How to Receive Answers to Prayer

Religion can provide emotional and psychological comfort, but reality is what matters.  And few things on earth display reality in relation to God as His answers to our prayer requests.  Prayers to God that are sentimental, but without expectation, become long and empty words that do little more than consume air time.  Real, visible answers to our prayers should be the norm; just as it was with our Lord Jesus. 

So Many Promises

There are so many promises in the Bible that assure us that God hears and answers when we call on Him. 

Deuteronomy 4:7 – “What nation is there so great, who has God so near unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon Him for?”

Psalm 91:15 – “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.”

Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

Matthew 7:7,8 – “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asks receives; and he who seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.”

John 15:7 – “If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.”

John 16:24 – “Hitherto have you asked nothing in My name: ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.”

If the Almighty had not intended to answer prayer in real, experiential ways He would never have given these promises. 

How Can I Pray Effectively?

If we think that receiving answers to prayer depends on our form, or location, or length of prayers we are wrong.  Jesus said, “When you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:7,8). 

But this does not mean there are no conditions to answered prayer.

First, we must belong to Him.  The Old Testament promises were given to those who were part of His covenant people, not to the pagan nations around them.  Today, God’s covenant people are those who have believed in and confessed that Jesus is Lord.  When we are “born again” by faith in Jesus, God’s Spirit dwells in us.  This is the seal that marks us as one of His family. 

Second, we must “abide” in Him (John 15:4,5).  This means that we are walking in obedience to His commandments.  We cannot “bargain” with God in order to get what we want from Him.  How do you feel when someone does things for you just so that they can extract what they want from you?

Third, we must worship Him.  This is not mere church attendance, but bowing our hearts in true humility, recognizing that He is God alone, and that we are powerless without Him.  This is why Jesus taught us to pray like this: “Father, hallowed [holy] be Thy Name.  Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

The circumstances and problems of life that cause us to pray are by divine intention.  Whatever brings us to our knees before God, brings us closer to God.  When we recognize our insufficiency and inability, then we will recognize His power and that nothing is impossible with Him. 

Fourth, we must confess our sins.  That means we must say the same things about our sins as He does.  It also means that we change our mind about our private sins instead of excusing them.  And in asking for forgiveness for what we have done, we must also forgive others for what they have done.  We will receive no answer to prayer unless we do this. 

Fifth, and this is the most important, we must ask for the things that align with God’s will.  This is the surest way to receive answers to prayer, when we ask for the things that He desires for us.  “And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14,15).

More Than a Routine

Prayer is the expression of our total dependance upon our Creator, every moment of every day.  It is also the source of our confidence in every challenge we face every day.  The one who bows humbly before God will stand uprightly and fearlessly before men.  That’s the real result of answered prayer.