Prayer Answers

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(How God Answers Prayer)

Introduction

1. In our study on prayer, we have examined

a. The purpose of prayer

b. The power of prayer

c. The privilege of prayer

d. The principles of prayer

e. The persistence of prayer

f. The practice of prayer

2. Why don’t people pray more often?

a. Perhaps they don’t believe their prayers are being answered

b. Not knowing how God answers, they may have lost faith in prayer

Body

I. Yes

A. God may answer yes

1. God often grants the petitions we ask of Him – Psalms 118:5; 138:3

2. Especially when we put Him first in our lives – Matthew 6:33; cf. Proverbs 3:5-10

B. For God to answer yes

1. We must ask according to His will – 1 John 5:14

2. We must be doing His will in our lives – 1 John 3:22

II. Yes, but not yet

A. God may answer yes, but wait

1. God may grant our request, but in time and according to His purpose – Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11

2. So we may think God is saying No, when He is really saying Yes, but wait – Luke 18:7

B. WHEN THE ANSWER SEEMS TO BE WAIT

1. We need to have patience – Hebrews 6:10-12

2. We need to keep asking, seeking, knocking – Luke 11:8-10

3. We need to remember God’s promise – Romans 8:24

III. Yes, but not as expected

A. God may answer yes, but not as you think

1. Sometimes God answers in a way differently than we may anticipate

2. Remember, His thoughts and methods are much different than ours – Isaiah 55:8, 9

3. For example, asking God for strength and perseverance

a. He may give us trials to bear – Philemon 1:29-30

b. Which in turn develops the virtues we prayed for! Romans 5:3-4

B. We must not limit God’s options

1. We should be careful and not dictate to God how to answer our prayers

a. There are forces at work beyond what we can imagine Ephesians 3:20

b. Plus, we do not always know what to pray for as we ought – Romans 8:26

2. Limit the how and we might limit the result; for example, when praying for the sick

a. Do we pray simply that God bless the use of natural means (doctors, medicine, etc.)?

b. If so, might we limit God as to how He might restore them? (in ways beyond what we are able to imagine)?

c. Is it not better to simply ask God to restore the sick, and leave the methods to Him?

IV. No

A. God may answer no

1. There may be times when God denies our requests – James 4:3

2. We must trust that God, who knows what is best, would do so only if granting our request might not be for our good – Hebrews 12:5-11

B. When God seems to say no

1. We may not fully understand, but we can still fully trust Him! – Habakkuk 3:17-19

2. Especially in light of the promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13

3. God will provide the grace and mercy to do without – 2 Corinthians 12:7-9

Conclusion

1. In at least four ways, then, God answers our prayers

a. Yes

b. Yes, but not yet

c. Yes, but not as expected

d. No

2. However God may choose to answer our prayers

a. We can have confidence that it will be for our good

b. We should never grow weary in praying to God

3. “The Lord has heard my supplication; The Lord will receive my prayer.” – Psalms 6:9