How god answers our prayers

Specific Objectives

At the end of the session, the assembly the participants are expected to:

1. Have a deeper understanding of the nature of prayer

2. Appreciate the fact that God hears our prayers and answers them

3. Express their gratitude to God through praying

Expanded Outline

I. Introduction

Prayer is a direct line to God. It is our way of communicating to God. Through prayer, we talk to God and lift our concerns to Him. Through prayer and silence God also strengthens us.

But sometimes, we think of prayer as useless and waste of time. This thought comes to our mind because of we sometimes feel that God does not hear our petitions in prayer. Hopefully, this teaching might help us understand that God indeed hears our prayers and He answers them.

II. Four (4) Ways on How God Answers Prayers

Before we begin to think that God does not hear us when we pray, we should remember that there are at least four ways that God answers prayer.

1. Request granted.

God often grants the petitions we ask of Him (Psalm 118:5; 138:3). God is a Father who wants to lavish His children with His love. He does this by granting our prayer especially when we put Him first in our lives (Mt 6:33; cf. Proverbs 3:5). For God to answer yes, we must meet the following conditions:

• We must ask according to His will (1 John 5:14).

God’s will is to give what is best for His children. But sometimes, we as His children, do not know what is good for us. We sometimes ask God for the things we thought are good now. God, in His goodness, will withhold those things if they are not according to His will.

• We must be doing His will in our lives (1 John 3:22).

We must live righteous lives. Blessings of God often times becomes a curse when we do not live righteous lives. Financial blessings can destroy a person who still has not overcome his addictions and vices.

When God grants our prayers, it is a time to praise and thank Him.

2. Request granted but wait.

There is time for everything. God may grant our request, but in time and according to His purpose (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11).

When our request is not being granted, we think God is saying "No", when He is really saying "Yes, but wait". When God’s answer is “wait”, we need to:

• Have Patience (Hebrews 6:10-12).

Maybe the reason why God is delaying it is because God wants to teach us patience first. God is more concerned that we have the right heart before He pours out His blessings. God wants to teach us that He is never delayed, He is always on time.

• Have Persistence

When God’s says wait, let us keep asking, seeking, and knocking (Luke 11:8-10). Maybe God is testing us how much we want our prayers to be answered.

• Remember God's Promise (Romans 8:24).

One way to help us in this waiting period is to remember that God is a promise keeper. He will not withhold His promise on us and will not forsake us.  

3. Request granted but not as expected.

When this happens, God’s thoughts and ways are above are own (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Sometimes God answers in a way differently than we may anticipate. He answers our prayers but not as we expected. Although God answered our prayer, we might not appreciate it because it is not what we wanted. Let us be aware of these cases. We might be insulting God for having a feeling of resent on His blessings.

In these cases, we must not limit God's option:

• Let us be careful and not dictate to God HOW to answer our prayer.

When we pray, we pray specifically for what we want, but our prayers should end with “Your Will be done.” This is to recognize that God knows more than we know ourselves. This is to recognize more that God know more how to bless us.

Aside from this, God also knows the best way to answer our prayer. When we lift up to God our desires, let us allow Him to work (i.e. when we ask for strength, God might give us trials). Let us not dictate God how to do His work. If we limit the HOW and we might limit the result.

4. Request denied (James 4:3).

Sometimes, God says NO to our requests. When this time comes, it is hard for us to understand and accept God’s action. What we can do is to trust God, who knows what is best (Hebrews 12:5-11). When God seems to say "no":

• We may not fully understand, but we can still fully trust Him (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

When God says no, let us remember that He still is, a Father who love us. Because of that love, we can be assured that He wants is the best for us. We must trust that God would do so only if granting our request might not be for our good (Hebrews 12:5-11). God will provide the grace and mercy (2 Corinthians 12:7-9) to trust.

III. Conclusion

In at least four ways, then, God answers our prayers. However God may choose to answer our prayers, we can have confidence that it will be for our good. We should never grow weary in praying to God. Let us pray to Him without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Group Discussion

1. What prayers do you have that have been

   • granted by God

   • God made you wait

   • God gave you a different answer

   • God did not grant

How did you deal with each situation?

2. Knowing the 4 points on how God answers our prayers, how can we improve our prayer life?