.
Christian, what pincher bug has come between the contacts of your life? What is it that is keeping you from getting your prayers answered? Instead of blaming God for not answering your prayers, you should be looking to yourself to see what has come between you and God. The problem is never God; rather, the problem always comes back to our sin.
Friend, holding onto sin is not worth it. Sin will keep you from being able to get prayers answered when you need an answer. I challenge you to pull the cover off the contacts of your prayer life and ask the Holy Spirit to show you the pincher bug in your life that has come between you and God. Once He shows you the problem, you can either leave it there and not get your prayers answered or you can confess it to God and remove it so that the power source is opened up. No matter how small you may think your sin is, it doesn't take much to become the hindrance to your prayers.