How To Get Answers To Your Prayers (2)

By James Quansah, Pastor 

WE CONCLUDED in the part one that those who seek answers to their prayers must have the Word of Christ abiding in them. It is sad that today many Christians travel long distances to pray but refuse Bible studies. They hate reading or hearing the Word of God. They do not know that the God who commands Christians to pray without ceasing also orders us to have His Word in our hearts and mouths always.

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15: 7). In Matthew 7: 7, the Lord Jesus said, “Ask and you will be given”, but in John 15: 7, He says what you ask for in prayer will be granted if you have His Word abiding in you.

This means, an indwelling Word of Christ in the heart of a Christian is a necessary condition for receiving answers to their prayers. The Bible also says in Proverbs 28: 9 that “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law (Word of God), even his prayer shall be abomination.”

You see, the fact that the Bible instructs believers to pray always does not mean that God will answer everyone’s prayers. One popular statement many church leaders like to make is that, “If there is somebody to pray, there is a God to answer.” Of course, our God answers prayers, but God also rejects many requests and petitions which are made to Him.

Our heavenly Father does not hear a person’s prayer because of his position in the church or society or excellent speaking skills. Many Christians have these qualities and they spend hours in prayer, but they do not receive answers to their prayers. It may be that God does not hear them.

We pointed out in the part one that to get answers to prayers one needs to be a genuine child of God, avoid sin, be a reader/hearer and doer of His Word. In this article, we want to discuss other things we must do to get our prayers answered.

 The Will of God

Knowing God’s will concerning your situation before offering prayer is very important. Many Christians fast and pray without considering the will of God concerning their request(s). God’s will is expressed in His promises. We should not make the mistake of thinking that God is under compulsion to grant whatever we ask of Him. The Bible says if we pray according to God’s will He hears us.

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him (God), 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, ESV, emphasis mine). When we offer prayers in submission to the will of God, He may answer some of them speedily while others may be delayed. This means God answers our prayers on His schedule not ours.

One day, Paul, the apostle, complained of a thorn in his flesh, Three times he prayed to God about it but God did not remove it. He said to him His grace was sufficient for him. Even though Paul was not healed immediately, it was still the will of God. Paul prayed to God about his situation because he knew that it was God’s will to heal diseases of the soul and bodily infirmities.

The place to know the will of God is the Bible. It contains varied promises God has made to His children. It is God’s will to heal His children of diseases and sicknesses. So praying to heal the sick, save the lost soul, bless the poor with wealth, set the captive free, receive the fruits of the womb and grace to endure suffering in Christ is the will of God.

However, if you pray for the death of your neighbour because you consider him or her as an enemy, God may not answer you. Because it is against His will under the gospel dispensation. God does not take delight in the death of our enemies but in their repentance to enjoy the saving grace of Christ the Lord.

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rises on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the just” (Matthew 5: 43- 45, ESV).

Paul also exhorts Christians to “bless those who persecute them; bless and do not curse them.” This is the will of God who is the God of vengeance with the power to repay everyone according to their deeds.

Free Heart

Moreover, many pray always but there is nothing to show for it. This does not mean that God is unconcerned about our suffering or that He does not exist. Rather, the condition of our heart most often prevents our prayers from being answered. Thousands of modern-day church people particularly those in Ghana will defy terrible weather conditions to attend prayer meetings which is a good thing.

They will energetically pray but will never sit down to examine how pure their heart is before God. They do not know that a pure heart which is free from bitterness, unforgiveness, offences and hurt is a free spirit before its Maker. It assures a speedy answer to prayers. David knew this secret so he wrote: “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer” (Psalm 66: 18).

If a Christian wants to see God intervening in his affairs when he prays, he must not necessarily fast. It is not written anywhere in the Bible that if you fast you will automatically encounter God and enjoy His blessings. A pure heart is the connection. Being pure in heart is a blessing to see God. The Lord Jesus teaches that, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5: 8). When a Christian gladly obeys the commands of the Lord, he will pray and God will answer him.

James Quansah is the Executive Director of Christ-Conscious Leadership Centre (CLC) and lead Pastor of End-Time Christ’s Commissioners (ECC), Kumasi, Ghana. James is also a journalist by profession. He is married with four children.