The Answered Prayer
Elijah the tishbite earnestly prayed that it would not rain, and the sky
withheld its water for three and a half years (James 5:17). King Hezekiah of
Judah, after a prophet of God informed him that he would die, wept bitterly and
cried out to the Lord-and he was given a 15-year lease on life (Isa. 38:1-5).
God’s begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Himself “prayed with loud cries and tears to
the One who could save him from death, and his prayer was heard because he
trusted God” (Heb. 5:7, New Century Version).
Time and again, God’s faithful servants experience in their lives how powerful
and effective prayer is, that is, the supplication that satisfies all the
condition for it to be heard. The Bible is unequivocal about the necessity and
benefits of being prayerful. God’s people in olden times were admonished to “
turn to God and present [their] case to him” (Job 5:8, Today’s English
Version) whenever they were afflicted. Christ commanded His disciples to
“pray all the time so that you may be able to keep from going through all these
things that will happen and be able to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke
21:36, New Life Version). Likewise the apostle admonished the Christian to
“pray on every occasion” (Eph. 6:18, TEV).
The Bible offers various reason why God’s servants should pray constantly: so
as not to faint or be discouraged (Luke18:1) especially in times of great
sorrow and anguish. (Matt.26:36-38), to have “strength against temptation”
(Matt. 26:41, Easy-to-Read Version); to be cured of one’s physical or
spiritual illness (James 5:14-15); and to let our request be made known to God
who, in the abundance of His wealth and generosity, can provide us all the
things we need (Phil. 4:6).
But is the mere act of prayer to God a guarantee that one’s supplication
will be heard or granted? Definitely not. This is why the Bible presents us
with a list of conditions that should be met in order for prayers to be
effective.
1. Be
among those set apart or chosen by God
King David clarified
that the privilege to be heard in prayer is enjoyed only by those whom God has
chosen to be His own: “But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself [and
given distinction to] him who is godly [the man of loving-kindness]. The Lord
listens and heeds when I call to Him” (Ps.4:3, Amplified Bible).
God Himself made this resolute pledge: “ if my people, who are called by my
name, will 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
hear their land” ( II Chr. 7:14, New International Version).
2. Possess
an unshakeable faith
Christ taught His
disciples “whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident)
that it is granted to you, and you will [get it]” (Mark 11:24, AB).
Faithlessness, on the other hand, hinders one from receiving anything he ask:
“But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver,
for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is
blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything
from the Lord” (James 1:6-7, New Living Translation).
God state the fortune of those who trust Him: The Lord says, “I will rescue
those who love me. I will protect those who trust me in my name. When they call
on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor
them’” (Ps. 91:14-15, Ibid).
As having faith in God guarantees an answered prayer, harboring doubt or
wavering destroy any hope of being heard.
3. Do
the things that please God
Nonetheless, believing
in God and in what He can possibly do, will not suffice. We need to couple our
faith with obedience to His will: “And we receive from Him whatever we ask,
because we [watchfully] obey His orders [observe His suggestions and
injunctions, follow His plan for us] and [habitually] practice what is pleasing
to Him” (I John 3:22, AB).
These were exactly the same conditions God gave to King Solomon for the
latter’s petitions to be heard: “The Lord said to him, ‘I have heard your
prayer and your petition. I have set this Temple apart to be holy-this place
you have built where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over
it, for it is dear to my heart. As for you, if you will follow me with
integrity and godliness, as David your father did, obeying all my commands,
decrees, and regulations” (I Kings 9:3-4, NLT).
4. Listen
to those whom God sent
Thumbing one’s nose at
God-sent messenger is a grievous sin that will cause one’s prayer to go
unheeded. God expressed His displeasure with the people of ancient Israel,
saying that “…They would not listen. They turned away and stopped their ears
from hearing. They made their hearts like hard stone, so that they could not
hear the Law and the words which the Lord of All had sent by His Spirit through
the men who spoke for Him in the past. So the Lord of All became very angry.
‘When I called, they would not listen. So when they called, I would not
listen,’ says the Lord of All” (Zech. 7:11-13, NLV).
In the true Church, God has placed an administration “to make the word of God
fully known” (Col. 1:25, AB). Refusal to listen to our spiritual leaders is
regarded by God and the Lord Jesus as outright rejection of themselves (Luke
10:16; John 13:20) and therefore, despising them and their authority will make
one’s prayer abominable and unacceptable.
5. Cease
from doing evil
Transgressing God’s
commands and living in wickedness give us blemish before the eyes of our
Creator: “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from
you. Even if you pray many times, I will not listen. Your hands are full of
blood. Wash yourselves. Make yourselves clean. Take your sinful actions from My
eyes. Stop doing sinful things” (Isa.1:15-16, NLV).
Being pure in righteous, on the other hand, has immeasurable benefits. The Bible
teaches that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective”
(James 5:16, NIV)-the very reasons Elijah, Hezekiah, and above all, the Lord
Jesus, were all heard in their supplications.
6. Have
righteous motive
Any loving parent knows full
well that it is both irresponsible and foolish to grant whatever our children
ask. Even if we have all the resources in the world, we always make it a point
that what we give them will do them good, not harm. Same is true with our
loving Father in heaven. He will never grant what we ask if it is detrimental
to us.
So it all boils down to our intentions-the purpose behind our request. Any
unrighteous motive will hinder us from getting what we asking, as Apostle James
explained: “And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are
all wrong-you want only what will give you pleasure” (James 4:3, NLT).
7. Seek
the Lord earnestly
When praying to God, He
looks at our hearts and wants to see sincerity and earnestness:
“But from there
you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all
your heart and soul, you will find him” (Deut. 4:29, Ibid.).
Our prayers, therefore, should not be a sort of ritual. We must not simply go
through the motions, but include our hearts, minds and souls in seeking the
Lord.
8. Be
patient
Lastly, we need to be
patient. There may be times when our requests are not granted immediately. But
faithful servants of God do not lose heart and continue to hope in Him: “But as
for me, I will look to the Lord and confident in Him I will keep watch; I will
wait with hope and expectancy for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me”
(Mic. 7:7, AB).
“Be patient and wait for the Lord to act; don’t be worried about those who
prosper or those who succeed in their evil plans” (Ps. 37:7, TEV).
We must never forget that a prayer is a plea and petition to the Almighty. We
should be ready to take “no” or “not yet” for an answer. Remember that the
Father knows what is truly best for us, so let us humbly accept that it is He
who decides what we shall receive or when or how we shall receive the things we
implore.