Answered Prayer

Faithful continued prayer is one key to answered prayer. As James expresses it, "You do not have, because you do not ask God" (James 4:2) John F. Walvoord

Have you ever prayed for something and God answered?  If you have ever experienced it you know how unforgettable it is.  When we pray for something or someone we should keep several things in mind before we pray.

If we believe that God will answer prayer, we also know what a Great God He is.  The first thing we need to understand is that we must believe that God has the ability to answer.  If we go at prayer half-heartedly we aren’t going to get an amazing result.  If I don’t understand that our God can and will do what we ask or if I think I can do it better, then God won’t answer my prayer anytime soon. 

The second thing is, if I have sin in my life, and we all do, and that sin is unconfessed, then God won’t answer my prayer.  I have to come clean or confess whatever my sin is so that I present my petition to God with a clean slate.  If I am in the middle of my sin and have not confessed it then I am wasting my breath. 

     

The third thing we need to do is remind God of His promises.  Does God need to be reminded of His promises?  No, but we do.  When we remind God of what He has promised it helps us remember His promises.  Reminding Him is not for Him it is for us.

 

The final thing we need to remember is that we must be specific in our prayers.  If we are vague or not clear on what we are praying for, then how will we ever know if God answers our prayer?  We must also remember that prayer is not about obtaining things. Our main basis for prayer should be to fulfill God’s purpose.  If we are praying for stuff, or things of this world, don’t be surprised if God doesn’t answer.

      

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I praise You for giving me the ability to communicate with You through prayer.  Too many times I forget about Your promises and often I pray for material things that don’t matter.  Help me to pray believing You will answer, knowing You have the power to answer, confessing any sin in my life, knowing and understanding Your promises and help me to specifically ask with the understanding that Your will be done not mine. 

Scripture: And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Nehemiah 1:5-11