Are your prayers being answered? Are you a prayer warrior? We use that term often to refer to those who seem to spend huge amounts of time in prayer. It’s a term we use for people that we feel can get in touch with God, when troubled times come. However, we all should be able to get in touch with God at any time, but the reality is that some say words but God doesn’t hear them. There are conditions on having our prayers answered.
First, we must make sure that we have no sin in our lives that is not confessed and forsaken.
Psalm 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:”
The commentator Albert Barnes states it this way. “If I have cherished it in my soul; if I have gloated over past sins; if I am purposing to commit sins again; if I am not willing to abandon all sin, and to be holy. Then I have retained sin in my heart.”
Second, we need to pray that God’s will is done. I John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us”
No matter what we desire, if we trust God we must also accept the fact, God knows best. He loves us greater than anyone else ever could. His ways are not our ways and we will not always understand. We need to continually seek him, to know him so we will be able to trust him.
Third, if the previous areas are taken care of, then we need to keep on asking until we get a definitive answer. There was a widow in Luke 18 whose story went like this;
Luke 18:1- 5 “And he spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, there was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward, he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.”
She was given her desires because she kept on asking!
Fourth, are you truly saved? The only prayer he will hear of the person not truly saved is “forgive me.”
It seems that lately there is not a day that goes by that someone doesn’t contact me with a very serious prayer request. We live in a fallen world, and needs are all around us. There are many people who say they pray but are not saved. I want desperately to tell them their prayers are of no value to the person they are praying for. There are others who say they are saved but are not living in accordance with God’s word. Again, scripture teaches us they must first repent, and turn from their sin for their prayers to be answered.
Now the question for you. Have you examined your heart to find and eradicate anything in your life that isn’t right with God? Do you have areas where you make excuses? Do you look at gossip as just “telling the truth?” Exaggeration as embellishing the story? Do you classify your sins as little and big? If you will ask God to show you areas you need to change, I promise he will reveal them to you. Are you willing to obey if he shows you those sins? Do you really want God’s will, or do you just want to make it to heaven, and live a comfortable life on this earth? Are you truly saved? Will you keep asking and not forget? If you honestly can say yes to these you can have mountain-moving prayers!
My friends, please pray and make sure your prayers will be answered.
Let’s make our prayers count!
