How To Have Your Prayers Answered

The Bible teaches us how to receive answered prayer. It took me years of Bible study to understand that I had something to do with my prayers being answered, and I would gather I am not alone.

Although we can be certain that prayers will be answered if prayed according to Biblical guidelines, we aren’t privy to WHEN God will answer them, but understanding how to get the Lord to hear us is a great start.

Okay, some history.

In the Old Testament, things were starting to go south. The Lord was sorry he ever made humans due to their wicked ways at this point in life. Of course God knew this would happen and His plan or “His-story” will play out and end in a triumphant victory- but for now God was not happy.

⁶ The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. ⁷ So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”(Gen 6:6-8)

Noah was a righteous man, meaning he lived life close to the Lord and had faith in God. Because of this, Noah and his family would be spared God’s wrath when it was poured out. As we all know, Noah listened to God, he built an Ark when he had never experienced rain. There were underground springs that watered the earth at this time. But Noah was faithful to complete this awesome building project. (Side note: It wouldn’t surprise me if Noah was ridiculed and looked at with disdain as he was carrying out this project the Lord assigned him, but as a following Christian, this is par for the course.*)

This Ark that Noah entered with his family, was a picture of what God planned to do for His people. He planned to have us take refuge in Him.

Jesus came and died in our place so that He could be our protective Ark. Within Him we have all that we need in the form of provision, protection, health and instruction to keep us from the Devil’s schemes. Living within Him or in Christian terminology, living “In Christ” means having a guiding, abiding and loving relationship with Jesus. We can “hear” His guiding voice while reading the Bible, listening to a sermon or during prayer. Some people have also heard a gentle whisper behind them speaking to them.

Being “in Christ” or in right standing with the Lord, is like a contract but it is called a covenant. The definition of a covenant is “a lease, deed or legal contract.” So if we have confessed our belief in the saving power of Jesus Christ for our sins, and we choose to obey, we are “in Christ” and all that Jesus won back from Satan at the cross is ours.

Jesus, Our Access To The Father’s Answer

Allowing Scripture to lead our life, is our access to answered prayer. Being obedient to Scripture is equal to following God because the Bible says that they are one and the same.

” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God…. (1 John 1 ).

Therefore, when we use Scripture for a prayer request such as “Lord you said, by your stripes I was healed, therefore I am asking for your kingdom healing to come to earth in me in Jesus’ name.”

The Scripture we speak sets the angels in motion.

“And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” (John 1:51)

So to clarify, when we use God’s Word for a prayer request and we ask in Jesus’ name (the Son of man) angels are set in motion to bring it to fruition. If we prayed a conditional promise and haven’t met the condition, the answer will be held up in the heavenlies until we fulfill the condition.

For instance, if we pray for vindication in a court case and say, Lord you said “in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the LORD, have spoken!” (Isaiah 54:17). But if we haven’t met the requirement of being a servant of the Lord, we will be waiting a long time. We can be righteous by accepting Jesus’ death on the cross to cover our sin and have a spot in eternity when we die, but unless we put God as Lord of our life and serve Him by following His ways, we cannot receive the conditional promises in the bible.

“My name is blasphemed all day long. But I will reveal my name to my people and they will come to know its power.” (Isaiah 52:5c-6)

We should think of Jesus as a friend so reliable that whatever He said is as good as done. As followers of Jesus we have access to His Word in the Bible and any promise we find that fits our current need, we can petition the Father in Jesus’ name to pull it into the earth. Things like return of health, provision for our needs, protection, guidance. These needs are satisfied by our relationship in Christ but obedience is key. The condition of the verse below is that we do what is right in the eyes of the Lord and follow His Commandments. Then we can say something like: “God you said….and then quote a verse a Scripture that pertains to our situation.

“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”(John 16:24)

Ask According To God’s Will For Answered Prayer

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”(1 John 5:14-15 NIV)

The New Testament is the last Will and Testament of Jesus Christ. The books within the New Testament reveal His will to heal, prosper and lift everyone up so as to live above their circumstances “In Christ. This is the abundant life. It is His will that we have power and knowledge to resist the Devil’s schemes. God earned us a powerful and full life and His desire is that we understand it.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion…”(Eph 1:18-21)

“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”(Luke 11:27-28)

The Holy Spirit comes into our heart the moment we confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. Then the Holy Spirit leads us to know God’s Will as we read Scripture. It is up to us whether we obey what we have learned and thus receive the conditional promises from God. If we choose to obey we can be powerful change agents for our family. Being a follower of God comes with boundaries to our behavior but also powerful benefits!

Food For Thought,

Lisa

This is Pastor Charles Stanley’s sermon on prayer. -click here

This is a link to my favorite Bible with excellent teaching points. Click here