Many times when we don’t get the answer that we want in prayer, we think, “Well, I am just one person and God doesn’t have time to hear my prayer. ” We think that God is so big and we are so small that somehow our prayer gets lost in the sending. We just don’t realize just how big God really is. We also forget that we can ask God to listen to our prayers. This doesn’t offend him that we ask him to listen anymore then we are offended when a child says to us, “Listen, I have something to tell you.”
Of the points listed above, I will start with prayer being answered according to God’s will.
“A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.” Acts 10:2-4, KJV
Here, God is showing Cornelius in a vision that he was happy with the prayers of his servant. He tells him that his prayers and alms (giving to the poor) have come up before God as a record of his memorial before God. This proves that God was pleased with his servant.
“But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you. ” Philemon 1:22, KJV
“In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answers me.” Psalms 86:7, KJV
Philemon was so sure it was God’s will that he be at a certain place that he told them to prepare him a room to stay in. That’s faith in praying God’s will. God also hears the prayers of those who ask him to hear them. King David was also sure of an answer from God . Both men had faith in God’s ability to answer prayer.
“O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer.” Nehemiah 1:11, KJV
This shows how Nehemiah sought the Lord to listen to his prayers and the Lord listened. God listens to the prayers of all his servants, but sometimes there are qualifiers to getting our prayers answered. Here is an important one:
“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” 1 Peter 3:7, KJV
If you do not treat you wife properly, then it can actually hinder your prayers to God. It isn’t that God doesn’t hear, it is that he isn’t willing to answer those prayers of people who mistreat his children. That can be for wives mistreating their husbands or for parents mistreating their children as well.
Below shows that when God’s anointed turn from him to false Gods, he no longer hears the prayers. Indeed, when they tried to pray, there was no answer from God, because of their sin. The verse goes so far as to say that God will hide his face from them. The prophets were telling people what they wanted to hear instead of what God had commanded them to tell, so God turned is face away from them.
“Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him. Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.” Micah 3:4-7, KJV
The best way to hear from God is to humble yourself before God and admit that He alone can answer your prayers. This is supported in the verse below and also has qualifiers in it. In addition to being humble, we must turn from our sins.
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14, KJV
When a certain King of Judah was brought a book of Moses, he read about all the plagues written in it for those who did not serve the true God. He was humble and God said to him that because of his humbleness, his prayers were heard and the king wouldn’t see the plagues that were to come – all because the King was humble before God. It was the king’s humility that caused God to hear his prayer.
“Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD.“ 2 Chronicles 34:27, KJV
To sum it all up, if we choose to humble ourselves and turn from our sins to serve the Lord with all out hearts, we have assurance that God will hear our prayers and not turn his face away us. That doesn’t mean that will always get what we pray for, though; God sometimes answers with a “no” or “wait” answer. However, He will definitely answer your prayers when you are committed to him.
No comments:
Post a Comment