ANSWERED PRAYERS! – PART 4 – CONCLUSION! (CELEBRATION OF ANSWERED PRAYERS!)

 

Would a father refuse the child such basic needs as food or clothing? Most likely not! Yet our heavenly Father is much more than an earthly parent. Whatever we think we need or desire is below basic with God. It does not cost Him to grant us our requests; as long as they are in line with His will. As the Bible puts it in 1 John 5:14-15 “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.”

Prayer is communication with God. It draws us to a place of intimacy and dependency on God. We are not just taking our needs and desires to God; we are admitting His lordship over us and that without Him we can do nothing. Christ draws attention to this intimacy in John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you”. The implication of this is that there are certain requirements for prayers to be effective. The Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, points out that “effective prayer must be a scripturally informed response of persons saved by grace to the living God who can hear and answer on the basis of Christ's payment of the penalty which sinners deserved” It goes on to itemize several important aspects involved in prayer – faith, worship, confession, adoration, praise, thanksgiving, dedicated action and request. While all these are essential, most people tend to focus only on requests. 

God always listens to us when we pray. It has been said that God answers in three ways: “Yes, No, or Wait”. As children of God, we need the grace to understand why God will respond in any of these three ways. When God answers in the affirmative, it is an indication that the object of prayer is to our benefit and in perfect will of God, whilst the reverse is the case when God says no. We apply joyful patience, when God requires us to wait before the manifestation of an affirmative answer. The Scriptures show ample examples of prayers God has heard and answered. He continues to answer prayers today. Through the power of prayer, we get answers to our questions and receive the blessings God has in store for us. Answering prayers is one of the many ways God shows His love.

The objective of prayer is not to change the will of God or compel Him to do what we want; rather it allows us to receive the blessings God already has in store for us. God gives an indication of this in Jeremiah 33:3 “'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'” Our four-part series for the month of February, “Answered Prayers”, draws attention to the provisions of God’s will for us and how we can take delivery of them. Join us this Sunday, as we explore the theme and concludes the series.

God bless you.

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