Can one man make a difference? Human history shouts in the affirmative. One man, one woman, one child can have an enormous impact, either for good or evil. Adam, by eating of the fruit which God had forbidden, plunged himself and all his posterity into sin. And the inevitable result of sin was death.

The world is full of “if onlys”. If only Adam had not eaten of that fruit! If only the people had listened to Noah’s preaching! If only Moses had not lost his temper! If only Peter had stood up for Jesus!

On the other hand, the world is full of “what ifs”. What if Abraham had not faithfully followed God’s command? What if David had not stood up to Goliath? What if Paul had not written to the churches?

May your life be empty of the “if onlys” that come from disobeying the clear instructions of God in his Word. May history be filled with the “what ifs” of your faithful acts of obedience to God.

One Man entered history 2,000 years ago and lived a life free of “if onlys” so that we might live lives free of regret and full of joy, in his service and to his credit. Jesus unwound the “if onlys” of Adam’s sin and its effects and wove them into a magnificent tapestry of grace, to the glory of his name.

The only way any prayer is ever heard is through the righteous imputation and intercession of Jesus Christ. Yet it is Jesus who here reminds us that successful prayers are accompanied by holy lives.

If you have anything against any one, Jesus says, forgive them from your heart before you seek to pray to your heavenly Father. Do not presume to ask for a forgiveness that you are not yourself willing to grant others.

We garner this insightful view of prayer, then, from Jesus himself — your prayer life is both indestructible and delicate, it is both independent of your actions and yet influenced by the decisions you make.

You see, the access we have to God through Jesus Christ is based entirely on his goodness, not your own. For this reason, you can always pray to God, come boldly to God, when you are clinging to the perfect and sufficient work of Christ on your behalf.

On the other hand, scripture is very clear that our way of life — what we do and fail to do — will greatly influence our communion with God. Paul admonishes husbands to honor and cherish their wives “that your prayers be not hindered” (1 Peter 3:7). Jesus warns not to even bother praying if we are harboring resentment or bitterness or unforgiveness in our hearts.

Today, then, dear believer, go boldly in Christ’s name to the throne of grace, and freely love and forgive others so that your prayers are not hindered.