"Do You Believe God Answers Prayers?"

She said, “Surely you don’t believe God answers prayer?” Yes, I do.  Prayer is more than just a therapeutic exercise. With countless Christians, I have experienced answers to prayer. No, prayer never got me an A when I failed to study. God does answer prayer.

Jesus prayed. The Biblical mandate is to pray. The savior gave us The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15) as a model.  In the midst of chaos, we are invited to pray (Psalm 50:15).

God answers our prayers according to his will and redemptive purpose. When we pray, we open ourselves up to aligning ourselves with his Word. Somebody said that God answers our prayers in four ways; yes, no, maybe and you’ve got to be kidding! The answer to our prayers may not be what we expect or want.  That is why trust is a huge factor in prayer. We trust God to hear our prayers, should we then trust God’s answers as to what is best for us?

Prayer is not a scheme or a scream. It is interaction with the Almighty and at his invitation. God loves us enough to give guidance to us. The timing of God’s answer to our prayers is not our call. The Fruit of the Spirit includes patience. The Bible acknowledges that at times, the chaos, the hurt, the anguish, the grief, can be so overwhelming that we can hardly articulate a prayer. The promise of the Word of God is, “The Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.”  Thank God!

Blessings,