How To Get Your Prayers Answered
One of the most fundamental aspects of prayer is receiving an answer to our request; otherwise, we will not be praying. But prayer is more than just receiving an answer to our prayers; it is transforming! Prayer is one way we engage, interact, and commune with God. This is how we grow in intimacy with Him. We talk to God, and He talks to us, and we are gradually becoming more like him. It is also how we gain access to heaven’s blessings.
Some things will not happen unless we pray. In Isaiah 37:21, Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Because you prayed about King Sennacherib of Assyria. God moved on behalf of His people in response to their prayers.
Several passages in the Bible, such as Jeremiah 33:3, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:“ 8 for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” This text reveals to us that we can ask God for whatever we need. However, this appears to be elusive to many because they are not receiving an answer to their prayers. Some people regard answered prayers as taboo. However, one thing is certain in the Bible and in the lives of other Christians: God answers prayer. I am a living testimony to the power of prayer.
So, how can I get my prayers answered? The tips are found in our text below.
James 5:16. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. NLT "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. “
1. Righteousness
Make sure you are in right standing with God. According to the previously mentioned passage, Elijah was a human being just like you and me, and when he prays, heaven listens. It is quite amazing that one individual possessed the ability to control the opening and closing of heaven, determining whether or not rain would fall. However, it’s worth noting that he had a right standing with God. This is crucial because in Psalms 66:18, the bible explicitly says, If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. Proverbs 15:29 ”The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.” Elijah was just a human being like you and me; when he prays, heaven, listen. One man was able to open and close heaven for rain to fall or not—that’s amazing, but remember, he had a right standing with God.
Question: Do you have a right standing with God? If yes, praise God for you, and if not, you can do so just now by repenting of your sin and accepting the offer of salvation that Christ provided. This is very important because the Bible explicitly says in Psalms 66:18, If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. Proverbs 15:29 NKJV ”The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.“
2. God’s cause, not mine
Often, most of our prayers are focused on ourselves, our desires, needs, troubles, and so on. In our text above, Elijah was fighting for God’s cause because the people had abandoned God’s worship in favor of Baal worship. This was Elijah’s border; what is yours? Are you bordered by what borders God, like Elijah? God does not share His glory with any person. When your prayers focus on God and what brings him honor, He takes action. Do you remember the story of David and Goliath? David’s brief prayer in 1 Samuel 17:45 reads: Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield; but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 This day will the Lord deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee and take your head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands. This kind of prayer brings glory to God, and God had to act.
3. God’s will
1 John 5:14–15 And this is the confidence that we have in him: that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us. And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desire from him. The Bible is the only place where this will of God can be found, which is why we pray with the Bible. Knowing God’s will led Elijah to ask for no rain. Deuteronomy 11:16-17 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; and then the Lord’s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heavens, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you. It was the will of God that prompted Daniel to pray for the restoration of his people. That is especially important when we pray for other people, because when we pray for family or friends, like our kids, we often pray for what we want for them and tell God what needs to change in their lives so we can be happy and comfortable. We want to clone them. Because we are not God, we must seek His will for them. Only He knows what is best.
These three tips, combined with faith and fervency, will potentiate our prayer. Yes, it will bring excellent results to your prayer life.
Reflection and Prayer
What burden have you been carrying? Was it God’s burden or self?
Lord, border me with what borders you, and help me pray according to your will.