How Does God Answer Our Prayers?

Prayer is the breath of life for believers, as the expression we often hear says. That means, prayer is inseparable from the life of a follower of Christ. Like breath for the body, that important is prayer for our lives.

The Bible records that we should continue to praywith hope. In Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving,” God wants us to persevere in prayer and ask of Him.

Yet we do not live in Old or New Testament times, when people could meet face to face and communicate directly with God. Then, how does God answer our prayers in this modern era?

 

“I have prayed. Why is there no answer?”

One day, a man who could not swim was caught in a flood. He was a man who believed in God, diligently prayed, and was religious. As the floodwaters kept rising until they reached his waist, the man prayed for God’s help .

Not long after, a rescue team came in a rubber boat. "Come on, jump in here," they said. But the man refused because he believed God Himself would help him. So the boat left.

The water kept rising until it reached his chest. Panicked and afraid, the man prayed again. Then a second rescue team came and told him to get into the rubber boat. Once again he refused. “It’s all right,” he said. “God will help me.”

The water had now reached his chin, then his nose. The man kept praying, until a third rescue team came in a helicopter. But the man stubbornly refused, reasoning that God would surely help him.

Long story short, this man died by drowning. On his way to the afterlife, he met God and asked, "God, I already prayed that You would save me. Why did You not help me?"

God said, "I already sent you two rubber boats and one helicopter, but you refused My help."

3 things about how God answers our prayers

From the illustration above, we can learn what God desires from our prayers.

1. Persevere in prayer

I am sure the man did not just pray three times, even though it is said that God sent help three times. In a flood situation, and given the fact that he could not swim, perhaps the only thing he could do was pray. I also believe God

sent help because He saw the perseverance of his prayers.Do we still keep praying , even when our prayers seem not to be heard or answered byGod? Or do we stop pr aying and become bitter toward?

God

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and stay alert in this prayer, with all perseverance and petitions for all the saints.” – Ephesians 6:18

2. God’s answer comes through many things The man died by drowning because he assumed God’s help could only come through supernatural events. I am not minimizing that possibility, as if God cannot do miraculous things in this day and age. Yet, help

and God’s answers can come through many things. God’s response may come through God’s Word that we read. Through the advice of our spiritual mentor s, sermons inchurch , or help from the people around us. Be sensitive to the voice ofGod . If you feel you are not sensitive enough, pray that

God

will give you that sensitivity. 3. Fight for what you pray for If we truly study the Word of God, we know that God’s answer to prayer must be pursued. Sometimes He asks us to “jump into the rubber boat or climb the helicopter rope,” rather than simply waiting for something miraculous to happen. God is able and willing to answer our prayers, but He wants us to strive in line with the content of our prayers.

Could God not have saved Noah and all the animals from the flood supernaturally? He could! Yet instead, God told Noah to build an enormous ark and let him be considered crazy by the people around him.

Could God not immediately place a job right before our eyes when we pray asking for work? Of course He could. Yet God is more interested in growing our faith than merely “show-off” that He can do every miracle.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7  

The Bible does not say that we only need to ask (pray), but that we must also seek and knock. Not just remain still, but also fight for what we pray for.

For example, if you pray for a job, prepare a neat and attractive resume. Learn good grooming and interview techniques. Seek information from various sources, or ask friends. Do not be defensive or stubborn like the man who refused help. Apply the advice you receive, because that may be the answer to your prayer.

When God does not answer a request right away, it may be that He wants us to persevere in prayer. He is interested in seeing how patient and faithful we are while waiting for an answer. Godcan answer through anything around us

, not always something miraculous. Often His answer needs to be pursued or acted on, not waited for passively. So,strive in line with what we pray for . Through that striving, He answers our prayers

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