Norman Vincent Peale, author of the Power of Positive Thinking, tells how as a young boy he found a cigar behind his house, lit it up and puffed away, not enjoying it but feeling very grown up. Then, to his horror, he saw his father approaching. So Norman tried to hide the cigar behind his back while diverting his father’s attention to a billboard that advertised a carnival, and asking if he could go to it. His father’s response taught him one of the great lessons concerning prayer. He said, “Norman, never make a petition while you are hiding a smouldering disobedience.”
It brings to mind that great statement from the Bible that says, “Your sins have separated you from your God so that He cannot hear you.” One of the essentials for answered prayer is that we make our requests with single-minded honesty.