Answered Prayer.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Matthew 7:7-11.
In His Word, the Heavenly Father commands us to pray continually (1 Thess. 5:17). And He promises that when we ask, we will receive (Luke 11:9). Yet how often has silence seemed to be the answer to our prayer requests?
The Lord would not tell us to pray if He were not going to respond. In fact, He points out that any father who loves his children gives them what they need and what is good (verses 11-13).
As our heavenly Father, He will provide so much more. But if we want God to respond, we must meet three important conditions.
First, we need to have a right relationship with Jesus Christ by trusting Him as Saviour. But some people choose to live in ungodliness even after salvation. Scripture states, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” Psalm 66:18. This does not mean we can never make a mistake, God understands our weakness. But we must repent of all known sin and avoid continuing in it.
Second, we must make the right requests. 1 John 5:14 “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” This reminds us to ask according to God's will. In other words, we can share our desires while submitting our hopes to Him. Over time, certain yearnings may lose their appeal or give us a check in our spirit.
Third, we should pray specially and with confidence. When making requests aligned with God's will, we can be sure He will answer.
Our heavenly Father tells His children to pray and assures that He will respond. As you present your requests, ask Him to show you if anything is getting in the way of His answer.
