Have you heard the story about the young dad who needed a heart transplant and found a match in 6 days?
How about the cute love story about a woman who prayed to God to help her find the love of her life? After weeks of praying she realized he was right under her nose.
There’s also the story of a lost and confused young woman who was broken by trauma and found a way to manage her healing through the Church Of Christ.
All of these great stories are proof that God answers prayers.
But remember, God answers according to His will
So I wondered quietly to myself, why was God not answering a specific thing I prayed for?
I had been praying for a while about it and maybe I wasn’t consistent, but I was earnest and hopeful.
“I know why your prayers haven’t been answered yet…”
My friend’s words stopped me in my tracks because it was such a random comment and I let my friend continue.
“…maybe it’s because you’re too impatient. Give it time. Also, have you tried setting a set time for your prayer?”
God loves to help those who rely on and trust in Him
Growing up in the Church Of Christ we’re taught that if we really want God’s guidance for something important in our lives then one of the things we can do is to conduct regular prayers because it shows God that we rely on Him.
There was a Verse of the Week published by INC Media on Youtube that reminds us of this.
Why are prayers important?
Perhaps my friend was right? Maybe I was too impatient and praying out of routine.
So, I held my own prayer at the same time for one week. I got my answer. Then, I held another one until I got an answer. Then, I held another one, and God continued to respond. And now 10 years later, I’m still praying regularly. I’m a believer in prayers and here are the things I have learned.
- God answers His faithful children. Not everyone’s prayers are answered. But those whom God recognizes as His faithful children are the ones who can hope to receive the answer to their prayers. So that’s number one. The second thing is God communicates in a way He knows you will understand. So pay attention to His answer. Prepare yourself to be emotionally and spiritually ready to respond to His answer. And finally, those who can hope to receive the answer to their prayers should be doing what is pleasing to God.
- Don’t stop praying. In our worship service lessons, we’re told that God will never get tired of hearing our prayers, as long as we are always obedient and follow His commandments or instructions. We’re always going to need guidance, so keep on praying. And never doubt that God has the power to answer our prayers.
- Be devoted to your prayers. It’s important for us to maintain our firm relationship with God. It’s kinda like how we continue to work on our relationships with our friends, family, and loved ones, and one of the ways we can prove that we value our relationship is by spending time with God through praying.
- Keep a record of all the ways God answers. Like I said, God answers His faithful children who follow His commands; I can’t promise you it will be the answer YOU want, but it will be the answer that is right in the eyes of God, so keep a prayer journal. Take note of the ways He answers.
Prayers are powerful and not just for life-or-death situations.
As a content creator for incmedia.org, I’ve heard people share their wonderful stories about their favorite answered prayers.
Put God to the test
Todd Brown was featured on Stories of Faith because he shared his journey to finding the true faith. When he was a Bible student, he learned the right way to pray and wanted to give it a try.
Todd Brown simply needed a car. “I was in the worship service one evening. In the lesson, the minister asked, “Put God to the test.” So I’m like, “Okay.” Well I needed a car at the time. And I previously was in a dealership earlier that day trying to negotiate for a car and the price just wouldn’t come together.”
And then literally, when I came out of worship service there was a voicemail on my phone from the car dealership. It was like, “Oh, Mr. Brown, you know, we couldn’t get the car you want but we got something different, that we were able to approve, all the paperwork is done, you can pick it up tomorrow morning.” And I was like, “Alright, alright.” I promised that if I get this car, then I’ll have more mobility and I can not only do my work, but I could go to every worship service and be consistent.”
Seek to put God first
Kevin Johnson was featured on Blueprint, talked about when he was a Bible student and wanted to see how effective his prayers could be, now that he knew the proper way to pray.
Kevin Johnson was looking for a place to live. But when I was a Bible student, I prayed to be closer to the chapel so I can attend Bible studies and so I can be able to be active in all the Church activities. So I prayed for this, I prayed to be close to the chapel and God answered my prayers…I’m like right here. It’s a great blessing because I’m so close to the chapel that every activity, you cannot miss.”
God answers prayers. But He has requirements.
Maybe the only thing that’s keeping you from making a decision or finding a solution is earnestly praying to God. And maybe what’s stopping you from starting is understanding exactly what it means to devote yourself in prayer.
You can start by learning what the Bible says about answered prayers in this video. This video answers
- Why doesn’t God answer my prayers? Is God slow to answer or is silence actually His loudest response?
- What does it mean to have a prayer of faith? Could believing without doubting be the secret to receiving God’s blessings?
- When does God answer prayers? What if obeying God’s commands is the key to unlocking His responses?
Then set up a time to speak with a minister of the gospel of the Church Of Christ. You can ask questions about God’s requirements for answered prayers, how to pray and even get real life examples from the Bible of servants of God who have seen their prayers answered by God.
Written by Jan Valerio a staff writer at INCmedia.org. The blog also got doctrinal input from ministers of the gospel, Brother Bob Pellien, Brother Joe Velasquez and Brother Richie Juatco.
